CLASSICAL DANCE
- Feb 29, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 9, 2020
The elegance of a Taal
Classical Dance is a performance art that is expressed with poise, dignity and elegance. Every step, gesture and pose contributes greatly to the story being told by the dancer to the open-mouthed audience. It has its practice and theory deeply rooted in the famous Sanskrit text written by Bharatamuni, Natya Shastra.
Bharatanatyam dancer and artist, Thaniya Kanaka Mahalakshmi, aged 21, expresses her love for her art form which she had grown to love since the tender age of 5. She says, "I perform to do justice to my art form, not for the claps but out of deep love and respect for it."
She has had many personal landmarks that have taught her amazing things in her journey of furthering her knowledge in her dance form. Such as performing in front of the main deity in the Chidambaram Temple of Lord Shiva and many other notable achievements, which she states taught her many lessons that will stay with her forever.
Being a 3rd year student in a design college can be stressful. She often finds herself placing dance as her second priority with academics before it. She hopes to find a career in a field that will complement her performing arts career and place dance as her first priority once again.
"You can never finish learning an art form. There is never an end. You can take eons and eons to learn something but it will never be enough."
When advised by her mother to pursue a full time career in Dance, she rejected the idea. "I didn't want to put a monetary value on dance", she says simply, without the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice.
On the note of advising young aspiring artists, she emphasises the importance of Practice. She says that dedicating one hour a day at least will help. She reiterates the famous saying: 'If you leave your art form for a day, it will leave you for three.'
She also states the importance of learning something new about the art form everyday. She says, "You can never finish learning an art form. There is never an end. You can take eons and eons to learn something but it will never be enough"
She ended by naming her greatest inspirations and pillars of support: her mother in particular, her gurus, her father and her brother. She says they gave her the wings to fly and for that she is ever grateful.
Ms. Kanaka Mahalakshmi is truly a role model for many young aspiring artists and her love for dance is one that is admired and respected by many.
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