Off Season Chats: Sai Venkata Gangadhar on Dancing to Empower & Uplift Communities
For a special two-part Off Season Chat, Ameya and Kiran speak with Sai Venkata Gangadhar, a Kuchipudi dancer and teacher from Hyderabad. This week, Gangadhar reflects on his dance journey and begins delving into the impact of his dance training, education, and social media on his art.
Off Season Chats is a new series in which we have intimate conversations with dancers who are forging new paths in their artistic, personal, and professional lives. Our special guests are accomplished artists whose works span across many genres of South Asian dance including: Kathak, Kandyan, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Odissi, and much more.
Dive Deeper:
Golla Kalapam - traditional Kuchipudi kalapam centered on a milkmaid (Gollabhama) and a priest.
Chandalika - Kuchipudi dance drama by Padmabhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam based on Rabindranath Tagore's play of the same name.
Tappeta Gullu - Andhra folk tradition, practiced by the Yadhava community
Nee Prashnalu (Kotha Bangaru Lokam)
About Sai Venkata Gangadhar:
Sai Venkata Gangadhar is a young Kuchipudi dancer from Hyderabad. He has been training at Nishrinkala Dance Academy under Guru Smt. Sandhya Raju for the past 13 years, and he is a postgraduate in Business administration. He also pursued his Masters in Kuchipudi from University of Hyderabad. He is one of the prime students of Smt. Sandhya Raju. Recognizing his dedication, she appointed him as an assistant teacher soon after his Rangapravesham in 2015.
He has participated several times with the Academy’s group ensemble and performed in many prestigious dance festivals including: Sangeet Natak Academy’s Nrityaprathibha festival, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha’s Pongal festivals, Gandharva, and many others. Also trained in gymnastics, he has taken this art as a profession and continuously works to understand and enjoy the nuances of his chosen dance style.
Instagram: @sai_venkata_gangadhar
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgEQ2F_PLAGW8l6ODIruOUQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gagadhar.venkat
Today’s episode of Off Season Chats would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of our amazing listeners and the following people:
We Edit Podcasts for audio engineering
Sangeetha Kowsik for graphic design of our logo
Kasi Aysola for transcription of the Telugu portions
Wesley Beeks & Bertel King, Jr.
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Off Season Chats is an Off The Beat production
Telugu Translations
Ameya – 01:21 – When you were young, when you started focusing on dance, others would tease and mock you. At that time, there wasn’t such visibility of dance on social media.
Gangadhar – 01:54 – Can you say that again?
Ameya – 01:56 – With the presence of social media, we can see male dancers and very popular dancer. Because of that, can you see students being influenced by the possibilities of social media when they’re coming to dance class?
Gangadhar – 02:18 I don’t know about [the students], but the parents are very influenced. They’ll search a lot for dance.
Gangadhar – 02:51 – Their parents were so supportive. They themselves say, before this, if they learn dance, how will they become like that? … This isn’t a girls dance. Boys can dance too. Dance isn’t only for girls or only for boys.
Ameya – 03:16 – Especially, with Kuchipudi, once upon a time, it was only men. Women weren’t in Kuchipudi dance at all...
Gangadhar – 03:21 – They tell me that too. I never tell them any of this, I just teach. But they’ll come and tell me ‘Did you know only boys used to do Kuchipudi?’ … Now, children started understanding because of social media and availability of information, whether children or parents.
Ameya – 04:13 – The training and discipline stays with them. When I teach, I tell the parents, the qualities needed for success in college or in a job will come in dance class. Because you cannot memorize, regurgitate and get high marks in exams for dance. It doesn’t work that way, right. With dance, discipline comes.
Gangadhar – 04:53 – Actually, that’s the reason we started teaching for boys. There are very educated people in our basti.
Gangadhar – 05:42 – They don’t know what to work toward
Gangadhar – 06:02 – We never bothered about whether they become dancers or not... At least they’ll have a good way of thinking and being. Their thinking and behavior will improve, the distractions will reduce, they’ll think before falling into addiction.
Ameya – 06:24 – That is very difficult. Once we get pulling into those directions, it’s hard to break the cycle. And it’s not just the individual who’s impact. Their whole family, their whole community is dragged down.
Gangadhar – 07:41 – To talk about advice, every day, I’d get a long lecture from my teacher. To say best lesson – she told everything, what else is there? Basically, what I learned through their teachings is consistency is important. There’s one thing she says every time – work for and be with this generation. By saying that, she’s not asking us to dance to other film songs, but she’s asking us to engage the present audience. You have to think differently, she says.
