Dr Anuradha Jonalagadda (Professor and Head, Department of Dance, Sarojini Naidu School of Performing Arts, University of Hyderabad) sharing insights on issues of art and education.
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| Dr Anuradha Jonnalagadda Head, Department of Dance, Sarojini Naidu School |
In 1988, when dance was introduced at the Master’s level in the University of Hyderabad, it was probably one of the first initiatives from the South of India to view this performing art as an academic discipline. Yes, there did exist an academic approach to dance even previously in the form of the textual traditions that have been taken as the basis of Indian dance since time immemorial. But, its place in the university gave an extra edge to the research aspect of dance, and a couple of us in the very first batch were awarded Junior Research Fellowships and pursued our research programs in this university.
In the beginning, though the syllabus had not yet been consolidated, we were taught by eminent personalities from the fields of aesthetics, literature, dance and linguistics, and scholars who were already into translation of traditional texts and were involved with the journey of dance in post independence India, like Prof. PSR Appa Rao, Arudra, Dr. Natraja Ramakrishna and others. This gave us a very wide exposure in a variety of fields, from social anthropology of dance to world dances to texts, apart from exposing us to various dance forms – we had workshops with stalwarts like Vempati Chinna Satyam and successful performers like Sharon Lowen. The concentration was more on the theoretical concepts and the technique of the dance forms.
In the following years, however, the syllabus underwent some changes and now, subjects like Art Management and Technical Aspects of performance have been included. We try to strike a balance between theory and practice. Research too, which previously revolved around the texts or the history of a dance form now also includes various other areas, like dance in education, kinesthetics, and tries to connect dance to the present society, which I think is a healthy development.
What is the importance of theoretical foundation for performing artists?As far as Indian dance is concerned, I don’t think there is enough material. Serious deliberations must be done and published material based on authentic sources must be more in number. Oral traditions must be documented in a proper fashion so that we don’t lose our traditional art forms and the knowledge related to them.
With rigorous training in technique and practical performance of a dance form, a talented and hardworking dancer can definitely become a good performer. But if one wants to be a thinking dancer, grow beyond just repeating what she has learnt during her training, a strong theoretical base is a must. One can correlate and co-ordinate between the action and the reason behind doing that particular action only if one is well versed with theory. If Vempati or Kelu babu, who never attended any universities achieved what they did, it is because of their strong roots in not only the theoretical aspects of dance, but also in literature, music and other allied areas. They were institutions themselves, and hence, are exceptions. But generally, a strong foundation is definitely a requirement for a performing artist who wants to indulge in creative endeavors. When a dancer knows what s/he is performing and has in depth knowledge of the theory behind it, it would add immense value to his/her performance.
Give us a landscape of scholarly research - current research areas, notable contributions and future directions.
As far as Hyderabad University is concerned, research on dance education, dance therapy, dance history, text and performance, study of Indian Diaspora and gender in dance are on-going projects. Form and content, history, inter-disciplinary approaches like yoga and dance are some of the PhD works that broke new grounds in dance research from our university.
What are the key points of comparison of academia in India with those abroad?
The discipline of dance in India took quite sometime to become an academic subject at the university level for various reasons, one of them being the established traditional system of training that had been continuing for centuries in India. But as far as research that is methodologically thorough and scientific, and in inter-disciplinary approaches has increased in number only in the last decade. Previously, research was more in the traditional mode, in the sense, it revolved around the re-discovery of certain texts or forms that were not in vogue, which has helped bridge the gap between theory and practice. In contrast, research in the area of dance in the West has always been more un-conventional, and inter-disciplinary. Compared to India, the funding, support and openings for art is far better in the west, and hence, you see a much more thorough and focused kind of work being done there.
Hyderabad University is popular and known for the quality of dance education. Your comments.
We strive hard to preserve the traditions, but at the same time also keep our mind open to the latest that is happening in dance. This is, I think, the legacy we inherited from the founder members of our department. We are thoroughly rooted, but at the same time absorb new ideas and new areas of openings that are coming up in the area of dance. We adhere to the University’s motto of “saa vidya yaa vimuktaye,” which means, “that is the true knowledge which leads to final liberation” be it of mind or of ideas.
With rigorous training in technique and practical performance of a dance form, a talented and hardworking dancer can definitely become a good performer. But if one wants to be a thinking dancer, grow beyond just repeating what she has learnt during her training, a strong theoretical base is a must.
What is the role of art in education and how could art education be familiarized at an earlier stage to students? It has been proven time and again that art education contributes a great deal to the development of a child’s personality. The CBSE board has recognized this and has included art as an optional subject, and we hope this is implemented across other boards too and that dance is introduced right from the primary level of education.
Do you feel adequate education content is available for a serious student of the arts?
As far as Indian dance is concerned, I don’t think there is enough material. Serious deliberations must be done and published material based on authentic sources must be more in number. Oral traditions must be documented in a proper fashion so that we don’t lose our traditional art forms and the knowledge related to them. This must be done in order to preserve these forms for the future generations.
