KOCHI: Upcoming Bharatanatyam artist Vidhun Kumar feels Kerala is yet to open up to professional male artists. The young dancer from Pathanamthitta cannot comprehend the attitude of Malayalees when the person personifying dance is Lord Siva who himself is male. “ But the scenario outside the state is very different where male dancers perform in large numbers. This is what I see in Chennai and Bangalore.
The problem in Kerala is that not many are aware of the established male performers in the field, and the history. Women are seen to be better performers because of factors like feminine grace and poise. But there is more to dance than just grace,” he says.
Vidhun started pursuing Bharatanatyam at the tender age of five. Though his dance teachers were two ladies, his inspiration in dance was always Parshwanath Upadhye, a renowned male Bharatanatyam dancer based in Karnataka. States Vidhun, “His performances show the extent to which a male dancer can present and express himself through dance.” Though his interest in dance was encouraged and fully supported by his family from his childhood, they were a little reluctant when the youngster expressed his interest to pursue it professionally. The 23-year-old dancer, however is glad that things turned around when he was able to prove his abilities in dance.
“Eventually you get more support,” he adds. Vidhun Kumar, who was an engineering student in 2010, won the Kalapratibha award in the same year followed by the first position at the 2012 South Zone University Fest, which was held at Gulbarga, Karnataka. The young dancer also plans to continue Bharatanatyam alongside his career as a software engineer in Technopark. Though he still has a long way to go to establish himself as a dancer, he has a piece of advice for men who wish to pursue classical dance as a career. Winding up, he says, “If you have the skill, go for it and pursue it with all your heart,” he says.
