Skipping salsa and jazz, youngsters in the city are now eager to learn traditional Indian dance forms

Say “traditional” and the reactions you get range from long faces to “are-you-talking-to-me” kind of looks. Yes, many believe that traditional is boring, that “classical” actually translates to “outdated”, that the mudras and the bhaavs are uncool and “so desi”. But youngsters these days have begun to explore the reasons that makes desi rock. From therapy to flexibility to meditation, traditional Indian, or Hindustani dances are finding increasing number of takers.

Manvi Jindal, a fifth grader from Hans Raj Public School, Panchkula, is one such dance enthusiast who finds her solace in Kathak. Manvi has recently won a national level dance competition and has also cleared the finals for Bal Shree. “My parents encouraged me into classical dance, which I find so much better than Western dance forms. I find it both meaningful and fun-filled,” she says, adding that it is the dressing up for the performance that she likes best. As the number of learners increases, so does the number of dance schools, for which there is a word of caution. “If you want to learn classical dances, they can be best taught by those who are into it completely. There are many who claim knowledge over Bollywood style dancing along with classical dance and others. You have be sure the trainer is not going to teach a mish-mash,” suggests Yogesh Sharma, a Panchkula based Kathak dancer and instructor from the Jaipur gharana. Speaking about ‘Vir Ras’ Sharma says , “It is the dance that Lord Shiva performed to kill Maheshasur. Young children are quite interested in mythology. Through dance they learn history as well the techniques.” Sharma also emphasizes that knowledge of any dance form is incomplete if it’s not based on classical dance. “Since classical dances teach you taal, bhav, body language, rhythm et al, one can do any dance form later on,” he affirms.

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