Leader Writer: Shobaraj Yumlembam
Many beneficial things are said about dance. Some of them worth mentioning are: dance is a skill that will stay with someone forever, is a key to good health, keeps one sharp and focussed, is a natural stress reliever, is a great confidence booster etc. This art form is attuned to rhythms and goes with the tune of music and/or beats. In India, its rich trove of various culture and art forms also include a wide array of dance forms based on the local traditions of various communities and ethnic groups.
Manipuri dance as one of the major Indian classical dance forms developed its own specific aesthetics, values, conventions and ethics. The Manipuri classical form of dance is claimed not only to be one of the softest and mildest but is included to be among the most meaningful dances of the world with the movements of the body and feet and facial expressions in Manipuri dance being subtle and aimed at portraying devotion and grace. The musical accompaniment for this dance form comes from a percussion instrument called ‘Pung’, a singer, cymbals and wind instrument such as flute.
Many states in the country have taken up certain measures to preserve and promote their traditional dance forms. In recent times, the Chief Minister of Manipur has also assured full cooperation for the promotion of Manipuri dance and martial arts preservation. To preserve and promote Manipuri dance, Art & culture, the Government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private stakeholders will join hands together to improve the support and facilities to artistes, he had said.
In many instances, the artistes in the state have expressed their desire that the Government and the concerned department must recognise the importance of art and culture and take due measures to preserve and promote various traditional art forms. However, the other truth is that there is no cultural policy in the state as yet and the topics of art and culture have not been included in the academic curriculum or syllabus. Artistes have also spoken out over the need for a cultural university be established here, and allocation of funds in the state budget to support various art forms.
With an aim to increase awareness of the importance of dance among the general public, the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy has announced to organize the International Dance Day on April 29, 2013. International Dance Day was introduced in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), a UNESCO partner NGO, and is celebrated on April 29 every year. The goal of the “International Dance Day” is to celebrate dance, to revel in the universality of this art form, to cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers and to bring people together through the common language of Dance.
However, to make the celebrations of any art forms complete and meaningful, the needful recognition, preservation and promotion of art and culture is the urgent need of the hour. The Ministry of Education can be approached with proposals to celebrate Dance Day at all schools with writing essays about dance, drawing dance pictures, dance competitions etc. Art and culture festivals have to be organized more frequently at both the state and national levels. Along with this, the encouragement and support of artists is very much required.
The people of the state especially the artistes who known for their patience, talent and dedication shall one day get to witness the real and priceless celebration of dance day, music day, song day, or theatre day etc only when the art and culture finds its deserved place in the state.There must be State led initiatives to ensure that Manipur which is often pitched with the tag of `where the Gods took to dance` gets its place in the sun when it comes to the arena of dance.