|
| Hemalatha, Devi Kalamandalam, Poonkunnam, Thrissur |
|
Download Database of featured talents. (Excel file) |
54-year-old Mary came to the dance class of Hemalatha to get relief from pain of the joints. After 1˝-years, her health improved, and in addition, she was invited to perform at public functions in her native village. Now the church too wants her performance for the annual festival. Mary, who had not done a single step of dancing before, has attracted this attention, thanks to the effort of the dance teacher Hemalatha.
Hemalatha could as well have taught dancing to the city dwellers, who could afford to come to her Devi Kalamandalam at Poonkunnam, Thrissur. Instead she chose to take dancing to the villages around Thrissur, where labourers, Government employees, teachers and housewives jive to while away the blues from their minds and bodies.
Born at the village Mukkattukara, Hemalatha started learning dance from the young age of 3. For 10 years she commuted to the city by taking 2 buses in order to fulfill her desire to learn the art. Later, this young woman with an ordinary family background passed out of Kerala Kalamandalam as a rank holder.
It was then that she realized the difficulty of village dwellers to learn dancing, considering the financial aspect and the avenues available nearby. The dwindling spectators for dance could be a result of this, she thought. That prompted her to take dance to the children in villages and finally to teaching young and middle aged women.
What are the byproducts of dance therapy? Explains housewife Uma, a ‘student’ of 3˝ years: when art enters your life, your speech becomes more refined, your aesthetic sense improves, the style of dressing and health improves, you become slimmer, your thoughts are more positive…
No wonder there is good response to the initiative of Hemalatha.
Courtesy: Saji Mulanthuruthy, Malayala Manorama, January 11, 2004
Contributed by: Administrator
