Re: musings

Posted by Sangeetha on December 07, 2007 at 03:00:34:

In Reply to: Re: musings posted by mallika on December 06, 2007 at 17:35:52:

Those times when Classical arts were patronized by Kings and Courts has been a golden time for Indian Arts. I may be wrong but this must have probably been because the artists and composers did not have to worry about generating income to sustain themselves. It is not the same to today's artists who have taken it up as a profession, who hardly have any patrons, sans a few and rare corporate sponsors .
I am not slighting the contribution. The technical excellence is now at its heights/or at least not lost. But sometimes I get a feeling that we don't get the same rasanubhava like before.

As for charging a fees towards art education - it may not be wrong. People pay 1000's for Math class, in what way is Dance Inferior? The general attitude that Math Coaching is essential and Art education isn't worth that amount, is unfortunate. But teaching driven by financial/commercial goals alone sounds preposterous. I have heard of unreasonable tution and arangetram fees etc., that take dance beyond the reach of interested and talented but financially deprived children.

If somebody is hosting a commercial show and are going to pull crowds to make money, it is the artist's right to charge a fee. But if the organizer is not doing it for commercial gain, say for charity or just promoting the art, the artist may consider lowering / negating her charges. Programs esp. with live music can really be expensive abroad. Payment terms aside organizers need to respect the artiste. No compromises on this one. Expecting classical artists to dance on streets, where people eat etc is depressing.

What bothers me is that general people even slightly the types who afford, are willing to pay for most other entertaiment (cinema, restaurants,parties,outfits etc.) (I am not talking about academic pursuits). But think twice before they spend to see a dance performance. It may just be a matter of taste. Developing an awareness is key to tackle the prevailing sad state of affairs.