KOCHI: A student and a teacher.
Together they made a decision to do their bit to ease an art form out of the clutches of competition and arts festivals. Renowned mohiniyattam artist Kalamandalam Kshemavathy will now make her presence felt in Kochi as a visiting teacher at Kalandhika, a dance school founded by her student Mini Pramod.
Mini had been Kshemavathy’s student for more than 10 years before she shifted base to Kochi. For the past few years, Mini was busy pursuing her PhD on a dance related topic at Kalady University. As it is nearing completion, she decided to realise a long cherished dream - to open a mohiniyattam school here.
When she communicated her idea to Kshemavathy, she was only too happy to be part of it. “I have been a teacher for many years but I have always preferred choreography and training aimed at performances, not competitions,” says Kshemavathy.
After decades of performing in stages in India and abroad, Kshemavathy is now concentrating more on teaching and putting up performances of pieces choreographed by herself. Once a month, she visits Chennai to teach at Saradhi, an institute founded by Kala Sasikumar, a dance enthusiast.
The danseuse whose bold and innovative choreography has won her critical acclaim says that it is often by pure chance that she hits upon an innovative piece of choreography.
Her husband , the late filmmaker Pavithran, used to make her listen to ghazals at night. Once she was listening to ‘Jab Rat Ki Tanhaayi’ when she felt that its mood and pace suited mohiniyattam. She tried it out and that was how one of her choreography pieces was born.
It received good response when she presented it at the Thrissur regional theatre. “It had all the bhavas including sringara and viraha. But unfortunately my husband passed away before I could bring it to stage. I consider it a tribute to him.” Among her other works are the choreographies of Sugathakumari’s poems like ‘Rathrimazha.’ Speaking about the various awards that she has received, she says, “In my youth, awards were a great encouragement and motivated me to reach higher goals. Now it is 46 years since I entered this field and I have reached a stage where I don’t need them. The rest of my life will be dedicated to dance and I will never grow tired of performing.” Her daughters Eva and Lakshmi are well-trained in the dance forms but as of now they don’t intend to take it up as a profession. But Kshemavathy agrees that the scenario has changed a lot today. “Earlier, there were just a handful who were really good at the art. There is too much competition these days what with arts festivals thronging with those who want to win prizes.” Kshemavathy is of the opinion that the future of the art form is in the hands of professionals. “A real artist will continue to learn after all the competitions are over. To perform on international stages and to do choreography, you require a lot of knowledge and dedication. Only if you are thorough with the base can you experiment.” Kshemavathy will be visiting the school every Sunday at the Rotary Hall, Vyttila. As of now, the classes are being conducted on an experimental basis. Children above 10 and professionals can attend.
To enroll, contact Mini Pramod at 9847423884.
ashaprakash@expressbuzz.com