Often, invitation cards say that ‘Arangetram’ means ‘ascending the stage’. Theoretically, all of us know that it is our first stage programme. Then why is it supposed to be so perfect? It is a beginning, an entrance.
At age seven? How ridiculous!
After learning dance for just two years? Tut tut. Nonsense.
Where do these ideas come from?
A book I’m reading tells me about many of the last devadasis.
Kumbakonam Bhanumathi (who described dance as ‘the sweeter unheard melody of our music system’) did her Arangetram at age eleven.
Pandanallur Jayalakshmi (whom Rukmini Devi allegedly tried unsuccessfully to imitate) completed hers when she was eight.
Thanjavur Balasaraswathi (about whom Satyajit Ray made a film) was seven when she did hers.
These are just examples. The Arangetram was the first step, performed at age 7 or 8 or 9.
Where does the modern idea of maturity for an Arangetram come from?
My study of Theory of Knowledge encourages me to be less prejudiced, less judgmental.
Maybe it is time for me to look at an ‘early’ Arangetram as truer to the origins of the word and its significance than my notions of the Arangetram are.
May be because , earlier all of them spend a lot of time dancing as part of their ‘school and school work’ (hence mostly considered dance as a profession) than the current version of interest in dance- twice a week for 2.5 hours and in most cases because ‘mummy wants me to’.
Sure, but I also think that we are sometimes judgmental without prior knowledge. Is there something essentially ‘wrong’ with an early Arangetram?
A friend of mine commented: ‘arangetrams have become more of a business…. [they] have too many external expectations and baggage now than what it is actually meant to be. perhaps what makes us dismiss an arangetram as an immature attempt or imperfect, is that we look at it as a performance…..like we go to see and judge any other performance by known dancers. perhaps if we had a slight modification or shift in the repertoire of an arangetram, then maybe it would help to shift our perception from a normal performance to watching an arangetram. doesn’t necessarily mean that therefore each student who does their arangetram should be applauded for everything. but definitely to be looked at with kinder eyes.’
What do you think?