Protagonists of Indian classical dance tell Divyani Raghav and Utsav Mishra why male performers are becoming a rare breed
While the left side of the brain needs to be nurtured carefully with artistic development for every child, it tends to get neglected in the techie-paced rush of modern life. Girls still take on classical disciplines despite the pressures but the boys have gotten left out. Though some of them have made headway in music, there are hardly any male classical dancers. On the contrary, there are a plethora of male practitioners of modern and Western dance forms.
While men in classical music will always be revered, dancers are few. Fewer still are those who achieve recognition. “It takes a lot of time to learn the basics of classical dance for perfection. But nowadays youngsters are just hungry for ticking off the boxes and want success through short cuts, which is diminishing the value of classical dance forms.” said Shashidharan Nair, a kathakali guru. He added, “Men in today’s era are not given due respect as classical dancers. They are seen as taking up dance just because they have nothing better to do. The perception goes that men cannot pursue dance as passion or profession but rather as an alternative destress tool. Besides, you need an audience who understands the dance form and appreciates its finesse. Without motivation and patronage, male classical artistes are on the wane.”
A dance is like a fight, a fight is like a dance, a way of life. Much like the chhau dance form that originates from Mayurbhanj in Odisha. “There is a lot of struggle for men in this field because only a handful of classical artists achieve fame like Pandit Birju Maharaj. Also there are not many male-oriented arts festivals where talent can be exposed individually. Dance festivals of classical forms are usually dominated by women. There are duets and dance dramas featuring men but unless there is a legend, you do not make the mark. It is not that boys do not take up classical forms but they are not conditioned to consider it a professional bet. It is the responsibility of the gurus to assure the continuity of their dance by providing opportunities,” said Santosh Nair, a exponent of chhau himself. Analysing audience perception, he explained, “Female dancers are more heartily accepted as compared to male dancers because the audience wants to see more grace which they think can be best accomplished by a female dancer. However, now the circumstances are changing with the department of culture providing a plethora of platforms. If the the gurus and government come together, I think a lot of classical male dancers will be encouraged.”
Manipuri dancer Dhana, however, believes that there is a need to select more balanced themes. Everybody is touched by the story of lord Krishna and Radha’s love. The stories and episodes from their life are the core of Manipuri, he argued. Which is why you will find more male practitioners here. “I was not supported by my family to take up dance but I only focussed on my target and achieved excellence. My mother became alone after my father’s death, so it was my responsibility to take care of her. I went to Delhi and learnt Manipuri dance at Triveni Kala Sangam. In this dance form, men do stand a chance to be praised. Newcomers should indulge in hardcore practice to attain perfection.”
Saswat Joshi, an Odishi dancer, concurred about donning the right character’s role as purveyor. “I learnt dance forms on mythological male characters like Shiva and Arjuna where the gestures are masculine. And the response that I received from onlookers was positive.”
Femininity among male dancers is something the modern audience is averse to, which is deep-seated in our ignorance of alternate sexualities and the importance masculinity is given in our society. However, kathak is one of the few dance forms where femininity in form and style has always been appreciated regardless of gender, old masters like Shambhu Maharaj and Birju Maharaj being the greatest purveyors.
Katha kahe so kathak kahlayeis an old adage that explains the essence of kathak as a form of story-telling through dance. “After Birju Maharaj ji, Ram Mohan Maharaj is considered his torch bearer. Ram Mohan has shown us how a feminine part of dance can be beautifully presented by a man in a masculine way,” explained Parul Mishra. She also felt newcomers having an interest in learning any form of dance should first learn art for art’s sake and not be affected by commercialisation because it hurts the status of the art and artiste.
Guru Ram Mohan Maharaj himself enlightened us about his struggle. “Women are usually praised more than men. Then there is the fusion element which has worsened the core grammar of purity. The pay is another issue.”
A dancer’s home is on the stage and dance is a hidden language of the soul that you must search within yourself. According to the luminaries, the only dancer you should compare yourself to is the one you used to be.