1S - 21 May, 2011
er eyes t.peak volumet.; her mudras speak her ('xpertise; her expre:.sions probably 00£1' bhavas and her dance mesmerises many. Do you think I would waste such adjectives for just some ordinary person? Well, Srimathi Venkat is no ordinary person. She is one of the renowned Bharathanatyam dancers of the neighborhood who enthralls audience with her performances. In aJ1 interview with her for Velac1lcri Talk, I try my best to expose and explore her secrets of surcess. And here they are for the readers. Wben did the art invade you? I wa ju t five yeMs old when I started learn ing Bharathanatyam. I had my Mangetram under the backing uf Karthik Fine arts at Bharathiya Vidya Bh'1\Ian on 25 May 1995, in the pre ence of maestros like M P Sivagnan"m ,'nd dJnce critic late T S PMtha. arJthy. I tood first for four years in <1 row from 1997 in intN school Bhar,lthanatyam competition held in Coimbatore and wa conferred 'best dancer award' by them. Who is your guru? How often do you give
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VELACHERI TALK
perform a n ces? In the beginning, I leMnt from Usha San thanam. Now I ,1m a disciple of K J Sarasa. I am also learning nattuvangam from Shanmuga Sundaram. It is a notable fact that my teacher Sarasa is the first woman nalluvanar. I am a B grade artist in Doordarshan. I have also passed the lower and higher technical ('xams in Bharathanatyam in first class. I have given many performances in and ,Hound hennai. My schedule tends to be hectic especially in December during the music season. To name a few, I have given performan I' for televi sion ch,mneL, in aty,1I1j"li Festival Perur Clnd telecom cuHur,,1 festival in Coimb"tore and in many d,mc(' festivClls held in le"ding sabhas of Chennai. Let us know the aWMds that have been con ferred on you ... I was titled 'Natya Chudaroli' by Jay" S.ltwika Dance School and 'Nrithy.l Kala BhMathi' by Gana Mukunda Priya Sabha. I am now teach ing Bharathanatyam at the Sivam A ademy in Nang,lIlallur. AI. 0 I conduct classes at my home under the name 'Sri Nrithyalaya' for young dancers. I did 'salangu pooja' for two of my tudents. My students performed in Ad,'mbakkam Isai Mandram under the theme 'Krit.hnam Vande Jag.,thguru' for \ hich we won man accolades. Her hu band chips in that she i a very trid teacher and a perfectionist which help in shap ing her t.tudentt>. This art denl.1nd . a toned body and a neat make-up. How do you manage it? Well thi .. i. a divine art equal to yog", as it impart peace of mind. It is an exercise which in itself the route to a toned figure. If .uduous efforts are put in, .1ge is not a bar for this art. I spend three to four hours for practice during classes wherein Ileam the nuances of the art. Make up, jewellery and costume l1<lS a vital role in this art. They add beauty to the performance, since this art is ba3ically ,1 visual treat. I spend two to three hours for make-up. Nowadays, artificial jewels are available to make the art affordable. If we mess up with our makeup, the discomfort on stage will show in our per formance. How do you balance your profe your home? I ,1111 also working in a banking oftware compan . If not for my parents who encour aged me from the beginning of my career and my in-law and my hUi>b,1I1d who have been a pillar of upport, I would h,lVe h.ld to slice my c,uel~r to m,'nage the household. Srimathi an be contacted at 9600072199.