Presented as a formal discussion amidst dancers across the globe, Dance debates is a series that lends voice to some of the pertinent questions raised by audiences in the world of Indian classical dance  today. Audiences are integral to an art maker and more often than not, their questions rise and fall in the hallways and corridors of the theatres, eventually leading the audience further away from the art. At RootEd we decided to seek out these questions, listen to them intently and follow through, but showing our audience that we are indeed, thinking about these concerns.   

But why debate? 

For an argument to be fair, it is extremely important to understand that there can be differing  viewpoints and it is important to hear them all out. As artists, we all harbour strong opinions on various issues concerning the world of Indian Classical Dance. But these opinions that we hold dear to our heart only gathers weight if it continues to convince us in the light of opposing, and sometimes even unfavourable viewpoints. Opinions become conviction only when they weather challenges – like surviving gaps in understanding, loopholes and sometimes weakly constructed premises.

Through Dance debates, we hope to achieve for our community , a  culture of evidence-based, fact-based, reason-based arguments, untouched by emotion or personal biases, that truly stand the test of fire. 

Watch our latest episode of Dance Debates where Bharatanatyam dancers Meera Sreenarayanan, Harinie Jeevitha, Mahati Kannan and Manasvini KR debated on the topic ” Dancer: Creator or Intrepreter?”