Rooting for classical dance
K. K. GOPALAKRISHNAN
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Sadanam Unnikrishnan, one of the founders of `Mudralaya,' talks about his early days as a dancer and the dance scene in the U.K.
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... I feel that what is classical is always classical and I am now back to classical dance. Unnikrishnan
STRIKING A POSE: Sadanam Unnikrishnan.
Sadanam Unnikrishnan is a household name among art lovers in London.
His two decades of experience as a performer and teacher has helped him in his endeavour in creating an awareness about Indian dance in the United Kingdom (U.K.), especially among non-resident Indians. He has also groomed a number of up-and-coming artistes in the U.K.
Self-made artiste
"It was poverty at home that took me to Gandhi Seva Sadanam Kathakali School in Palakkad at the age of nine and it is the blessings of my gurus that have sustained me," says Unnikrishnan. This self-made artiste, however, feels that he is one of the few lucky artistes to be trained under masters like Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair and Sadanam Balakrishnan during his eight years at Sadanam School.
"My interactions with them not only helped in honing my skills but also helped me to grow as a responsible individual and understand the aesthetics of arts," he adds.
After graduation from Sadanam and an year's training under the coveted Guru Chandu Panicker Scholarship, he left for Kalashetra to get trained in Bharatanatyam, though the invitation from Kalashetra was to join there as a faclty member to teach Kathakali.
"The salary offered was Rs. 300 a month. Instead of accepting it, I became a student of Bharatanatyam. To earn a living, I started a mobile library and in the evening I distributed the magazines to readers living around Kalashetra and earned up to Rs. 400 every month. This was sent to my mother at Pattambi. She thought I was drawing a handsome salary at Kalashetra," recalls Unnikrishnan.
Immediately after completely his course at Kalashetra, he joined the Dhananjayans for further training and also taught at their institution, `Bharatakalanjali.' His introduction to the U.K.-based dancer Pushkala Gopal, a senior disciple of the Dhananjayans, in 1984 gave him an opportunity to perform a role in `The Adventures of Mowgli,' a show choreographed by Pushkala, for the Academy of Indian Dance in the U.K. Unni played a variety of roles and the dance travelled to different places in the U.K.
When the production was over, the Academy offered him a job as a teacher, which he readily accepted.
Started `Mudralaya'
In 1987 he started `Mudralaya,' a performance and teaching company, with Pushkala Gopal. Mudralaya was the source of many an inspiring creative work in the British South Asian dance community during the late Eighties and early Nineties. Together they formed an artistic team that initiated several experiments, collaborating with theatre groups, ballet, contemporary and African dance groups, exploring Hindu epics, folk tales, Shakespeare and gender politics.
"But I feel that what is classical is always classical and I am now back to classical dance," Unni. He feels that classical art forms of India are now distorted and marketed in the West as contemporary choreography.
He feels that though the contemporary dance culture is strong in U.K., youngsters, especially Indians and Sri Lankans, show great interest in Indian classical forms. However, what hinders their future is the fact that opportunities for performances are limited as funding is reduced and Indian classical dancers have to compete with waves of western contemporary dance.
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