Growing up, I used to struggle as a dancer with minor injuries. Modern dance and ballet gave me an approach very different from Bharatanatyam. Having completed her BFA in Modern Dance and Ballet from the Boston Conservatory, and a course in Fitness Training at UCLA, and Anatomy and Physiology from Boston University, developing intention before movement is at the centre of the natyacharini’s body of work. We only teach Bharatanatyam, alongside all appending subjects necessary for a Bharatanatyam dancer.” It is a product of my quest to learn how to be an aesthetically coherent, physically precise and emotionally whole and communicative artiste. The Raadha Kalpa method, the pedagogical system I have worked on over the last 15 years, is what we impart at the institution. I primarily used to work with freelance dancers. Speaking about the Raadha Kalpa Dance Company, founded by Rukmini in 2009, the dancer says, “It was initially intended to be a dance company, but teaching became an organic part of it over the years. Rukmini wears multiple hats––she is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and actor-but the role she most identifies with is that of a teacher. I don’t fuse multiple movements in my performance,” says the exponent, who has trained under award-winning dancers Guru Narmada, GuruPadmini Rao and Guru Sundari Santhanam. “My dance vocabulary is rooted and traditional. No wonder her 90-minute Bharatanatyam recital, ‘Ishwara: A Journey to the Self’ in Bengaluru and Chennai in October saw packed auditoriums, as she delved into a journey of human emotion, loss, love and realisation through the divine eyes of Shiva and Parvati.įor Rukmini, perfection in Bharatanatyam is equivalent to chaste classicism. Her ability to tell stories using the rhythm in her body leaves viewers spell-bound. Those who understand the nuances of Bharatanatyam will agree. Rukmini’s pursuit of perfection in her students is rooted inĪ similar approach to her own art. Hundreds of students have been exposed to her teaching methodology through her classes and workshops in the last 13 years. A mesmerising rehearsal, where Natya guru Rukmini Vijayakumar helps the students with abhinaya (expression) and nritta (footwork). A divine power seems to possess them and they transform into fierce goddesses, exuding a quiet transcendence.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |