Teaching for the love of dance
At a time when the classical Bharatanatyam dancers get the maximum publicity for their performances and the dance teachers are treated with utmost reverence, a dance teacher in Mangalore has been rendering service to the field of Bharatanatyam silently without expecting any returns.
Vidushi Kamala Bhat, the founder of Natyalaya in Urva has been teaching dance to the enthusiasts since three decades. Her dance school completed 32 years recently and to commemorate the occasion, Kamala Bhat organised Dwathrimshati thama Natya Kalotsava at Sharada Vidyalaya from January 13 to 15.
The dance festival was unique for over 300 students of Bhat performed on the stage during the three-day dance festival and the students who performed included the alumni of Natyalaya who themselves are dance teachers now and run dance schools in different places.
In the backdrop of the success of the Natya Kalotsava programme, speaking to City Herald, Kamala Bhat said that her dream of pooling the students and bringing out a memorable performances on a grand stage was materialised and she was overwhelmed with satisfaction. “It was a joy to see so many of my students performing on the stage. The traditional dance form is still alive because of these students who learn and perform Bharatanatyam religiously,” she says.
Daughter of Krishnaiah and Susheelamma couple, Kamala Bhat grew up in Kasargod in a house which always patronised art. “My uncle was a very good artiste and many artistes used to come and take shelter in our house. With rich art and cultural atmosphere at home, it was quite evident that I too developed interest towards art. My mother supported me and I learnt Bharatanatyam when I was five year old and there was no looking back since then,” she says.
After getting married to Orthopedist Dr P V Bhat, Kamala Bhat settled down in Mangalore and with the support from her husband, she went on to start her own dance school in Urva. Bhat owes a lot to her dance teachers Ullal Mohan Kumar, Vidwan Sundar Kumar Bangalore, Vidushi Revathi Narasimhan from Bangalore.
Natyalaya which is famous for staging dance ballets through Bharatanatyam, has so far staged varieties of dance ballets including Krishnavathara, Seethaswayamvara, Satya Harishchandra, Sri Krishna Parijatha etc. Kamala Bhat strictly is of the opinion that Bharatanatyam should be staged perfectly without experimenting too much by violating the classical aspects of it.
“When I teach dance to the students, I give utmost prominence to Anga Shuddhi and the expressions. A dance is incomplete without expressions,” she says. Having taught over 2000 students so far, the true spirit of Kamala Bhat lies in teaching Bharatanatyam free of cost to the students with financial constraints. “This dance form needs to be promoted and if I can do something for the cause within my limitations like teaching it for free to the enthusiast students, I would do that,” says Bhat.
Though Kamala Bhat has never staged performances in far away places, she has no regrets as she is proud of her students who have marked their niche in Bharatanatyam in various parts of India and abroad.
For her contribution to the field, she has been conferred with Dakshina Kannada Zilla Rajyotsava Prashasti, Nrithya Kala Sindhu, Sangitha Sowrabha and Natya Paveene awards.
