In the Indian classical music and dance scene a lot of value is given to the “Gene Pool” from which you emerge. Musicians proudly speak about their lineage. “X-Khan” or “Y-Iyer” from a musical family is automatically treated with respect. During the past century, the West has shown a lot of interest in Indian music and dance. Balasaraswathi, T.Viswanthan, Ravi Shankar, Vishwamohan Bhat, Ali Akbar Khan, Swapan Chaudhuri, Zakir Hussein and many others have received recognition for their work and have trained quite a few students from the non-Indian “Gene Pool”. What is this experience like for the student and the teacher?

I had the opportunity to speak to the students and faculty at Bridgewater State College, where Smt. Kausalya Srinivasan has been a Fulbright Scholar in residence teaching Bharatanatayam. I also have spent the past few weeks teaching Dandiya to fourth graders at Buckingham, Brown and Nichols, a private school in Cambridge. The remarks were overwhelmingly positive.

“Learning this art form has been one of the most special experiences of my life, ” says Shannon Stanton, a student at Bridgewater State who took on the role of Lord Shiva in a production. “It was tough but I learnt so much”.

“I loved the celebration of spirituality that exists in this dance form,” says Kathleen Kelble, whose background is Irish-Catholic. “Maybe such celebrations of spirituality can bring peace to the world”. Was this spirituality in conflict with your own background? “Of course not. We all know that there are many paths to God and I am very accepting of that.”says Kelble. ”This dance training helped me learn about India. Doing the various actions made me understand the culture well. As a student, I think such an understanding brings more tolerance for differences,” says Tamara Ridore, a student originally from Haiti.

Beyond the spiritual aspect, what did people think of the dance form? “It is one of the most beautiful dance forms though it is very difficult. But it offers opportunities to use your bodies in new ways. I have never worked with my fingers or my face to any great degree. In our dance form, we have to mostly concentrate on one thing at a time. But here, we have to have hands, feet and face all coordinated while not skipping a beat” said Alex Valentine, the only male dancer in the group.

So what is like to teach students totally unfamiliar with the dance form or Indian culture? “I was so amazed at the respect the students show for the art form and the motivation they had to learn. I came in not knowing what to expect, but I think I have never had a better set of students or received greater respect. It is not easy to learn Varnam and yet they worked so hard to master it” says Smt. Kausalya Srinivasan. What aspect do you think captivated them the most? “Story-telling was their favorite. They would sit for hours and listen to the stories. Often it was hard to explain things like churning the butter or using an “Ural”. Dance moves helped understand things better. The “Sollukattus” or pure dance syllables were also very exciting. They loved the complex rhythmic patterns".

How did they master such a complex art in such a short time. “Kausalya Srinivasan is a master teacher and that helped a lot. She could explain the moves correctly. There never was any confusion. She also cares about each student and never allowed anyone to slack. People used to always tell me that Bharatantayam is very difficult and I cannot learn it. Now I am so proud that I know this art form,” says Nabiha Abid, who is a half-Indian, half-Pakistani Muslim. As a Muslim, did she feel any tensions learning Bharatnatyam? ”Not at all. In Islam prayer is highly valued and we all know that everyone around the world uses the same “Anjali” gesture for prayer. So where is the conflict?” said Abid.

I also had the opportunity during the past few weeks to teach Dandiya to fourth graders from the BBN School in Cambridge. The eagerness and attention they showed was amazing. “I think your dance form is most special. I feel I need to know more about your culture now. This learning has been so exciting” a youngster told me.

“Based on my experience I would like to urge all students who are learning Indian classical dance to teach it to your friends. Teaching helps you learn better and your non-Indian counterpart will welcome the opportunity. As an Indian-American the onus is on you to learn these art forms and acquaint others with your culture for they are certainly willing to learn” says Srinivasan.

This is sound advice indeed, especially to Indian-American youngsters who sometimes are embarrassed sharing their “Indian” dance with their friends. Parents involved in school systems should try to encourage administrators to bring such music and dance to the schools. Perhaps learning music and dance from different cultures will help bring societies closer and remove bickering that cause friction.

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