THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is never too late. That appears the message they all want to convey. It was indeed encouraging to know that a whole lot of women in the late 30s and above, including working women and housewives, are coming forward to learn classical dance. For some, it is about fulfilling their dream. There are a good number of them who are brushing up their long-forgotten skills. Some are learning it for peace of mind, some to stay young and healthy, some out of passion and some as a hobby. Indeed, a matter of pride for many dance schools and dance teachers around. An example being Girija Chandran, who has been running the Regatta School of Dance and Music in Thiruvananthapuram city for 38 years now. “It was my old students who first came to restart their dancing lessons, some five years back. Some wanted to burn those extra calories. I started classes for just four of them. It was not easy for them in the beginning, since it was physically demanding. But within two years, there appeared significant changes in their physique and general health. They were back in shape and by word of mouth publicity many came to know of the class. Now I have 24 of them learning dance, of which 16 are new admissions. And they include both housewives and working women,” says Girija. And she was proud to talk about her 59-year-old student Priyadarshini. “She had not learnt dance before. She had enough free time and wanted to learn dance as a hobby. I felt she was born to dance. And she eventually had her ‘arangettam’ at 62!” Rajashree Warrier, classical dancer and Carnatic musician, and Mohiniyattam exponent Neena Prasad are among those dance teachers who have been approached by many women to conduct dancing lessons. “I couldn’t admit any because of my busy schedule. But the whole trend is very encouraging. I feel this basically has to do with their desire to stay fit, young and healthy,” says Rajashree. According to Neena, dance is something which gives immense happiness to mind. “My guru, Kalamandalam Kshemavathy, has told me about many such women approaching her to learn dance,” she says. Mydhili V, who runs the Midhilalaya Dance Academy, is another dance teacher who considers herself lucky to be teaching these seniors. “I am happy to have started the trend some six-seven years back. Many are attending classes out of passion for dance. My disciples include those who were deprived of learning dance owing to their financial condition,” Mydhili says. There are cases where both mother and daughter are learning from the same teacher. Examples being Sreelekha and her daughter Ardra and Hema Ajith and daughter Sreelakshmy who are taking lessons at Regatta. For Sreelekshmy, it was basically about fulfilling her childhood wish of learning classical dance. “My family couldn’t afford to teach me then. As my daughter grew up, I wanted her to learn dance and she also liked to do that. I got her admitted here and when I realised that it is never too late to learn dance, I too took admission here,” says Sreelekha. For Latha, an Army officer’s wife, learning dance is all about getting closer to culture. “Whenever we had get-togethers or parties, wives of other officers used to ask me whether I knew any Kerala art form. I didn’t know any then, and that wish remained unfulfilled. So, when I heard about this class, I immediately joined,” she says. Most of them have the support from the family also. Preetha is one such example. More than anyone else, it was her husband who wanted her to learn dance. The classes are arranged in mornings or evenings, depending on the convenience of this senior batch. The fee varies and the average rate is ` 500 per month. “More than monetary benefit, I absolutely enjoy teaching them,” Girija says.
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