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Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Changing Trends: Are non resident Indians a.k.a. NRIs saviors of sorts?

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‘Dance of the gods’ losing ground in the land of its origin?

 

By Supraja Gaini

 

Hyderabad, India, Jubilee hills, a dance studio. 7/10/2010.

 Shoulders shimmying, fluidly spinning to the rising crescendo of Caribbean music, the dancers are immersed in their partner's arms. As they move to the fast music their sensual body movements mirrored across the walls of the well lighted and expensively furbished dance studio, it is easy to imagine them straight out of a scene from the popular teen flick, "The high school musical" that broke box office records in USA a couple of summers ago.

Passersby can’t help stop and stare at the spectacle; the dancers in their skintight leotards are young, their well toned bodies glistening with sweat, their joyful abandon as if beckoning onlookers to join them.

This scene is neither from a movie, nor does it belong to a studio in U.S.A! Located in an affluent area of Hyderabad, a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, renowned for its cultural extravaganzas, this studio at Jubilee hills is one of many such establishments in the city. In recent years dance studios have sprung up all over the city, catering to the growing demand for Hip Hop and Salsa.

With TV shows like ‘Dance Baby Dance’ (very similar in template to ‘Dancing with the stars’ that we have here in the U.S) being aired on major Indian entertainment channels, touting SALSA and hip-hop as the dance of the new generation, classical dance forms like Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam have taken a backseat. Out with the old and in with the new seems to be the mantra! More and more youngsters in India are moving away from pursuing an education in classical dance and other classical arts like Carnatic music.

A recent trip to Hyderabad was a definite eye opener to the growing western influence in the behavioral and thinking patterns of the Indian teens. Be it a 10 year old or middle-aged mom, dancing to fast western music seems to be the in thing. The fact that these dance studios charge an arm and leg for a couple of classes does not seem to deter these teens from taking lessons. Affluence and the media have contributed heavily to this trend of moving away from the Indian classical arts. The availability of well-trained teachers in the western styles of dance has certainly helped hasten this trend. While the Salsa and belly dance may have once been the dance more befitting a vamp of a Bollywood movie, in metropolitan cities of India today, it is not only socially encouraged but has been adopted by young and old alike.

This craze for western dancing spans across age groups. Sushma Gupta, a thirty something and a computer professional, when asked why she likes the Salsa, exclaims, “It’s so sexy; I feel I have the freedom to explore my sexuality when I am doing the salsa”. It seems the taboo of having to be in close physical contact of the opposite sex when doing the salsa, no longer impedes young women like Sushma, from gyrating on the dance floor to the fast paced music, as they dance with a partner.

The demands of the dating scene also seem to encourage youngsters to pursue lessons in hip hop or Bhangra. Ask Ravi, 25-year-old Software professional, why he is taking salsa lessons and he will tell you, that the only way he can impress girls at a party is to exhibit some cool moves on the dance floor.

More and more youngsters in India seem to prefer salsa, bellydance, hiphop, ballroom dancing and other styles of western dance to Bharatanatyam, which they consider boring, and way not COOL.

Take Radhika, the daughter of a classical dance teacher, who rebelled and refused to learn Kuchipudi and instead pursued jazz. A 17-year-old college girl of Osmania Engineering College, Hyderabad, Radhika, says, she likes the sense of freedom, when she dances to fast paced and fun filled jazzy music. “While Kuchipudi is great, I feel restricted and don’t exactly feel it is for a bubbly teenager”, explains Radhika, while her mother looks on tolerantly.  

 

Huntsville, Alabama, a residential garage. 2/10/2009.

 Across the continent, in Huntsville, Alabama, it’s a hot summer day; the sweltering heat barely kept at bay by the whirring fans in the modest two car garage being used as a make-do dance studio. 14-year-old Lekha seems oblivious to the heat as she executes an intricate set of Bharatnatyam steps, her eyes and facial expressions reflecting the meaning of the Thyagaraja Kriti (Hindu devotional song). Her teacher insists she hold the mudra (ritual hand movement) more stiffly, squat some more as she executes the dance steps. Lekha tries again, and gets her mudra, expressions and footwork all correct this time. She smiles, relieved. As the music swells and dies, her teacher directs the fan in her garage towards her students and encourages them to express the meaning of the Kriti as they dance, with eye movement and to emote more.  The parents waiting to pick their kids up after the class listen to the music as well, and can't help being touched by the spiritually uplifting Kriti.

The contrast can’t be more apparent. With each passing day it seems the west and the east is switching places. While Indian teens are adopting Salsa and hip-hop, a growing number of NRI kids here in the U.S.A are performing their ‘Arangetram’ in Bharatnatyam or a ‘Rangapravesham’ in Kuchipudi after 8 to 10 years of dance classes.

Often introduced to this dance form by their parents at tender ages of 5, a majority of them take dance lessons for a minimum of 8 years before graduating to perform to the accompaniment of a live band on stage for more than 3 hours. The interim period before graduation is filled with rigorous dance lessons and performances at the various local programs hosted by the various Indian associations. Soccer, tennis tournaments, participation in science Olympiads and math tournaments go hand in hand with classical dance and music lessons for these NRI kids. A weekly dance lesson sometimes finds parents driving across town for an hour or more one way, so their kids can learn to dance.

