KOCHI: Members of the transgender community will soon get a dance academy at North Paravoor. The academy named ‘Sathya Sri Sathya Sai dance academy for transgenders’ will be run by Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust in North Paravur shortly. The academy will provide free training in bharatanatyam and kerala natanam to around 25 members of the transgender community from the Aluva region. The classes will be taken by Thiruvananthapuram-based dancer and yoga trainer Gayathri Subramanian. Those who will attend the classes are members of Dhwayah, an Aluva-based arts and charitable society founded by Renju Renjimar, a celebrity makeup artist from the community.
According to trust founder and executive director K N Anand Kumar, post the training, the group will form a dance troupe and will be given encouragement and support to perform at various programmes. This will also help them to gain a livelihood.
“Most of the times, the talents of transgender people are often subdued due to several reasons. Rarely do they get an opportunity to exhibit their skills. That’s why we agreed to become a part of this programme which will also help us o form a performance troupe,” said Renju Renjimar.
The trust also plans to provide a six-month-long free training in tailoring to 25 people. “Certificates will be issued after completion of the course. They will also be given a tailoring unit which can be converted into a stitching centre. All of the 25 people will also be made partners in the business and will share the income.