Why I Dance | Rukmini Vijayakumar | Kalanidhi Dance and IndianRaga

“I dance because I think that’s the way... I can share what I can’t say with words”

Rukmini Vijayakumar has been an inspiration to all dancers through her rigorous training and layered approach in Bharatanatyam as well as contemporary. She has produced large scale works which include solos and ensemble choreographies under her Raadha Kalpa Dance company. She was a recipient of the Kylian grant for choreography and a resident choreographer at Korzo theater, the Netherlands in 2018.

We are honored to have her participate in the Why I Dance campaign by Kalanidhi Dance and IndianRaga. And we would LOVE for YOU to participate! Please see the launch video for more details and follow #whyidance on social media.

[MomDaughtersCookery]

Well-spoken... Beautiful! Her YouTube channel is also very artistic and creative! I hope she reaches greater heights of success!

[pradipkumarborah]

OMG I LOVE HER DANCE!!! I WATCH HER UTUBE CHANNEL. Its amazing :) lots of respect and love to u mam!!

[triptisharma]

I don't have words for her dance, her grace and her perfection. Huge huge fan ! SHE IS DANCE 😭❤️

[aiswaryaanil]

A person I wonderful to see you here ma'am

[simijeby]

Beautiful ma’am. I watch you’re performances and am amazed by you’re facial expressions.

[irilumi]

beautiful, amazing, wonderfully said, well put together, fabulous dancing a well honed art

[KannapiranArjunan-vmrq]

