THRISSUR: Breaking the gender barrier and departing from tradition, Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed to be University has appointed its first male teacher in Bharatnatyam.
RLV Ramakrishnan, an accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer, has been appointed as an associate professor of dance at the university.
As per the tradition of Kalamandalam, only female teachers were appointed for various dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, and Kuchuppudi. Meanwhile, for forms like Kathakali and Koodiyattam, only male teachers were allowed, and until recently, only male students were permitted.
It was only a couple of years ago that girls were allowed to learn Kathakali at Kalamandalam.
Responding to his appointment, Ramakrishnan, who is also the brother of the late actor Kalabhavan Mani, said he considered it a blessing.
"It was during 2022-24 that I did an MA in Bharatanatyam. It was after completing the course that I came to know about the vacancy at Kalamandalam and applied for the job. In the initial days of Kalamandalam, ARR Bhaskar Master and Rajaram Master from Chennai had taken classes in Bharatanatyam at the institution. Later, males were not taken in as teachers," he said.
He added that he missed the presence of his brother Kalabhavan Mani at the moment.
Ramakrishnan had drawn severe criticism from certain dance teachers a few months ago.
In an interview, noted danseuse and teacher Sathyabhama made insulting remarks against Ramakrishnan, triggering a controversy. However, prominent cultural personalities extended full support to Ramakrishnan, who continued to perform Mohiniyattam despite the criticism.