Posted by Ranjana (203.94.213.163) on June 11, 2005 at 23:09:05:

 In Reply to: Response to Ranjana Dave's article

Posted by Vinod on June 10, 2005 at 20:02:59:

 Firstly, Vinod talked about how people think that having an arangetram is THE END of dance. I have seen that happening to some friends in India too.
Then, I agree many children and adults WILL moan and groan at the thought of dance training. Just a question now, how many children actually like to study? If they are forced to study and learn dance as a subject, they will probably get used to the idea of it, and some of them, atleast some, will start liking dance and will take a deeper interest in dance. Forced art will lead to appreciated art at some point. It is time for us to wake up and realize that just talking of making children 'feel' the art and 'experience' it is not enough any more.
About traditional dance items being given western flavours, I would like to say that this works only in some places and cases. And this will not sound the death-knell for traditional audiences. Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra's arabhi pallavis are still appreciated by a very large number of people and are performed widely, despite being what one would call traditional.
According to me, innovations in any classical dance would be necesssary for its evolution. This is not to imply that Bharatanatyam or Odissi or Kathak will look like jazz a few hundred years down the line. These innovations should be subtle, so subtle that they maintain the original beauty, essence and form of the dance.
Ranjana.