At Changampuzha Park in Edapally, the sounds of laughter and rhythmic footwork fill the air every Monday and Thursday mornings. Inside the park auditorium, a group of women, most in their fifties, sixties and seventies, move gracefully to the notes of a keerthanam.
This dance class is a unique initiative by the Changampuzha Nirthaswadaka Sadas that aims to rewrite the rules of who gets to dance.
Launched in 2019 under the Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, the classes were conceived to provide classical dance training in Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam exclusively to women above the age of 50. Today, the classes are proof that art does not discriminate and that passion has no expiry date.
Usha Venugopal, a retired school teacher from St Paul’s College and committee member of the Nirthaswadaka Sadas, is the force behind this initiative.
“I was extremely fond of dancing as a child and wanted to pursue it during my retirement life,” she says, recalling her experience at another dance class where older women were sidelined. “I was saddened by the lack of attention and interest when it came to teaching older women.”
Determined to create a space where women like her could dance without judgement, Usha approached RLV Midhuna Atheesh, a classical dance teacher and her former colleague. Midhuna, then a new mother to a six-month-old, readily agreed to teach.
“These women came to learn not for performances, but
purely out of their love for the artform,” Midhuna says with a smile.
She modified traditional stances like the aramandalam to suit their abilities. “It’s not about perfection, but about the effort they put in and the joy they derive,” she says.
The women arrive early, chatting animatedly about their lives before transforming into poised dancers the moment the practice begins.
“Society expects women to focus on their families and lead a quiet life after a certain age, but these women challenge such notions every day,” says Midhuna.
Mary Joseph, former dean of the department of social work at Rajagiri College, is another student who joined after retirement. She has already performed thrice, including at the Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple. “It feels like a miracle to be able to get on stage and perform at this age,” she says.
For Anitha Thambi, a 63-year-old retired senior superintendent of KSEB, joining the class was a dream come true. “I couldn’t learn dance as a child due to familial restrictions. Now, these classes transport me back to my youth,” she beams. “I don’t feel the weight of my age mentally or physically.”
Anitha’s husband and son, she adds, have been her biggest cheerleaders. “They are always in the front row at every performance,” she says.
The group’s performances have evolved from traditional pieces to creative renditions like a recent adaptation of poet Edasseri Govindan Nair’s ‘Poothappattu’.
Notably, the women’s bond extends beyond dance. They celebrate birthdays, support each other through tough times, and have formed a strong sisterhood.
This class is now a movement that redefines age, art, and womanhood, where these women are fulfilling their long-lost dreams.