Fixed performances a bane to dance Exponent

Here is a family dedicated to dance for generations. It includes Hemanth Kumar, his wife Padmasri and their daughter Lekhya Bharani. Hemanth, son of eminent dance exponent Anand Pillai, learnt Bharatanatyam and Kathak from his father in his childhood.

The dance guru, who made his first stage appearance at the age of six, has hundreds of dance performances in the country and abroad to his credit. Speaking to The Hans India, Hemanth says, “Dance is my passion. I get immense pleasure from dance, which has given us life and fame.”

Expressing his views on the origin of Bharatanatyam, he says, “It is not a dance form of Tamil Nadu or Karnataka. It is an art form of temple dance. It is popular as Mohiniattam in Kerala and as Andhra Natyam in Andhra Pradesh.’’

Commenting on the dance talent of young generation, he is of the view that many of them are not sincere learners. “Some of them are pursuing dance as a mere hobby. However, they are eager to give performances without attaining perfection in it.”

“Their dance performances are `fixed'. This unhealthy trend may prove to be a bane for the art form to flourish,” opines Hemanth. His wife Padmasri, teaches dance in city schools and runs Balanandam, a children’s dance forum.

Padmasri who learnt Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam, Kathak, Kathakali and Odyssey from her father-in-law Anand Pillai, has the distinction of giving hundreds of performances in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and the US.

She also participated in the Republic Day parade along with her troupe. Padmasri who did her Post Graduation in Bharatanatyam, aims to get a doctorate in dance. Their daughter Lekhya Bharani is pursuing her graduation in tourism.

She is also a talented dancer who gave a number of Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Odyssey performances. The 20-year-old, who is also good at painting and singing, wants to continue the family tradition by pursuing dance as a profession.