This
Pioneering Institution for classical dance, music and the fine arts,
established in 1936, was the brainchild of Rukmini Devi. A Proteges
of Annie Besant, was deeply influenced by the progressive views
of the Theosophical Society. She scandalized conservative society
by marrying George Sydney Arundale, the 40-year - old Australian
principal of the Society's School. The Couple's extensive travels
around the world exposed Rukmini to the world of Western culture,
especially dance, inspiring her to study ballet under the great
Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Back in Chennai, She again defied
tradition by learning and performing the classical dasi attam, hitherto
the domain of devadasis (Temple Dancers).
The International Centre for the Arts, which she set up for the
revival of this dance form, now called Bharat Natyam, is today Kalakshetra,
the "Temple of Arts". The School is set in a vast 40-ha
(99acre) campus, where classical music and dance are taught according
to the traditional methods by which a guru imparts knowledge to
a small group of students. Some of India's best known dancers, such
as Yamini Krishnamurthi, Leela Samson and Alarmel Valli, were trained
here. At the end of each year, a festival is held and performances
are staged in an auditorium designed like a Koottambulam, the traditional
theatre of Kerala temples.
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