For the upcoming Bharatanatyam artiste Koothoor R.Venkata Subramaniam, dance is the way of life. “I began learning at the age of five even before I could understand what emotions were. I did my arangetram in 2007 and eventually, I realise I had fallen in love with the art form,” he says.
Being initiated into dance at such an early age allowed Subramaniam to dedicate himself in it wholeheartedly and it simply became his identity. A student of dancer-choreographer R. Vijaymadhavan, Venkata Subramaniam juggles dance and his digital marketing analyst job.
Ask him how, he says, “Even though I went on to equip myself academically, dance was always my passion and my ultimate career path. “I can’t even dream of a life without dancing. I grew up with it in such a way,” he adds.
Subramaniam says it never seemed unusual to him that a man should be a Bharatanatyam dancer. “I am aware of the prejudice and challenges that male performances face. But Lord Nataraja was a male dancer himself. There are a few passionate male dancers who have carved a niche for themselves in the classical dance field. One of the earliest male
Bharatanatyam dancers who rose to prominence against all odds was V.P. Dhananjayan. Someday, I would like to become a full-time artiste and a mentor like him. Dance is definitely a good career option too. If I don’t become a successful artiste, I can always teach and spread the joy of dance to many,” he says with a smile. The young artiste feels that more youngsters today must concentrate on learning dance in its purest form. He is performing at Ethiraja Kalyana Mandapam, Alwarpet, on January 1 between 2 and 3 pm for Indian Fine Arts.
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