Great dance. Now let us see the History of Bharata Natyam and carnatic music.
Bharatanatyam and carnatic music  
Bharatanatyam and carnatic music have their roits in tamil SATHIR AATTAM AND TAMIL PAN. “It is a well – known fact that Tamizh language is one of the oldest languages in the world. Not only is it old but also it is very rich in literature.
But what makes Tamizh unique and special is that it has survived the ravages of time and is still spoken by millions of people across the globe.
Dance and music (or for that matter any form of fine arts) has always been part of Tamizh culture.
‘Tholkaappiyam‘, the authentic work on Tamizh Grammar that was written in 500BC by Tholkaapiyar-considered to be a student of the great sage ‘Agaththiyar’ mentions a lot about classical dance.
Starting from Tolkappiyam, many texts like Pancha Marabu, Kooththa Nool, Bharata Senapathiyam have defined the grammar of classical dance.
‘Pancha Marabu‘by Arivanaar-which was also written almost the same time as Tholkaapiyam – describes in detail about music and dance. It talks about various hand gestures, abhinaya, kooththu, , naatyam.It also describes the letters to be used for jathis-tha, thi, tho, ki, k.
Then there is ‘Kooththa nool‘ authored by Saaththanaar. This is the oldest available text on the grammar of classical dance.‘Kooththa Nool’ has two sections, ‘Suvai’ and ‘Thogai’ with 153 and 162 verses respectively and says that the sound, the letters and the music emanated from the Dance of the Lord.
It also says that ‘Om’ is the beginning and the end for everything.
The author seems like a good psychiatrist, philosopher and most importantly an intellectual.
The link between human life and the Nava Rasaas have been described in detail by the author.
 Here is a verse form Koothanool. Tastes emerge from the feelings within and these are expressed as dance. Feeling is the soul, Taste is the Mind, and expression is the body’.
அகம்உயிர் ஆகச் சுவைஉளம் ஆக
இழைஉடல் ஆக இயல்வது கூத்து.
It is a cryptic verse with very deep meanings but what was written nearly 2500 years ago holds good even now. And this is applicable to any art form.
However, ‘Silappathigaaram‘-one of the five major epics in Tamizh-is considered to be a complete book on classical dance. ‘Silappathikaaram’ gives a perfect description about Classical Dance and Music..In the words of the Czech Professor Dr.Kamil Zvelebil,
‘‘The epical poem of Silapathikaaram which by its baroque splendour and by the charm and magic of its lyrical parts belongs to the epic masterpieces of the world and should be admired and beloved by all in the same was as Poems of Homer, the Dramas of Shakespeare, the Pictures of Rembrandt, the Cathedrals of France and Sculptures of Greece”.
Silapathiikaram Author, Ilango AdigaL has presented this simple but complex story, what attracts a connoisseur is the way he has structured the grammar of Music and Dance.
Though there are lot verses, I am giving below one sample verse that speaks volumes about the quality of the work.
It says ‘One must start learning classical dance at the age of five without any compromise on Musical, Dance and Aesthetic Elements, practise rigorously for seven years and perform at the age of twelve.’
ஆடலும் பாடலும் அழகும் என்று இக்
கூறிய மூன்றில் ஒன்று குறைவு படாமல்
ஏழு ஆண்டு இயற்றி ஓர் ஈர் ஆண்டில்
சூழ் கழல் மன்னற்குக் காட்டல் வேண்டி.
However, it is the description about Classical Dance in ‘Silappadhigaaram’ that calls for special mention and appreciation.
Ilango adigaL must have been a perfectionist. The author elaborates on the qualifications of a Dance Teacher, Percussionists, Vocalist, Flautist, and the person(s) playing the ancient instrument ‘Yaazh’.
He deals with each and every aspect of dance starting from the vocalist, the lyricist, the percussionist, the instrumentalists.
What amazes one is the way he has defined the structure of the stage. Not only has he given the dimensions of a stage but also that he has mentioned about the lighting, and the way the stage has to be decorated.
If the verse
எழுகோல் அகலத்து எண்கோல் நீளத்து
ஒருகோல் உயரத்து உறுப்பினது ஆகி
உத்தரப் பலகையொடு அரங்கின் பலகை
வைத்த இடை நிலம் நாற்கோல் ஆக
ஏற்ற வாயில் இரண்டும் பொலியத்
தோற்றிய அரங்கினில் தொழுதனர்
gives the desired dimensions of a stage,
தூண் நிழல் புறப்பட மாண் விளக்கு எடுத்து ஆங்கு
ஒருமுக எழினியும் பொருமுக எழினியும்
கரந்து வரல் எழினியும் புரிந்துடன் வகுத்து
talks about the lighting.
He then goes on to describe the ‘Pancha Sandhi’ Kavuththuvum-an item that is performed in the beginning to ward off evil forces-and then the 11 different dances called as ‘Pathinoru aadal’..
And that is the reason ILango AdigaL paid importance to music as well while talking about dance.
In just one verse, he gives the names of the seven swaras as per Tamizh PaN.
குரலே, துத்தம், கைக்கிளை, உழையே
இளியே, விளரி, தாரம் என்றிவை
எழுவகை இசைக்கும் எய்தும் பெயரே
சவ்வும் ரிவ்வும் கவ்வும் மவ்வும்
பவ்வும் தவ்வும் நிவ்வும் என்றிவை
ஏழும் அவற்றின் எழுத்தே ஆகும்
Sa-Kural;
In another verse, he says PaNs(Ragams) are obtained by arranging the 12 Kovais(swaras) in a specified structure in the ascending and descending scale.
But more than all these, what leaves one wonder struck is his definition of Gruha Bedam-tonic shift. He calls this as ‘Kural Thiribu’.
He says ‘if the Thuththam(ri) of Mohanam is the base, it would give Madhyamavathi, if the KaikkiLai(ga)is the base it would give Hindolam, the ILi(pa) would give Sudhha Saveri and the ViLari(dha) Sudhha Dhanyasi’.
Is it not amazing that somebody in the Tamizh land defined all these as early as the 5th century?Bottom of Form
‘MaNimekalai’– considered to be an offshoot of ‘Silappathikaaram’ since MaNimekalai was the the daughter of Madhavi and Kovalan- also talks a lot about the dance.
Written by ‘Seeththalai Saaththanaar’, the text mentions about Tala Aruthi, the eleven different forms of dance-as already mentioned in detail in ‘Silappathikaaram’-the two forms of ‘Kooththu’ and the existence of a grammar book on ‘Bharatam’.
In another major text, ‘Seevaka ChintamaNi’, the chief protagonist, Seevakan himself is a dancer.
Sources: Mr. Rajendra Kumar who acknowledged the information provided by Prof.Raghuraman in the book titled ‘Tamizhar Natana Varalaaru’.
Here are a few websites that you may access for further reading

[rajeshpai]

Please contact Smt .Urmila Satyanarayanan .
She has been trained under the guidance of eminent gurus ‘Padmashri’ K.N. Dandayauthapani Pillai, Kalaimamani Smt. K.J. Sarasa and Padmabhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan. She has attained the Kalimamani award from the government of Tamil Nadu

[robinmitrani]

These are "Instagram Bharatanatyam dancer" make up costume and blend whatever you want kind... 😁