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Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email By FAZLEENA AZIZ
Photos by KEVIN TAN
fazleena@strmal.thestar.com.my
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Unique: Kumari showing off her talent in dancing on a clay pot at the Kalamandapam Hall in Brickfields recently.
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SO you think you can dance? How about doing it on a clay pot? Kumari Ramani, a Bharatanatyam dancer from Chennai, India, showcased a stunning balancing performance on a clay pot in Brickfields’ Kalamandapam Hall recently.
“I don’t put all my weight on the pot; I find a focal point of balance,” she said.
Kumari, who has been performing the clay pot dance for the past 12 years, recalled that she initially found it very dificult to balance on the curved surface of the clay pot.
“It took me years to perfect my performance,” she said.
According to Kumari, although many people refer to the clay pot dance as Kuchipudi (another Indian classical dance drama from Andhra Pradesh), the dance could be referred to as Bharatanatyam as well.
“When I was honoured with the Kudakutu Kalaichelvi (Master of Clay Pot Dance) award by the senior citizens of Chennai, I made a reference to Silapathikaram, an ancient piece of Tamil Literature in which a Bharatanatyam dancer named Madhavi performed the clay pot dance. Therefore this dance must have been derived from Bharatanatyam and then adapted to Kuchipudi,” she said. » Read more: Bharatanatyam on clay pots