Ameya – 08:34 – The rules of this time, right? Now, to dance means “on stage, in this particular way” - if we’re set like that, we’re limiting -
Gangadhar – 08:45 – Yes, basically, she doesn’t says ‘be special’, but she always says ‘you should be apt for this generation.’ Art has to continue, art has to modify. When you’re performing, if you do a 30-minute tarangam, are the audience in the mindset to watch? You have to think accordingly and you need to come up with your own approach. That is what she always tells us. A long time ago, in that era, that’s how Master came. He created many works based on the that time. Now, his works are epic. But now, when I teach now – yesterday, last week - kids can’t dance Gajavadana Beduve properly. Because food habits has changed. Practice have changed. They’re not able to – I don’t know – is it because of bad training? I’m thinking - even with the same training as me, those kids aren’t able to dance like I did. There’s 5-7 or nearly 10 years gap. We’re of one generation and they’re of a different generation. If I teach them this, will they be able to continue it? Master’s items are very hard. What do we need to do for them?
Gangadhar – 10:47 – You always say ‘we should be like Mastergaru, we should choreograph like Mastergaru’. This is what Mastergaru’s technique was – without losing traditional values, in a suitable way for the generation, for this era, you need to do work, she said.
Gangadhar – 11:26 – They've praised him in so many ways.
Gangadhar – 11:41 – In my basti, there are some drug addicts. Can I create something for them where I can change their minds through my art form by creating a production that leaves a thought in their mind?
Ameya & Gangadhar – 12:02 – That can connect with them?
Gangadhar – 12:04 – This is the advice Sandhya Akka gives that I want to take forward.
Gangadhar – 15:15 – Especially on social issues. When I studied my MA, I learned that Kuchipudi moved forward by telling kings about social issues.
Ameya – 15:24 – That's what Gollakalapam is, right? And I didn’t know anything about it until I studied my MA.
Gangadhar – 15:33 – Can we take that social issue for our brothers? We know the mudras to show Lakshmi, Vishnu, and Shiva. But for those social issues, how do we present it through my art? I have some issues I went to address through my art, but I have to think about how I’ll portray these things. I need to work on that.
Ameya – 16:02 - My mother grew up in the North. I think my grandfather and his folks were from around Vijayawada, but my grandfather worked for the government as a scientist, so they used to be in Bihar. I was actually born in Bihar, my mother was raised in Bihar. And I remember, Mastergaru was on tour for the ballet Chandalika, so when they heard about the program, they traveled to go and watch it. And at that time, when they saw Chandalik and heard the songs, they started singing the songs [from it]… That was such an example of addressing a social issue in that era. It’s a masterpiece, right? Equally powerful, it was spreading such an important message everywhere. In the same way, in our own time, we must bring that same focus and address the challenges and issues of our time. Like you said, put the thought in peoples’ heads.
Ameya – 17:13 – Rama and Sita for everything.
Gangadhar - 17:31 – Yes, I was thinking of that just now. This morning – I have this on my board: “Need to create the bond between a mother and children.” To create that bond, why must it always be a depiction of Yashoda? Why can’t it be your mother or my mother? Do we have to show Yashoda with Krishna? I was thinking this morning, the things my mother does in the morning or the way she walks – must I hold a flute and change into Krishna and then change again into Yashoda? Why Krishna and Yashoda? There are so many thousands of mothers - Our mothers are doing so many things right before us. We can think about our own mothers. If our thinking changes in this way – we don’t have to just do something. We don’t have to create something for the sake of creating something. I want my fellow brother to understand and connect with my art. To this day, if I present a piece, my friends say “Arrey, I don’t understand all that, man, you do your thing.” Even if I say “You don’t need to understand, you just have to feel it, that’s all.” But no. At least through my art – I don’t know what to do, but this is the idea I have. If I don’t connect with those in my generation, who else will I connect with? If I don’t fight for or work on the issues of my generation, who will? Yes, Mastergaru did that work in his generation and they became the trend – Kanjadalayadakshi, Marakatha, and so on. If I do the same, the art needs to move forward, right, Akka?
Gangadhar - 20:26: “Theme song? Okay, I’m suddenly blanking when you ask - okay – Nee Prashnalu Ninne in [the movie] Kotha Bangaru Lokam”
Ameya – 20:58 – How does it go?
Ameya – 22:01 – It's very nice.
