Sampradaya
Dance Academy
I
was first introduced to ISTD’s program for Bharatanatyam
exams by my friend and colleague, Chitraleka Bolar in
2003.
This was indeed welcome news for me as I had long contemplated
the importance and critical need for accreditation that
could potentially standardise Bharatanatyam training
on a global level.
Sampradaya Dance Academy was established in 1990 in
Toronto after my extensive and international solo career
in Bharatanatyam performance. By the 1980s, as in Britain,
the South Asian diaspora community had grown considerably
to form a significant cultural presence.
With Canada’s inclusive and liberal policy of
multiculturism, the teaching, performance and creation
of new works receive considerable impetus and contribute
to the growth and nurturing of the classical arts of
South Asia in Canada. This has led to the establishment
of a vibrant and active dance community, with dance
being perceived as both a conduit for cultural heritage
and to a lesser degree as a global art form.
Sampradaya Dance Academy is recognized by the Government
of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage as
a professional training organisation. We are supported
for our programme that prepares dancers for a career
in dance and for the intensive training that includes
several modules of workshops, residencies and professional
development in varied movement disciplines beyond the
traditional parameters of Bharatanatyam training.
As a teacher and choreographer, I am personally committed
to approaching Bharatanatyam as a dynamic art form,
which transcends any limitations of ethnicity or socio-cultural
specificity. This approach needs a fresh look at how
dance is taught, created and performed as a universal
and accessible performance art beyond symbols of cultural
transmission.
In a publicly funded dance ecology like that in Canada,
there is an expectation of professional standards and
rigour for dance artists and companies who seek support
for their work. Therefore for me, it is imperative that
dance students are fully invested with a holistic training
philosophy that imparts an understanding of a systematic
and focused approach that prepares them for admission
into a professional dance milieu.
I find ISTD’s syllabus for Bharatanatyam very
well designed and comprehensive as well as being realistic
in outcomes anticipated. Incorporating the fundamentals
of technique, theory, music and creative exercises,
the syllabus effectively sets out to prepare students
for assessment at elementary and advanced levels. I
am particularly impressed with the syllabus for the
vocational levels which I feel is strategic in the preparation
of professional dancers and teachers. I must commend
the dance artists and teachers who designed the Bharatanatyam
syllabus, their invaluable expertise and painstaking
efforts have resulted in an important milestone for
the pedagogy of Bharatanatyam.
Seven students from our Academy took Grade 1 exams in
May 2004. This was an important direction for our Academy
in bringing ISTD’s Bharatanatyam exams for the
first time in North America. We are preparing 18 students
for exams in May 2007 as well as a skills sharing workshop
for our Academy teachers. It is our hope that in time,
ISTD’s South Asian dance syllabus and examinations
will take root and grow in North America.
Lata Pada
Artistic Director of Sampradaya
Dance Academy
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