Urmila Satyanarayanan, recipient of this year’s Nritya Kalanidhi award, looks back at her 50-year journey in dance

“The Music Academy’s Nritya Kalanidhi grant comes astatine an important signifier of my beingness — it has been 50 years since my arangetram and 30 years of my creation schoolhouse Natya Sankalpaa,” says Bharatanatyam exponent Urmila Satyanarayanan. The happiness, she says, is manifold, due to the fact that her mother, who introduced her to this creation form, is astir to stock this moment.

Looking backmost astatine her journey, Urmila says this designation is simply a culmination of her parents’ dreams. Her enslaved with the creation signifier began astatine Saraswathi Gana Nilayam, the creation schoolhouse tally by Ranganayaki Jayaraman. Her endowment was fine-tuned nether the tutelage of 2 different stalwarts K.N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai and K.J. Sarasa.

“Guru K.N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai’s classes were highly enjoyable, and I imbibed immoderate was taught to me. He was the guru for immoderate starring stars of the celluloid world. I was fascinated by however helium could spontaneously choreograph songs. My arangetram took spot astatine the property of 10, and I knew this was going to beryllium my calling.”

After immoderate time, Urmila came nether the tutelage of K.J. Sarasa, who played a large relation successful her progress. “She did not alteration the basics of my earlier training. She chiselled my creation done rigorous practice, subject and commitment. Under her watchful eyes, she besides allowed maine to improvise,” recalls Urmila.

It was during this play that opportunities for performing began to travel Urmila’s way. “They played a large relation successful shaping my signifier presumption technique.”

The impulse to thatch young enthusiasts led Urmila to motorboat Natya Sankalpaa, which initially operated from a friend’s store earlier moving into its ain premises. “I bask the process of grooming children. It besides helps maine update my knowledge. When I was learning we hardly had immoderate distractions and lone focussed connected perfecting our art. Today, we perpetually person to accommodate teaching methodology to suit the needs of the contiguous generation, which has to juggle galore things. For instance, alternatively of attending abstracted classes, they present person the vantage of learning dance, music, mentation and yoga successful the aforesaid institution. I person been fortunate to person fantabulous dancers arsenic module members, who are my pillars of support,” shares Urmila.

Talking astir the changing quality of rehearsals and performances, Urmila points retired however musicians were employed afloat clip astatine her vadhyar’s class. “We utilized to practise with unrecorded music. Today, getting musicians for 1 rehearsal itself is simply a daunting task. The show duration has besides shrunk, truthful the repertoire needs to beryllium edited.”

A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi grant and Nritya Choodamani, Urmila has performed wide arsenic a soloist. She besides choreographed and presented galore thematic productions on with collaborating with different artistes. She volition beryllium presenting her caller enactment ‘Karunya Kavya - Legends down poetic masterpieces’ connected the inaugural time of The Music Academy Dance Festival connected January 3.

“Dance is an inseparable portion of my life. Apart from giving joyousness and recognition, it has besides taught maine discipline, committedness and humility. But this travel wouldn’t person been imaginable without the wholehearted enactment of my household and rasikas,” says Urmila.