Pedagogic Perspectives in Indian Classical Dance: The Manipuri and The Bharatanatyam

Title: Pedagogic Perspectives in Indian Classical Dance: The Manipuri and The Bharatanatyam
Author: Pukhrambam Lilabati Devi
Foreword: L. Joychandra Singh, former Director, Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal, Manipur
ISBN: 978-93-82395-39-3
Language: English
First Edition: 2014
Binding: Hard Cover

About the Book:

By Dance Pedagogy we shall mean the role played by the dance pedagogues and with whole their pioneering services, the Indian Dance have been transformed from the Folk form towards the classical status. It also means its art of teaching dance to young students according to their needs, values and understanding. Dance is an art and the dancer is the artist and both are materialised with teaching-learning process at which the teacher takes greater responsibility as by being a committed artist. Teaching is thus a sublimed art which is to be enlivened by the teacher from whom teaching cannot be separated at any cost.

The Indian Classical dances being the world famous modern Indian dances have definitely been framed up under efforts of teaching-learning process at which the pedagogues (teachers) have taken central roles to upholding these dances and positioning themselves to higher status. A time is so arrived today to study the underlying values being contributed by the pedagogues in the world of Indian Classical Dance, with an aim to energize efforts on its future development. Taking interest on their roots, and geographical locations, one being Manipur state situating in the Indian border in the north-eastern region at which the researcher belongs and another being Tamil Nadu state locating in the southern part of India, it is felt that the world of Indian classical dance as compared to one another is yet to be fully discovered.

In this work on the Pedagogical study of Manipuri and Bharatanatyam, the sub-themes perceiving as the valuable cells of the work, are developed by ways of going through authenticated books, journals, newspapers and official documents etc. as secondary sources of information and directly interviewing with the existing teachers of art and dance and the learners of the JNMDA and Kalakshetra of Manipuri and Bharatanatyam respectively and their some eminent teachers as of first hand information. The contents of the present work might be taken as the genuine venture to describe the roles being played by the dance in making the progressive forms of the two dances and this cracking of the nut will be helpful to further and deeper studies.

About the Author:
P. Lilabati began her formal dance education at Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal from early childhood. She owes her family for their love and encouragement which made it possible for her to take dance as her profession. She spent almost 9 years at Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal. She receives 3 years Certificate Course, 3 years Diploma Course, and another 3 years Post Diploma Course in Ras from J.N.M.D.A. Imphal.

And after her Diploma in Manipur Dance, she learnt 4th year Diploma Course in Kalakshetra Foundation Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts, Chennai, under a Scholarship from the Government of India. And after the 4th year of Diploma, the Former President of India, Late R. Venkataraman, the then chairman at Kalakshetra Foundation Chennai 2004, awarded her to continue the Post Diploma Course in Bharatanatyam. Moreover, along with her sister, she has the distinction of being the first Manipuri to get the Scholarship to learn Bharatanatyam.

After a successful stay in Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts, Chennai, she was selected a state nominee by the Director of Education (U), Government of Manipur, for the Master of Performing Arts, specializing in Master of Performing Arts. During her stay at Kalakshetra Foundation in 2004, she was selected for Junior Membership Performing Artiste Award by Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi. She was also a member in the Academic Council of the University for the Academic Year 2008-2009, nominated by the Vice Chancellor in statute (1) (xii) of the statute of the University. From Hyderabad Central University, she got Gold Medal in Master of Performing Arts Examination held in the year 2009 and was awarded the Nataraja Rama Krishna Sharada Devi Medal.

Now she is pursuing Ph.D at Hyderabad Central University. She has cleared UGC NET. Now she is working as Guest Lecturer, Department of Dance, in Manipur University, Canchipur. She is an enthusiastic young artiste trying to explore the nuances of Bharatanatyam and Manipuri along with other Indian dance forms with full heart. She can formally conclude that the sole goal of her life is to discover dance, discover herself.

Book Releasing Photos:
Releasing of the book "Pedagogic Perspectives in Indian Classical Dance: The Manipuri and The Bharatanatyam" by Vice Chancellor of Manipur University on 24/06/2014 at Centenary Hall, Manipur University.