What then is the driving force behind this dedication and why when the land where this dance originated seems to be leaving it behind, Indian teens in U.S.A seem to consider it an accomplishment worth pursuing? To answer this question, one has to only talk to the some of the senior students of Mrs. Mahalakshmi Varadhan who has been teaching dance for the past 4 years in Huntsville, Alabama.

It does not seem that making their parents happy is the only reason these kids continue taking lessons. As Meghana Gaini a 9th grader who has been taking lessons in this dance form for the past 7 years says, “It is fun because, I enjoy dancing and I feel I can do the less classical moves of the Bollywood dances much more gracefully because of the good foundation I have in Bharatnatyam. Besides it’s a way to unwind after a long hard day at school.” When asked if she will pursue dance as a career, she responds with, “I don’t think so but it could be a way of relaxing after a hard day’s work.”

Bhavana Krishna a 10th grader on the other hand, responds with “I might become a dance teacher and teach dance. Who knows, I might even have my own dance studio one day.”

This disparity in trends is worth analyzing. Preservation of their Indian heritage and the need to introduce their kids to the rich culture they left behind seems to propel NRIs to seek lessons for their kids, from established dance teachers. The teachers themselves have over the years catered to this demand by coming up with a structured curriculum that fits in with the very busy lives of the Indian Americans in the USA.

How ironic that, while Indian teens move towards the seemingly more glamorous western styles of dance, the American Indian teens consider the classical dance form a way to be closer to their Indian heritage.  Is it merely a case of the grass being greener on the other side or a desire for something different that could explain this disparity?

With the not very subtle makeup, expressive gestures and intricate footwork, and graceful yet energetic moves the Indian dance forms are not easy to master. The outfits are not in tune with what’s in vogue in terms of dress or accessories. The Salsa on the other hand is feistier and seems less contrived, the western dance outfits something ‘Britney Spears’ or ‘Hannah Montana’ or some other Disney teen idol would wear.

In the face of these facts, it seems tougher to comprehend, why Indian teens in USA have no trouble complying with their parent’s wishes of learning classical Indian dance forms.

As Jyothi a 16 year old senior puts it, “I used to hate inviting my American friends to our yearly Bharatnatyam recitals and would only do so because my mom insisted on it. I always thought my eye makeup was over the top and the costumes more exotic than pretty. Over the years, I have come to realize it is all right to explore my Indian side. In fact I feel my friends respect me more for being in tune with my heritage. Strangely, my friends attribute my success in studies to my being so grounded in traditional dance and music and being so steeped in my Indian heritage.”

The lyrics to the dances being in Sanskrit, Telugu or Tamil, are not easy to understand, considering some of the students may not speak these languages at home and even if they do, most are not proficient in them. Speaking English primarily, as a part of mainstream America, they generally neither have an ear for, nor the instinctive ability to understand, let alone emote to the songs while dancing. While most teachers do their best towards explaining the lyrics, one can’t help but ask, “Are the students ever touched by the lyrics of the ‘kriti’ as they render the intricate steps of the dance. Do they grasp the subtleties of the exalted and lyrical language used in the ‘kriti’? ”

“Do you feel you are a mischievous Krishna, as you jump up and break the pot of butter when dancing?” I question Shravani, an eight year old, just starting dance lessons. Of course I do, she giggles. “Krishna is my favorite god and I love butter she says with an endearing grin.” Shravani at least is connecting the dots and seems well on her way to establishing the age-old link between religion and dance in her mind.

When asked how she explains this dance form to her American friends, Nupur who has been learning several dance forms like  Bharatnatyam, Mohiniattam etc. rather sanguinely replies, “Bharatnatyam is to me what ballet is to them.” So it seems Indian teens in USA are not letting peer pressure sway them in abandoning their heritage in a hurry.

As Nisha, an eighteen year old senior dance student assisting her teacher in class, explains the Dashavatara to a younger student in class, by relating it with the ‘The theory of evolution’, I can't help feel proud, that we NRIs have in some small way, helped the dance of the gods stay alive and kicking in the USA.

Dance could be a proponent of deep thinking and introspection. My sincere hope as a parent of a 15 year old Bharatnatyam dancer is that my child will be more inclined to unravel the lyrics of the kritis she dances to, as she grows older. Mayhap, one day these young dancers will be compelled to dig deeper into Hindu mythology because of the dance lessons they took as children and learn lessons of strength and fortitude.

I await the day, when these danseuses will feel a stirring of their soul, as it awakens to the inherent beauty of a Thyagaraja kriti helping them realize, that Indian classical art forms are not mere forms of exercise but could be a way of finding one’s higher self in a spiritual sense!

Your Opinion Matters!

Supraja Gaini“Hello readers, I am Supraja Gaini and also go by the nickname of Pooja. I currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A. and am originally from Hyderabad, India. Please email your thoughts to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Some of the names of people interviewed in this story, have been changed to protect their privacy."