Kalakshetra 1

First part of complete upload of Brit TV prog from 1984.

[@pirjohelena]

I have met Rukmini Devi! And so did my grandmother - when both were young and beautiful...!

[@dr4world1]

A very important youtube discovery for me.Thanks a million for the upload.The Veena played in the videos further is haunting. And I was wondering the amount of inflence BBC had/has on my life. Nuff respect and much love from the Eastern Caribbean.

[@mongkolum1314]

Wonderful Bharatanatyam! Long live Kalakshetra! A Khmer from Cambodia

[@GayathriRajaji]

A wonderful video . Kalakshetra - kshetra of perfection . !!!!

[@dr4world1]

And I forgot as they say in here Big Up Big Up!Keep up the good work bossman.

[@sureka0radha]

WOW Hareja, Lekha, Surekha and Thripthi entering for the prayers. When Atthai was alive. Good to see after 21 years. Thank God, parents and the Guru's for this opportunity which was given to me in this birth to be at Kalarkshethra.

[@sapnagovindanmohiniyattam]

very convincing explanation!!!

[@pinktrush]

Thanks for uploading. i would like to know more about kalakshetra.

[@masketorpe]

me encanta el barathanatyam (i like this dance!!!!!), soy un fanático de esta danza( i a fan of this dance and they performers), quienes la bailan muestran un exquisito talento y una destreza maravillosa, (who's dance the barathanatyam show an exquisit talent and a marvelous skills)

[@graziaMe]

There are some people who devoted their lives to save some of that "crap" and that went to devadasi an nattuwanar poor houses to receive some of that heritage, saving just a little part of an incredible richness that now is lost forever. I think you should respect that, however you can like Kalakshestra style.

[@daliyageorge1547]

😘😘😘😘😘😘🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@graziaMe]

Dear Nick, dance evolves, any kind of dance, if Maria Taglioni could come back and dance for us anyone would find her dance sloppy, anyway we respect her work and we see it as part of an evolution. But evolution can go in many directions, you can take away many of the grace and the sensuality of a dance, or you can give new rules, more conscious rules to an heritage, and respect it. That's what happened for ballet, what happened in India? What happened to devadasi? How were they treated?

[@tripmonk0]

One has to study EXACTLY why Indian society viewed Dasiattam/BN as debased. One might say the British caused this but if it weren't for such luminaries as Smt Rukmini Devi, Sri E Krishna Iyer etc then this style might well be lost today! When I said 'crap' I didn't mean a lot of it or even a small amount. Many people feel Devi-ji had a stepmotherly approach to BN but I feel this does her an injustice. Noone should copy anyone else but make your own personality THROUGH the dance Nick

[@rarunadri8033]

Shameful to talk about mlecha. Dance was not the main forte of the brahmins, it was the deva dasi traditoin. Talking about the superiority of castes does not belong in this century. This sir is from one brahmin to another.

[@tripmonk0]

Yes I understand your poinits well. I have many videos of devadasis & they always look so sloppy. Have you ever seen Smt Balasaraswati perform on video or anywhere? There IS a clip on youtube of a padam, I recall. I actually saw her grandson Anniruddha at Kalakshetra in early jan & was quite appalled at how messy it all was. A certain 'famed' dancer who knew B said THAT'S how his grandmother danced. My valid point about clarity STILL stands. Nick

[@tripmonk0]

This is part of Laura's comment. Devadasis weren't simply "prostitues". And then, their dance was ways better than the stiff and unexpressive Kalakshetra style. The Devadasis were never prostitutes in the way we westerners think. They became like that due to patronage being lost from Kings etc. They had to please whoever was paying them. As for Kalakshetra being stiff and unexpressive, well SOMEBODY needs to study a bit more to see what PROGRESSIONS Smt Rukmini did to RID BN of crap. Nick

[@tripmonk0]

A REAL dancer has to be able to show the difference between 'pure dance' & 'abhinaya' or expressive dance. Also some people have no boundary so THEIR dance looks a real mess!!! Nick

[@rtara11]

So happy to have found this documentary! Years ago, I was able to view this documentary in a library. I know that you shared this years ago, but if you see this comment, do you know what year the documentary was made and who this narrator was?

[@graziaMe]

And then I don't see the point in talking about "some people" who were performing "some crap", cause if we're talking about numbers I could show you "some Kalakshetra trained dancers" who cannot seat in a proper aramandi. But I don't take this as a reason to say that Kalakshetra is crap (actually, I don't think It is), I just say that you shouldn't take Kalakshetra as a religion, cause it was just a systematization (a problematic one)and not THE south Indian classical dance, that's simply false.

[@tripmonk0]

@MahaVakyas I presume YOU are one of these priviledged Brahmins eh????? God-given right to look down on all others. What a clown you are!!!! Nick

[@tripmonk0]

@MahaVakyas It's because of stupid fascistic idiots like YOU that BN descended into nautch dancing!!! Well, you might say, we've only got devadasis left so we can only teach them this beautiful dance. We better not pollute it with FAR BETTER DANCERS who are NOT Brahmins. As if ALL Brahmins deserve, by BIRTH & NOT by quality, to 'take care' of this art form. BULLSHIT!!!!! Why is a Christian an untouchable, you fucking idiot????? Nick

[@graziaMe]

There are some people who devoted their lives to save some of that "crap" and that went to devadasi an nattuwanar poor houses to receive some of that heritage, saving just a little part of an incredible richness that now is lost forever. I think you should respect that, however you can like Kalakshestra style.