Kalaanjali Classical Indian Dance at
Kids in the Crossroads
East Meets West
Kids in the Crossroads
East Meets West
By Jonathan Gramling
Things have evolved quite dramatically for Meenakshi Ganesan
when she got married and moved to the Madison area about 12
years ago. In 2003, Ganesan founded the Kalaanjali School of
Dance & Music with five students. Kalaanjali now has 55 students.
And while maintaining the integrity of the Indian classical dance
form, Ganesan has also had to make adjustments in the
traditional way that Indian dance was taught.
“The way we talked to the students and the discipline of the
students were different,” Ganesan said. “In India, my teacher would
sit with a stick that she leads the rhythm with. If we wouldn’t keep
out arms and hands straight, she would take the stick and give us
a rap. She would be very strict with us. She would not turn the fan
on for us and make us dance for 3-4 hours. Both of my aunts were
so strict that they would not turn the fan on while we danced in the
heat of India for 3-4 hours to build up our stamina. I realized that
wasn’t how things worked here. The students here are really good.
It’s not that they don’t respect you. The way that you approach them
is different. You talk to them more. You analyze with them more and
you tell them what you are going to teach them and then you teach
them. In some ways, you gain their consent.”
Time constraints were also more rigid in the United States.
“Classes would start a little later in India and it was okay if things
ran a little late,” Ganesan said. “But here, parents prefer that you
give them an exact time frame. I learned over the years that I would
give a two-hour window if I needed more rehearsal, so that I
wouldn’t keep parents waiting outside. These are some of the
small things I learned. And I think most of them were a positive
change that I learned as a teacher growing up here with the
students.”
For the past nine years, Kalaanjali has performed in the Overture
Center as a part of the Kids in the Crossroads. Ganesan has taken
on the role of teacher, almost as an ambassador of Indian culture.
Things have evolved quite dramatically for Meenakshi Ganesan
when she got married and moved to the Madison area about 12
years ago. In 2003, Ganesan founded the Kalaanjali School of
Dance & Music with five students. Kalaanjali now has 55 students.
And while maintaining the integrity of the Indian classical dance
form, Ganesan has also had to make adjustments in the
traditional way that Indian dance was taught.
“The way we talked to the students and the discipline of the
students were different,” Ganesan said. “In India, my teacher would
sit with a stick that she leads the rhythm with. If we wouldn’t keep
out arms and hands straight, she would take the stick and give us
a rap. She would be very strict with us. She would not turn the fan
on for us and make us dance for 3-4 hours. Both of my aunts were
so strict that they would not turn the fan on while we danced in the
heat of India for 3-4 hours to build up our stamina. I realized that
wasn’t how things worked here. The students here are really good.
It’s not that they don’t respect you. The way that you approach them
is different. You talk to them more. You analyze with them more and
you tell them what you are going to teach them and then you teach
them. In some ways, you gain their consent.”
Time constraints were also more rigid in the United States.
“Classes would start a little later in India and it was okay if things
ran a little late,” Ganesan said. “But here, parents prefer that you
give them an exact time frame. I learned over the years that I would
give a two-hour window if I needed more rehearsal, so that I
wouldn’t keep parents waiting outside. These are some of the
small things I learned. And I think most of them were a positive
change that I learned as a teacher growing up here with the
students.”
For the past nine years, Kalaanjali has performed in the Overture
Center as a part of the Kids in the Crossroads. Ganesan has taken
on the role of teacher, almost as an ambassador of Indian culture.
“The first year that we performed, it was a traditional Indian performance in 2005,” Ganesan said. “We had three shows with five
dances each. It’s a part of Kalaanjali that we take pride in starting on time and don’t go extra. We just did five pieces for 40 minutes
with five minutes of talking time. But I realized that the audiences that come to the Rotunda are not composed of people who just want
to watch someone perform. It’s more of an educational forum. I find reaching out to the community and involving them a little bit in
what this art form is was more important than just presenting a professional production there. So as we started doing stories from
Indian mythology, I started elaborating more on them when I introduced the piece.”
Ganesan then took the interaction a step further and began to involve the audiences in their productions.
