No tha-thaiyya, only hip-hop

When Kootiyattam virtuoso Margi Madhu Chakyar finished his riveting 3-hour performance on Thursday night, everyone present at Centre Point School's Muktangan applauded. And yet, it sounded more like a pitter-patter of claps than a resounding ovation.
The reason? Everyone present' included not more than 50 people. The programme had a free entry and, therefore, affordability couldn't have been the reason for the thin attendance.
And even in the select audience, the proportion of youngsters wasn't exactly overwhelming, leaving one wondering whether the whole programme organised by Spic Macay (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth) was a lost cause.
This has been a worrying pattern. During other cultural events the city has lately seen such as the Kalidas festival empty seats have greeted artists and performers. Sure, die-hard aficionados may have made sure not to miss such events, but the present generation has been conspicuous by its absence.
Cut to a popular western dance class: boys and girls right from middle and high school rub shoulders with college-goers as they shake it' to jive, salsa, hip hop, quick step and so on.
All this raises the question: Are today's tweens and teens leaning towards non-classical dance forms? Are western dances treading on the toes of traditional Indian dances?
Yes, says Madhumita Chuckerbutty, 26, a trained Kathak exponent and a choreographer who is also adept at Western dances. "TV has made Western dances, especially Latin American ones, more popular. Many songs in Hindi movies liberally borrow moves from them, making them quite a hit among youngsters," she says.
Chuckerbutty, however, says she's a classical dancer first, and always will be. She says it has more status and has remained virtually unchanged over centuries. "Western dance, on the other hand, is not constant," she points out.
But she talks of Westerners who show deep interest in Indian dance forms. "I get students from Rotary exchange who want to learn Indian dances. In fact, they are more dedicated than our youths," she chuckles.
A big reason why today's youngsters don't pursue classical dance seriously is because it's demanding and time consuming. Says Prachi Murdeshwar, who has a daughter studying in class IX: "Visha's tuition classes for class X maths and science will start soon. She can squeeze in an hour a day for her Western dance class but she won't be able to do the riyaaz for, say, Kathak." Besides, adds Visha, all her other friends are also learning Western dance.
Parental support, therefore, also plays a part in the children's choice. If one or both the parents have a liking for classical art forms, there's a good chance the child will also develop an interest in it. Something similar is the case with Maya Mukherjee, dance teacher at Centre Point School (CPS), who holds in degree in Kathakali. "My daughter learns Kathak and loves it. Because kids are impressionable, it is important for parents to help them make choices." This, however, may not always help. Chuckerbutty says she has had requests from parents asking her to teach salsa to their class VI kids. "It is a mature dance form that is only suitable for those above 16 to 18 years of age. I guess too much TV is responsible for this."
With many reality dance shows on various channels, almost all featuring youngsters, the temptation can be too much to resist. "Quick fame. That's what kids want," Mukherjee rues.
It's probably this craze that's keeping Alister Anthony busy these days. A dance choreographer, Anthony runs three to four batches of classes in Sadar, teaching Western dances to children in the age bracket of 6 to 18. "Latin American dances like jive and salsa are all the rage today. The music is catchy and the steps too are quite cool," he says. Besides, these dances involve a lot of body movement and help in keeping the kids in shape. "When they come here," says Anthony, "the tension of their studies vanishes. They thoroughly enjoy it."
Can the twain meet? To some extent. Anthony says he has a few students who also learn classical dance. "Their movements are better than other kids," he says. Chuckerbutty adds that she also could learn salsa within a week because of her strong foundation in classical dance. But Mukherjee, the dance teacher at CPS, remembers a recent TV show in which the dancers put on Kathakali costumes and then went on to perform on Jumma Chumma De De.' "They defiled the spiritual essence of Kathakali," she says acidly. "It was disgusting."