Desi touch in America

"I FEEL goose pimples every time the aircraft takes a circle over Chennai and prepares for landing and my homing pigeon instinct surfaces" says Ratnapapa Kumar who is presenting a Kuchipudi performance at the Music Academy on December 27. Year 2000 marks the 25th Anniversary of Ratna's dance school in Houston, U.S. and Ratna has been coming to Chennai for the December music season ever since. "Coming to Chennai is the most uplifting experience for me and watching Vyjayanthimala Bali dance at the Mohamana session took my joy for dance to a new height. For me ,dancing at the Music Academy is the height of acceptance.

Ratna Kumar had her Bharathanatyam arangetram in Chennai in 1956 as the first disciple of dance Guru K. J. Sarasa. At the end of that performance, there were two Kuchipudi pieces also. She was taught by Kuchipudi Vedantam Jagannatha Sharma, son of the famous Vedantam Lakshminarayana Shastri. Then she went to Vempatti Pedda Satyam who she says was a fabulous choreographer and a great teacher. But since he was more into films, he asked his brother Vempati Chinna Satyam to teach her. "Pedda Satyam could paint well and was an extremely creative person. He was a great task master and made me work from morning to evening." says Ratna. It took more than a year to restructure the body language so used to the lines of Bharathanatyam to the fluidity of Kuchipudi. "It is to the indomitable compartmentalising spirit of us Indians who are multilingual and can do many things without affecting each other that I owe this ability to put things into different groves and enjoy everything in the same manner. "She also took advantage of the six months holiday she got after school finals from Holy Angels and entering Stella Maris College and worked hard for both Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. Marriage took her to the U.S. but her spirit for dance made her one of the pioneers to bring Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi close to the hearts of Americans.

Twenty five years later, with many awards, honours, hardworking students, productions of her own and in collaboration with the best of companies in North America, taking part in all the major dance festivals, Ratnapapa says she is happy to be in Chennai and to be viewing programmes of dance and music, "I have been there and seen it all, done it all and have had my place in the sun. Now I am looking at what I can do with my dance. I take a lot of joy in teaching. "She now works a lot in bringing dance to the disadvantaged inner city children in Texas State with workshops and performances. "These children put you in touch with reality. They are so pure and unprejudiced. I derive my greatest joy in working with these children."

V. R. DEVIKA

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