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This
Pioneering Institution for classical dance, music and the
fine arts, established in 1936, was the brainchild of Rukmini
Devi. A Proteges of Annie Besant, was deeply influenced
by the progressive views of the Theosophical Society. She
scandalized conservative society by marrying George Sydney
Arundale, the 40-year - old Australian principal of the Society's
School. The Couple's extensive travels around the world
exposed Rukmini to the world of Western culture, especially
dance, inspiring her to study ballet under the great Russian
ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Back in Chennai, She again defied
tradition by learning and performing the classical dasi
attam, hitherto the domain of devadasis (Temple Dancers).
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The
International Centre for the Arts, which she set up for
the revival of this dance form, now called Bharat Natyam,
is
today Kalakshetra, the "Temple of Arts". The
School is set in a vast 40-ha (99acre) campus, where classical
music
and dance are taught according to the traditional methods
by which a guru imparts knowledge to a small group of students.
Some of India's best known dancers, such as Yamini Krishnamurthi,
Leela Samson and Alarmel Valli, were trained here. At the
end of each year, a festival is held and performances are
staged in an auditorium designed like a Koottambulam, the
traditional theatre of Kerala temples. |
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