SREKALA BHARATH
Sep
2001
Srekala Bharath,
student of guru K.J.Sarasa, is an exponent of the vibrant Vazhuvoor style
of Bharatanatyam and had her arangetram at the age of 10. She has given
many performances and participated in major dance festivals in India and
abroad. Srekala believes in strict adherence to her dance form and
is the recipient of many awards including the Kalaimamani from Tamil Nadu
government, Bharatha Rathnam from the government of Srilanka..
Some of her
notable solo and ballet thematic presentations are Kodhai Potriya Kannan,
Swati Smriti, Annamayya Bhakti Manjari and Thyagaraja Vaibhavam.
She runs her own
dance school Thejas to impart dance training in the Vazhuvoor style. She
was elected secretary of ABHAI – Association of Bharatanatyam artistes
of India in May 2001.
You
are to receive the Nritya Kala Shiromani in December, adding to other awards
that you already have. How important are these awards to you?
Awards are
recognitions to prominent artistes of performing arts. It gives us
more responsibility in order to better our presentations with each performance.
You are
known for your strict adherence to tradition. How can you adapt tradition
to contemporary themes?
Yes, I am
very happy performing and earning a name in solo Bharatanatyam in its traditional
format as I was trained only in this by my Guru. I am sure you will agree
that tradition is the base of all dance forms. So when this aspect
is sound, it could be adapted to any form of contemporary themes.
Is it enough
to merely mime past traditions without making a personal interpretation?
Definitely
not. Just miming the lyrics of the song is not enough. An artiste should
know the meaning of the lyrics and understand to use her own imagination
in presenting her dance numbers. |
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You recently
participated in a workshop conducted by modern dancer Jaan Freeman from
New York. How has it helped you?
Very interesting.
Being hardcore classical Bharatanatyam dancer, I was wondering whether
I would like it! As soon as I saw Jaan conducting classes with Thattukazhi,
I felt the touch of Bharatanatayam! The stretches he taught were amazing.
10 days of 2 hrs a day has helped me be more active then what I already
am.
Do you think
local dancers should take more interest in such workshops and not confine
themselves to only their own dance rehearsals and routines? How useful
do you think such workshops are to the development of a dancer trained
in a classical style?
Yes, it will
surely help classical dancers like us and if the dancer is able to allocate
her time accordingly, it's best to attend workshops like this.
Touching
on the topic of health, you recovered from a brain tumor operation to become
one of the prominent dancers not only in Chennai, but overseas too.
How did you do it?
God's grace.
Thanks to my doctors, family members and Guru who have always supported
and encouraged me to rise up to this level. Added to this are my grit,
love and dedication for this art that has made me what I am today.
Dance orchestra
and their increasing demands is a very prevalent problem. What have
your experiences been in that regard?
Touch wood!
I have had no such problems so far.
Is an arangetram
really necessary in this day and age? You recently conducted the
arangetram of your 7 year old student. Isn't that an absurdly young
age?
Arangetram
is the very first step that a dancer takes in her life by presenting herself
in front of an invited audience. Agreed, I had my arangetram at the age
of 10 and a Guru plays an important role in this. It is necessary to perform
this according to their own requirements. I firmly believe in respecting
the parents' sentiments as far as an arangetram goes because it is more
of a family function in addition to inviting friends. But I was very
happy that this arangetram was very well received, as this child is talented
with love for Bharatanatyam. Yes, it will take few more years for
her to give solo performances and I as her Guru am there to guide her.
I don't see anything absurd in age because the legendary Kamala had her
arangetram when she was only 6 years!
How did
you feel on being elected secretary of Abhai?
It came as
a pleasant surprise when the president Mr. Narasimhachari announced me
as a secretary.
What projects
have you planned for the year?
a. Launch
Abhai's website with all necessary information.
b. To give
opportunities to young and new talents.
c. To honour
performing artistes and gurus.
(As told to LV)
Srekala Bharath
"Thejas"
63 A, 2nd Street, Karpagam Avenue
Chennai 600 028, India
Ph: 91 - 44 - 4939671 / 4933865
(R)
4901535 / 4901536 (O)
Fax: 91 - 44 - 4910506
e-mail: thejas.sb@mailcity.com
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