Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 25, 1993 TAG: 9303250441
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ANCIENT DANCE
AFTER eight years of studying an ancient classical Indian dance, Nanda and Deepa Channaiah say they still have much to learn.But what the 16-year-old twins are learning is not just fancy footwork.
They are learning their culture and heritage.
The ancient art form, bharatha natyam, originated about 3,000 years ago in Madras and was popular in Southern India where the twins' father, Arakere Channaiah, grew up. Channaiah, who came to America with his wife in 1969, loved the classical dance and decided to introduce it to his daughters.
This was an opportunity for them "to cherish their culture and ancient tradition," he said.
The Roanoke Valley can discover the dance Wednesday, when the Channaiah twins perform in the William Byrd High School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The program is free and sponsored by the school's English Department and the Roanoke County International Studies Program.
This is the twins' third year performing at their school. To expand the presentation, they invited friends - Deepak Sensoa of Cave Spring High School, Moulin Desai of North Cross School and Ami and Rohan Patel from Blacksburg - to do traditional Indian folk dances.
Until Nanda and Deepa began performing at William Byrd, they had never appeared before an audience of their own classmates, they said. Most of their peers were amazed at their abilities.
"They thought it was neat to have someone their own age" doing something different, Nanda said.
Nanda and Deepa have performed up and down the East Coast and won three consecutive trophies at a competition at the University of Baltimore. Richmond public television station WCVE has invited the Channaiah twins to perform in a cultural dance demonstration May 8. But the station has not decided whether or not to air the recital, a spokeswoman said.
The young women's excitement for the dance was obvious recently as they sat on a couch in their Roanoke County home, discussing its history and their involvement.
"It makes me feel good," they chimed simultaneously.
"It's like an energy breaker. It revives us," Nanda said. "It really links us back to our homeland."
They practice at least 30 minutes daily and travel about 200 miles, round trip, every two weeks to attend classes from a Sri Lankan tutor in Yogaville in Buckingham County. There, they learn the history and theoretical aspects of the art form. When they started, they attended classes with an instructor in Greensboro, N.C.
Studying the dance has given them a great deal of discipline, commitment and respect for their elders, their father said.
In August, Nanda and Deepa gave a three-hour presentation for their "arangetram," or debut, a ceremony similar to a graduation. Traditionally, that would have been their first appearance before an audience. Their older sister, Aruna, a junior at University of Virginia, appeared with them at Virginia Western Community College.
"Thank God it's over," Deepa said. They had practiced intensively during the summer. "It was for the good. [The tutor] worked us really hard, and it showed that night."
The twins have studied under world-renowned performers, the Dhananjayans, who offer monthlong camps in Yogaville, and have attended classes during visits to India. They would like to take more classes when they return to India, possibly next summer.
They say they want to continue studying and may teach when they are older.
"It's almost like drama," because each dance tells a story of ancient Indian legends and traditional life, Deepa explained. It could be compared to the ballet.
"This is a language in itself," their father said. "It expresses the beauty of the dancer. It shows the exquisite nature of the art."
Bharatha natyam is derived from four Indian words: "bhava," meaning mood or devotion; "raga," meaning melody or song; "thala," which means the rhythmic beats from the striking of the feet; and "natyam" means dramatic representation.
It takes the twins about three hours to prepare for a performance. To make it completely authentic, Nanda and Deepa ordered their costumes from a tailor in India. Their parents do their hair. Traditionally, they would pin up their long tresses and decorate them with fresh flowers. Here, they use paper flowers.
Each does her own elaborate makeup, painting heavy black lines around her eyes and red lines on her hands and feet. The heavy makeup emphasizes movement and facial expressions that are an important element in telling the story, they explained.
The twins hope their audiences are enlightened by their presentation.
"To see the different cultures," Deepa said.
"And see a bigger view of the world," Nanda added. "That there's not just them."