Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India, the organisation that blurred boundaries amongst types to convey dancers below one umbrella, turns 35
Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India, the organisation that blurred boundaries amongst types to convey dancers below one umbrella, turns 35
They like to carry out on well-lit levels earlier than big audiences. They take pleasure in being recognised and applauded. Yet, artistes typically expertise a way of solitude as they yearn being in an area of their very own the place they will introspect and discover. Having a mode that’s distinct is unarguably an asset, however alternate of concepts and feelings, particularly with co-artistes, might assist in a deeper engagement with the artwork.
“ABHAI (Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India) was launched primarily to facilitate this. The idea was to bring all artistes under one umbrella,” says Roja Kannan. A senior Bharatanatyam dancer and trainer, she is the present president of the organisation. The artwork type is thought for its numerous banis (colleges) established and nurtured by conventional nattuvanars. Over the years, strains amongst banis have blurred, however earlier the distinctness was strictly maintained as a result of gurus probably didn’t have cordial relationship, and would additionally dissuade their sishyas from interacting with these from different colleges.
“Stylistic variations lend dynamism to the form, but bonhomie among artistes is essential for the sustenance of the art. Combined visualisation can be a powerful tool. I think guru K.N. Pakkirisami Pillai realised this when he took over as the first president of ABHAI, when it started in 1987. He was then a member of the Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram and headed the Natya Department at the Government Music College. Soon the organisation became the voice of the Bharatanatyam fraternity; conveying the problems and concerns of its members to government authorities,” says Roja, whose tenure has been one of the vital difficult, with the pandemic additionally disrupting the dance world.
As performances got here to an entire halt, artistes have been confronted with an unsure future, some even struggling for survival. “It was during this phase more than ever that we realised the significance of ABHAI. We emerged as a formidable collective force to help artistes in distress by offering material, emotional and financial assistance. Apart from reaching out to dancers and their accompanying musicians, we extended support to teachers, make-up artistes, costume designers, lighting technicians and stage-craftspersons associated with Bharatanatyam. The beneficiaries also included folk dance artistes, puppeteers, nagaswaram and thavil artistes, and repairers of musical instruments. This crisis reminded us that dance is about what’s happening in the world as much as it’s about the poetry of bodies on a stage.”
An abhivriddhishala on ‘Movement therapy’ carried out by Anita Ratnam
| Photo Credit: Courtesy: ABHAI
Space for ideation
Over the years, ABHAI has advanced from being simply an organisation of artistes and technicians to a platform for ideation. This transition is related because it’s time the tradition of dance and efficiency is imagined anew. It is crucial to construct an ecosystem that makes the artwork accessible and inclusive. The magnificence about dance is that it may possibly flip what appears bizarre and mundane into artwork. So, teams like ABHAI have a bigger position to play — of making new futures.
“The past presidents, all stalwarts in their own right, brought with them that invaluable exposure to the intricacies of a traditional art form and an amazing ability to develop it into something exciting,” says Roja. “It is this energy that we channelised into our Abhivriddhishalas, conceived by Adyar K. Lakshman, when he headed the organisation. An excellent blend of practical and theory lessons, they offer opportunities to young learners to interact with great masters.”
Dance is far more than its conventional picture and there are such a lot of layers to an artiste in the present day. For occasion, one wants to know the display (digital medium) in addition to the stage. They ought to imbibe the classical approach however reimagine it for the modern viewers by releasing up their our bodies and embracing revolutionary ideas.

Students from totally different dance colleges acting at ABHAI’s annual day in 2017
| Photo Credit: Courtesy: ABHAI
“ABHAI was not started to promote talent but was envisaged as a support system for dancers and technicians,” says senior exponent Chitra Visweswaran. “The focus was more on welfare activities such as an insurance scheme, medical assistance, train travel concession and aid during calamities. The Chennai floods of 2015 happened during my tenure, and it was then that we first came up with a method for collecting donations and disbursement of funds. A few dance festivals that we launched were only to provide opportunities to deserving young artistes. In its own small way, ABHAI wanted to put an end to the ‘pay to perform’ system that was killing the art.”
One of essentially the most talked about festivals organised by ABHAI was the Mahabalipuram dance competition held throughout veteran dancer Lakshmi Viswanathan’s time period as president. Another landmark occasion was ‘Rajarajeswaram 1000’, a dwell efficiency by 1000 dancers from the world over, conceived and led by the then president Padma Subrahmanyam to rejoice the a thousandth 12 months of Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur.
V.P. Dhananjayan, who was each the founder-secretary and president of ABHAI, has been intently following its journey since its inception and takes satisfaction in the best way it has held its members collectively for over three many years. “Some of our meetings were initially held at my institution, Bharatakalanjali, before R. Krishnaswami offered space for free at Narada Gana Sabha. ABHAI has since been functioning from there. Efforts are being made to get a building of our own equipped with a theatre, rehearsal hall, recording studio, audio and video library and rooms to accomodate visiting artistes,” says the natyacharya.
“While Sudharani Raghupathy (who was also the president) chose the ‘chin mudra’ as emblem, I named it the ‘Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India’ ( abhai means without fear). The name clearly defines the purpose — helping artistes pursue their passion fearlessly,” says Dhananjayan.
Source: www.thehindu.com