BENGALURU: When Bana Shastri Ramanath moved to the US after her marriage, her in-laws did not want her dancing Bharatanatyam for reasons best known to them. As they say, when someone tells you to not do something, you go do it. The city-based dancer got a scholarship into Sangeet Natak Akademi as a youngster and her relationship with classical dance only got stronger from there.
“35 years ago I began performing in the US and people approached me, asking to teach them. I started training students in my breakfast room, family room, garage and finally got myself a dance studio. It just grew from there on. I have Indian and foreign students and find some American girls to be more Indian at times,” says Bana Shastri, who went back to studying post marriage and got her Masters degree in counselling Psychology.
She also teaches at a university in Texas, mixing in theory, mythology, philosophy, spirituality and the best of all - math.“I go to colleges for lecture demonstrations and people look at me with wide eyes, when I talk about dance and math. They were never aware of this connection and are interested to take up the class. Indian classical is based on math algorithms. Those who are good at math are good at classical dance and Carnatic music. Rhythm too is nothing but math,” says the teacher cum freelance therapist, who firmly disapproves of the misnomer that students who are not academically sharp are better off pursuing music or dance.
Everything is timing and count, she explains adding that classical dance may be too intellectual and boring for some. What about Indian students? One of the main reasons they end up learning Bharatanatyam is on the wishes of their parents, she shares.
“I want to quit but I don’t know how to,” she says, laughing. She is in town for a performance by one of her Indian- American students. 16-year-old Gowri Iyengar finished her arangetrum two years ago but wanted to express gratitude to her teacher. Hence, the Bharatanatayam repertoire on August 5 with Bana is orchestrating the solo performance. It will take place at JSS Auditorum, Jayanagar at 4 pm.