Bharatanatyam dancer and Silambam founder, Mridula Anand has put 10 Parikriya videos in the public domain for use by students of dance, as physical classes have been shut down. “While I have been teaching online for many years to my overseas students, many found it challenging to practice and perfect what was taught in class. In a means to provide them additional support, I recorded these videos in a span of a month and uploaded them. Also, I do hope these will help other artists to be in touch with their dance and hence made it free and available online,” she says.
The Parikriya videos have been online since April 2020. Mridula shares that as she has been working full time, she recorded these during her lunch break. “I first recorded the ‘solkattus’ one day for the entire series and over the next week, recorded the videos and a day or two for the editing,” says the highly energetic dancer.
The artist informs that curtains will come down on Limited Spaces Limitless Hope on July 5, 2021. “The show has been a resounding success and I can only thank the artists and Gurus for believing in the idea. What started to engage artists has transformed to an enthusiastic engagement. Our last episode will be aired on July 5, bringing it to a total of 16 episodes,” Mridula says.
When quizzed on online dance competition, Mridula states that her focus has been to engage, encourage and enthuse artists to come together and perform their art. “The more we work together, the more we achieve. Our biggest strength will always be our unity. Competitions judge on specific criteria and it’s time we moved away from marginalizing performances to competitions and formatted dances. We can instead encourage and accept natural, individualistic performances full of passion and there are enough competitions already there. Many dancers are good artists but might not shine under high pressure situations. We miss those and that’s whom I enjoy giving a platform to,” says the Silambam founder.
According to Mridula, arts is a boon and a great crutch to have in debilitating times. “Daily practice and being in touch with your art doesn’t need an audience nor does it need a large space. Artists are resilient and will bounce back so hang in there. Keep calm and do a Kitathaka Tharikita Thom,” she says with a smile.