“I added some hand gestures that the audience could join in with and a little bit of the eye movements and neck movements,”
Ganesan said. “And they seemed to connect better. The best part of the Rotunda is the audience is very pure. It’s young children. If
they like it, they are there. If they don’t, you know. It was very easy to understand what the audience wanted. It is very challenging, yet
very clear in terms of whether you are getting the message through or not as a performer. I let the students get involved in planning it
over the years. In 2006, one of the parents suggested that we try a story that the audience would already know. That’s when we did
Cinderella in 2008. I actually wrote the lyrics for the ballet and a friend who is a music teacher help me tune it up and make sure the
language was okay. I presented that in India for my teacher’s 25th anniversary. It was amazing how much they loved it in India. It gave
me more confidence to present it in Madison. That was something that all of us enjoyed because we could see the audience knew
what was going to happen next. That is something that gave us more confidence. We can take our art form to the local audience and
present it in a structure that they are already familiar with.”
There might always be a danger that Kalaanjali could lose its roots in Indian tradition as it molds some of its performances to reach
American audiences. But Ganesan has stayed firmly rooted in Indian tradition through her annual trips to India and relationship with
her gurus.
“I owe a lot of this to my teachers, both of them, because I always consult with them,” Ganesan said. “I still learn from them. They are
an amazing bridge in terms of sticking to the tradition while at the same time adapting to the new world. They are on Facebook. They
message. They post videos. We just went to Appleton for a 1-2 hour production right after our Annual Day. My teachers listened to all
of the fun music and they connected well with all of my students. At the same time, when it comes to the dance form, they are so strict.
They have taught me so much in terms of being a strict teacher to impart the right knowledge. But you have to be more than that, a
mother and friend to your students. Some of the girls share things with me that they might hesitate telling their parents. I’ve raised all
of them like they were my daughters. That’s what I have learned from both of my gurus.”
The full house at Overture’s Rotunda shows that Ganesan has connected well with her American audience. Yet the dance form that
her students display shows that Kalaanjali has not wandered from its classical Indian dance roots. Ganesan has successfully
assisted East to meet West.
dances each. It’s a part of Kalaanjali that we take pride in starting on time and don’t go extra. We just did five pieces for 40 minutes
with five minutes of talking time. But I realized that the audiences that come to the Rotunda are not composed of people who just want
to watch someone perform. It’s more of an educational forum. I find reaching out to the community and involving them a little bit in
what this art form is was more important than just presenting a professional production there. So as we started doing stories from
Indian mythology, I started elaborating more on them when I introduced the piece.”
Ganesan then took the interaction a step further and began to involve the audiences in their productions.
“I added some hand gestures that the audience could join in with and a little bit of the eye movements and neck movements,”
Ganesan said. “And they seemed to connect better. The best part of the Rotunda is the audience is very pure. It’s young children. If
they like it, they are there. If they don’t, you know. It was very easy to understand what the audience wanted. It is very challenging, yet
very clear in terms of whether you are getting the message through or not as a performer. I let the students get involved in planning it
over the years. In 2006, one of the parents suggested that we try a story that the audience would already know. That’s when we did
Cinderella in 2008. I actually wrote the lyrics for the ballet and a friend who is a music teacher help me tune it up and make sure the
language was okay. I presented that in India for my teacher’s 25th anniversary. It was amazing how much they loved it in India. It gave
me more confidence to present it in Madison. That was something that all of us enjoyed because we could see the audience knew
what was going to happen next. That is something that gave us more confidence. We can take our art form to the local audience and
present it in a structure that they are already familiar with.”
There might always be a danger that Kalaanjali could lose its roots in Indian tradition as it molds some of its performances to reach
American audiences. But Ganesan has stayed firmly rooted in Indian tradition through her annual trips to India and relationship with
her gurus.
“I owe a lot of this to my teachers, both of them, because I always consult with them,” Ganesan said. “I still learn from them. They are
an amazing bridge in terms of sticking to the tradition while at the same time adapting to the new world. They are on Facebook. They
message. They post videos. We just went to Appleton for a 1-2 hour production right after our Annual Day. My teachers listened to all
of the fun music and they connected well with all of my students. At the same time, when it comes to the dance form, they are so strict.
They have taught me so much in terms of being a strict teacher to impart the right knowledge. But you have to be more than that, a
mother and friend to your students. Some of the girls share things with me that they might hesitate telling their parents. I’ve raised all
of them like they were my daughters. That’s what I have learned from both of my gurus.”
The full house at Overture’s Rotunda shows that Ganesan has connected well with her American audience. Yet the dance form that
her students display shows that Kalaanjali has not wandered from its classical Indian dance roots. Ganesan has successfully
assisted East to meet West.