In folksy splendour

THE NATIONAL Folklore Support Centre has begun a new series in traditional art forms. After a series of workshops to understand the dance traditions of various regions of the country, the centre has now started a series on traditional folk dances, with special focus on the North East.

A week-long workshop was recently held in the city to highlight the aspects of Khamba Thoibi, a dance form of Manipur, at danseuse Chitra Visveswaran's Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts.

Dancer Anita Ratnam who inaugurated the workshop, lamented that there were only a handful who had enlisted for the programme. In any other place, there would have been a full house, she said and wondered why Chennai, considered the cultural capital of South India, had such a poor response.

Those who registered for the workshop (few Bharatanatyam dancers, two actors from Koothu-p-pattarai and two from an NGO) said that as they watched the demonstration by the visiting artistes Birohini and Biseswar, they thought it would be very simple and easy.

But once they began to learn, they found it complicated and had to teach their bodies to forget heavy movements and coax their fingers to become more flexible.

"We learnt the meaning of restraint and concentration, and channelising our energies in a different way," said Arti Bodani, who has had training in Bharatanatyam and modern dance. For Palani and Rama Varma of Koothu-p-pattarai, it was pure dance... and a new experience.

For Bharati and Arudra from an NGO (they have no previous dance experience) just dancing itself was a learning experience. Discovering a new technique of body movement was very refreshing, the participants felt.

Venugopal, the programme officer of the National Folklore Support Centre, said that the centre was planning another series of folk dance workshops in collaboration with the Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts very soon. Deborah Thiagarajan, who presided over the valedictory function, said it was very important to know the diverse culture of the country, and lauded the efforts of the NFSC in this direction.

V. R. DEVIKA

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Next     : They believe in self-help