To most dancers across India, especially those whose livelihoods depend on it, their sole purpose lies in performing, telling stories, and spreading joy through their art. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic having impacted nearly every facet of daily life across the globe, dancers, among other performance artists, were unfortunately stripped of all those opportunities.

However, like most other industries during the pandemic, some of these changes have proven to be positive developments that could potentially shine a light on newer opportunities in the near future.

In one such case, Rekha Raju, a renowned Indian classical dancer from Bangalore, shares her experiences of keeping up with the pandemic.

“As a performer, I have always had to travel across the globe for shows, lecture demonstrations, and more. Needless to say, the pandemic struck my team and me in a way that was unprecedented. With stage performances and live audiences coming to a screeching halt, all of us were left in a state of confusion, out of work, and with no clear idea what was to happen,” said Rekha, speaking on coping with the initial stages of the pandemic.

Rekha, having dedicated over 25 years of her life to Indian classical dance, is a professional performer and trainer specializing in Bharatnatyam and Mohiniyattam. She also holds a PhD in Fine Arts from the University of Mysore.

Over the years, she has performed across many prestigious dance festivals globally and is widely recognized for contributing to growing India’s culture through her artistic pursuits.

When asked about her transition into online dance teaching and her experience in doing so, she stated, “Being somewhat of a traditionalist myself, having developed my passion and love for classical dance first-hand from my gurus; teaching my students through a screen posed quite a challenge for me at first. This is especially considering I had absolutely no experience dealing with technology.”

She further added, “The blockage that was created made me question whether I was capable of managing consistent online dance training. Thankfully, I had the support of my students who have been with me for the past 15 years, to help me get accustomed to the platform.”

Having dedicated the majority of her life to learning the art of Indian classical dance, Rekha started training students at her guru’s academy at the age of just 13! It was at age of 16 when she founded her very own dance institution–‘Nrithya Dhama Temple of Fine Arts’ which is still active to this day.

Sharing her thoughts on the evolving trend with regards to Indian classical dance, Rekha said, “Never in a million years did any of us ever imagine having to conduct our training the way we do today. As a dancer and teacher, you want to give your students the full experience of teaching them how to express certain emotions and energies through art. This works best when taught in person. However, if there is one thing this pandemic has taught me and my team, it is to adapt. This change in mindset has allowed us to open up more opportunities, and reach more students around the world.”

Rekha is one among the few to have made use of technological advancements and tools to expand horizons amidst the pandemic. When asked about how going digital impacted her academy and student base, she said, “Ever since we made our shift online, we have noticed a spike in interest from people of different cultures, backgrounds, and parts of the world to dive into the art of Indian classical dance. This was quite an honour considering it was an opportunity to help spread our rich culture with people across the pond.”

“Although it took a while for my team and I to adapt to this radical change in lifestyle, we were able to put things in perspective and look at the situation through a different lens. Today, we have a diverse set of students attending classes all the way from Sri Lanka, Austria, the UK, the US, Australia, China, and more. While we look forward to connecting with our students once again, we also look forward to reaching more students across the world, and help spread the word of our great, deep culture,” she added.

Although the global spread of COVID-19 has changed the way we engage, the digital culture has proven that there is an undeniable growing set of opportunities as technologies further advance. With a maximized impact and increased engagement, the implementation of these technologies in our daily lives is sure to help prepare us to overcome challenges posed by future crises.