Dedicated students rarer than hard masters

Indian classical dances are said to be exacting and exciting, and performers are expected to practice every day irrespective of the proficiency they may have achieved over the years.

The South Indian style of Bharata Natyam is no exception.

Those keen on becoming professionals must ‘graduate’ through ‘Arangetram,’ which is the essential first step of public performance.

Depending on the ability of the learner and his or her Guru, the public debut could take up to ten years of rigorous training.

The Guru determines the readiness of a student and sets the date for Arangetram, based on a number of other factors.

The toughest among them is Kalaichchelvi Uthayakumaran (Selvi), Director of the Howick based Narthana Aalayam in Auckland.

She is known to demand not only the commitment of every student to pursue excellence but also the discipline to achieve it.

Among those currently under her tutelage is 16-year-old Michelle Antony, whose Arangetram is scheduled to be held at 5 pm on September 15, 2012 the Genesis Theatre of the Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau.

Essential discipline

A Year 11 student at Kingsway School in Auckland, she has been learning Bharata Natyam from Mrs Uthayakumaran for the past several years.

Her interest and sincerity are worthy of emulation, she said.

“Michelle has acquired graceful body movement, with a perfect sense of rhythm and expression. She is a joyful and enthusiastic student,” Mrs Uthayakumaran said, and added, “It is not hard for a student to find a good teacher but it is extremely difficult for a teacher to get good and dedicated students. I am lucky to have students like Michelle.”

Michelle would be her 28^th student to graduate with Arangetram.

She derives strength and support from her father Dr Cecil Antony, a general medical practitioner at the Whangaparaoa Medical Centre in Whangaparaoa, her mother Maggie (who works at the Clinic) and her two elder brothers Clive and Stefan.

“I enjoy Bharata Natyam because it is a very unique style of dance that tells a story as the dancer becomes a different character. This style of dance has detailed, graceful and sharp movements, entailing hard work and efforts,” she said.

Michelle will present all the items traditionally performed at Arangetrams, including Pushpanjali, Allarippu, Jathiswaram, Varnam and Thillana.

She will be supported by Gomathi Nayagam (Vocal), Kalaichchelvi Uthayakumaran (Natuvangam), Senthil Kumar Govindaraj (Mridangam), Ramesh Baswa Nagarajan (Flute) and Shankar Venkatraman (Violin) .

Michelle Antony will present all traditional items at her Arangetram