Sri V.P.Dhananjayan and wife Shanta Dhananjayan, the dancing couple from India were in Boston as chief guests for the 25th anniversary celebrations for Nrityanjali, a dance school run by Jyothi Raghavan. They have become the legendary dancing couple of India in their own lifetime. Both disciples of the legendary Rukminidevi of Kalakshetra, having established their own Academy, Bharatakalanjali, have become International celebrity. They have received innumerable National and International awards and recognition, including the Central Sangeet Natak Academy Award, otherwise known as the Presidential Award. But despite of all the honors their simplicity, honest approach towards the arts and sincere support for all artists shines through as you stand in their presence.

There were many young artists including male dancers Sri Thiruchelvam and Sri Narendran, singer Sri Aravindakshan and several female dancers in the group. Everyone of them looked up to the Dhananjayans and I was amazed at how much effect this couple had on many of the up and coming artists. It was a special moment for me personally as a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher to meet this inspirational couple.

(RS - Ranjani Saigal VP: Sri V. P. Dhananjayan SD: Smt Shanta Dhananjayan)

RS: Thankyou so much for agreeing to speak to us. What does it mean to be a pioneer in this field?

VP: No no! We are not pioneers. Rukmini Devi and others were pioneers. But yes, as far as America is concerned we can be considered as pioneers. When we came on our first visit in 1976, immigrants were few. The NY state education dept and the NY state invited us to teach people about India and we traveled for 4 months in this country. We also have been offering summer camps for senior and junior students for many years in Virginia. As you heard Jyothi Raghavan say, many dance teachers in the US have taken training from us and now they have become excellent teachers in their own right.

RS: How did you start learning this art form? Were you a child prodigy.

VP: I learnt dance merely by accident. Shanta was the prodigy. Her parents brought her from Malayasia at the age of eight to enroll at Kalashetra. I come from a small village in Kerala. My father was an elementary school teacher. At that time dance for males was a taboo. My Guru Chandu Pannicker came to our town and asked my father if there were any boys that he could take to Kalashetra to train. My father told him "I have four. Take any that you want". I was chosen and the rest is history! I studied both Kathakali and Bharatanatyam. I have combined both judiciously to form a unique identity.

RS: What do you think about innovations in a style that is so ancient?

VP: Art is not static. Innovations must be brought in. But having said that one must be careful with the innovation. One must not loose the essential identity of the art form. Some people who are unsuccessful in the realm of Bharatanatyam often do presentations just to attract audience attention by providing shock value. This is unacceptable.

RS: Do you think elaborate pieces like the Varnam should be performed in the presence of audiences who may not be familiar with the artform?

VP: Abolutely. Varnam is the very essence of dance technique. It has something for everyone. The novice can enjoy the pure dance aspect presented via the intricate jathis. At the next level, one can enjoy the Nritya aspect where we express the words of the Varnam using gestures. At a deeper level people can enjoy the Sanchari or story telling aspect. The expert enjoys the philosophical thoughts of Viraha, the concept of seperation from God and ultimate desire of man for the union of Purusha and Prakriti. Varnam judiciously combines different elements. Of course the central theme of all Varnams is love and that is a universal idea that is timeless and can be understood by all.

RS: While all dancers look upto you, male dancers particularly look up to you as a mentor. What special training and support do you provide to them?

VP: In older times, male dancers were effeminate but I train male dancers to dance as male. I have made a special effort to encourage male dancers. I am proud to say that many have made it their profession and are happily settled with good incomes from this career. I have been successful in encouraging many boys from middle class families and it has been a good experience for them.

RS: Is it difficult for husband and wife to work together? What is the secret to your success? Do you have special roles?

SD:(Smiles) Oh it is simple. We never have a problem. We never interfere in each other's domains.

VP: That is right. I am the architect and she is the engineer.

RS: What do you think about schools in the US? What can you recommend to teachers teaching students here who are often unfamiliar with the culture and even the language?

SD: Over the year the standards have improved considerably. We always encourage teachers to take the art very seriously and teach it as seriously as possible immaterial of who the students are. We have been very successful teaching non-Indian students and some of them like Catherine Kunjaraman are doing a great job.

RS: What is your advice to women who often have to negotiate between dance and family?

VP: I always recommend that your first and foremost duty is to your family. But if you establish good communications, you will hopefully be able to negotiate the family-dance issue in a successful manner.

Shanta (Laughs) Hopefully you will have a supportive husband and it will not take you sixty years of communication to start your career.

VP: (Laughs) Well if you do, you can emulate the success of Kalanidhi Mami. She is so talented and despite of entering so late in field, she has taken the dance world by storm. Actually that is also the beauty of this art form. You can dance at any age. I am 65 and am still dancing. When I danced with my guru Chandu Panniker he was 84.

Lokvani:What advice would you give to our young dancers?

VP: Don't use dance to project yourself. Use it only to project the art. The art performed with sincerity will certainly promote you.

RS: I heard that you are now building a wonderful "Kalakshetrra" like school in Kerala. VP: Yes. It is called Bhaskara. It is a wonderful project. You can learn more about this from the web site at http://www.bhaaskara.com

RS: Thank you so much for your time. .

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