Bharatha Natyam was brought to Sri Lanka mostly in the latter part of the 1940s by those who went to India to learn this excellent art. Some learnt it from the traditional gurus, while others did so at established institutions. As compared to India, here in Sri Lanka only a handful of artistes have taken up this art as a profession. Still, we can see only a very few Sri Lankans who are professionally qualified to teach Bharatha Natyam to their students.
Most of the Bharatha Natyam artistes have opened dance schools while a few give some amount of public performances. With time, they also pass into oblivion. Majority of the students who learn Bharatha Natyam do not do so with enthusiasm. Even most of the teachers who teach Bharatha Natyam are not dedicated to this great art. They are employed in schools or other fields. The teachers take dance classes in the evenings at their homes or rented out halls as a part-time occupation. Hence the method of handling this art in this country is not professional. It has become a business venture.
False values
Most of the parents do not understand the depth of the art. Today some of the so-called teachers use numerous tactics to attract students and parents. At Arangetrams teachers perform ‘Pada Pooja’ by washing the feet of the chief guest and offering floral tribute to him or her along with the student in the middle of the performance. Such activities take place while keeping the statue of Lord Nataraja on the stage. They have forgotten the role of the chief guest or guest of honour. No doubt, the chief guest and guest of honour are given a special place in the event. Some of the so-called Baratha Natyam dance teachers do not bother about their self-respect, moral standards and customary traditions in society. They try to project themselves by showing their false values. Today it is not so easy to cheat the public.
At the academic level, Bharatha Natyam has moved to universities as a fine art subject in the faculties of the performing arts. Systematic training and theory are imparted at universities. Many of the undergraduates have come out from numerous universities with practical and theoretical knowledge.
Without a meaningful contribution to art, their main aim is to attract the audience. They do not understand that they are looked down upon by society.
Maiden performance
Today it is not easy to fool the public. They are quite vigilant and educated to evaluate the mentality of dance teachers. The teachers force parents to spend heavily on the show.
Arangetram means the maiden performance of a young artiste to introduce herself or himself to the art world as a budding artiste. ‘Arangam’ means stage, ‘atram’ means entering the stage. Arangetram also refers to as ‘Arangaperavesam.’ It also reflects the same meaning. Arangetram artistes are supposed to perform the entire ‘Margam’ or prescribed Bharatha Natyam repertoire laid down by Tanjore quartets. On certain occasions, teachers are also under the pressure to have a quick Arangetram for their children to please their parents. On some occasions, teachers pressurize parents to have the Arangetram to earn an income without considering the standard of the students. Ultimately these attitudes affect the overall quality of the art.
Arangetram is an expensive event and many parents are not in a position to spend for such an event. Some Arangetrams are just jejune performances only. To cover up the shortcomings, elaborate stage décor, dazzling lights, attractive colour costumes with different patterns and diverse musical instruments are used. But it should be remembered that all these devices cannot mask the poor quality of the dance. After the Arangetrams big pictures and numerous reviews are published in newspapers. In the reviews, every danseuse is projected and hailed as a prodigy and every dance teacher is also referred to as a veteran. Such reviews do not promote the standard of this great art. On the other hand, it further weakens the art. With time, the danseuse also passes into oblivion.
Ultimate causes
From the time of immemorial, it has been said that Arangetram is only the first step in one’s dancing career. But in this country, the Arangetram marks not the beginning of the dance career, but the end of it. Gathering all the information one could conclude that lack of dedication and devotion to the art are the preliminary and ultimate causes for mishandling this art. Ironically, the Tamil cinema which generated a great interest in Bharatha Natyam and fostered the art is also one of the main reasons today for debasing the art by projecting bawdy dances.
In Sri Lanka, the lack of dedication and devotion to art could be seen very often among students and teachers. Students are eager to have certificates and teachers are hankering after titles and awards. Some dance teachers are prepared to accept any title from any individual or any organization without considering the standing of the body. On the Arangetram day, most of the dance teachers award diploma certificates to their students but they have no statutory right to confer them. Most of the people are not aware of the fact that such diplomas have no value at all.
Some of the teachers are always hankering after publicity through print and electronic media, without any meaningful contribution to this great art. Even those who churn out reviews about Arangetrams or dance recitals hope to get some sort of award or title for their writings.
The above factors have contributed to the downfall of this great art in Sri Lanka.
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