Ameya – 22:10 – Seeing dance? He’s literally dancing (on Zoom, sorry listeners...)
Gangadhar – 22:57 – My grandfather is from the Tappetta gullu artists. From a long time I’ve wanted to work with Tappetta gullu artists. Given the chance, I’ll immediately go and collaborate with them.
Ameya – 23:12 – Now, what do they do?
Gangadhar - 23:19 – Tappetta gullu artists belong to the Yadava community. It falls under the Bhajan (devotional singing) tradition. It goes basically (simply). The mythological stories – their folk versions of Ramayanam and Srinivasa Kalyanam are different from our [Mastergaru’s Kuchipudi] versions.
Gangadhar - 24:01 – Kuchipudi has a swing, a charm... Combining the two would be amazing. Given the chance now, I’ll do that with my grandfather.
Gangadhar – 25:04 – The artform is dwindling.
Gangadhar – 25:58 - if I have to only do it for the rest of my life, I would.
Gangadhar – 26:05 – That being said, I can’t let go of Kishore Annayya’s Durga Tarangam.
Gangadhar – 26:21 – It connects even with the current generation.
Gangadhar – 26:45 – If I get on a plane or a car, I get nauseous... My head starts to spin.
Gangadhar – 27:01 – My mind doesn’t go toward food at all.
Ameya – 27:07 – After a program?
Gangadhar – 27:09 – After a program. The thought of food doesn’t come to mind all... I’ll chug a drink, a juice or something after a performance, but no thought of food. My friends are completely the opposite. They become very hungry and eat a lot. For whatever reason, my appetite goes away after a performance.
Gangadhar – 27:51 - Ameya akka, what about you?
Ameya – 27:54 – For me... warm rice. Yes, simple food – dal, rasam, something with warm rice. Bhanu Aunty used to do this – cook freshly.
Gangadhar – 28:06 – My goodness, the other day, Bhanu Aunty made so much food – we couldn’t eat all of it. Tamarind rice, yogurt rice, sweets.
Ameya – 28:19 – After the performance, she’d cook a fresh meal. It’d be the middle of the night by the time we’d get home, and immediately she’d make a full meal.
Gangadhar - 28:23 – Honestly, they have so much energy.
Gangadhar 28:37 - When my friends and I go out... Sandhya Akka very strictly warns me against – but actually, even otherwise, from my childhood, I’ve seen the burdens... I’ve seen how much my mother and neighbors suffered. It’s irritating and frustrating. But, for whatever reason, I never developed the habit, but people think I drink.
Gangadhar – 29:39 – My friends all think that because I’m surrounded by girls in my dance class, I must have so many girlfriends. They don’t realize that we are like brothers and sisters to one another. They see my dance videos and think “oh you’re having fun with all these girls.”
Ameya – 30:46 – Yes, this week.
Gangadhar – 30:47 – This week has been a full break. I’ve never taken a break from dance before in these last 13 years... I have a minor ache in my left leg.
Gangadhar – 31:27 – Taking zoom classes is a head ache, and that too teaching little kids [over zoom] is an even bigger headache
Ameya – 31:52 – Something must’ve been nice this week.
Gangadhar – 31:52 – This week isn’t any good at all, Akka.
Ameya – 31:53 – It wasn’t any good? Ayyo.
Ameya – 32:04 – When I started working after college, I had to move to another city. In that city, Kamala Aunty – Kamala Reddy lived there, but my work schedule didn’t align with her class timings because I would be sent to travel for work no matter what. So, my joy was putting talas while sitting in the airport. Work was a nuisance, I was in despair about missing dance class. So saying jathis and trying to get them to tala was a small joy. So, I’m throwing out an idea – maybe that could be a way to spend the break.
Ameya – 32:49 – At the end of every episode, we give listeners a call to action. If you had to give a call to action, what would you say?
Gangadhar – 32:57 – The thing is, if I give my brother some advice – don't do this, don’t do that – I think about their inner opinion - “Is it necessary for you to tell me?” When we talk to others, I think about the other person’s opinion. “Yeah, here he goes talking like he knows something.” When I think about the other person’s opinion, we have to hang our head in shame. I’m not at the right stage to even give advice to others. I have nothing that’s coming to mind to say.
Ameya – 33:42 – No worries, sometimes the words come, and sometimes they don’t... Thank you so much.
Gangadhar – 35:56 – I've gotten some good clarity of what I can do further, and you’ve reminded me of what I want to do.