Paper short abstract:

Teaching Indian Classical Dance outside India requires a thought. It stands on an alien soil, amidst influences which impose constraint, challanges and opportunities. To preserve its context, keep its inherent character intact and students' interest alive while teaching is at the core of exploration.

Paper long abstract:

Indian Classical Dances, like any other classical art forms, are evolved arts - by nature, socio-political, economical (largely farming) conditions and cultural developments. Hence contextual. Their survival on foreign ground, which is not their natural ambience, decontextualizes them, in turn taking a different trajectory. (Although these developmental factors are contextual and universal)

The teaching of Indian Classical Dance, which exists outside India, thus, requires a thought because it stands on foreign grounds; amidst influences of other cultures. These conditions impose constraints, challenges and opportunities at the level of presentation and particularly teaching.

The preservation of the context of dance form, the heterogeneous groups and subsequent attitudinal differences streaming from wide range of dance enthusiasts requires the teacher to formulate new ways of teaching. Simultaneously the challenge is to keep intact the inherent character (the classicity and beauty of the dance form), the student's and society's interest alive; with contextual references.

The paper reflects:

•An Indian Classical Dance professional and a teacher's perspective of strategies engaged to ensue the above

•Explores the similarities, differences between perspectives and cultures and cross - references

•The immense opportunity that elicits the potential for cross fertilization (fusion) and new creation, thus progressing the dance form.

The paper also attempts to explore the diverse role of teacher, to be able; to provide a prospective ground for students, to engage his/her sensitivity and sensibility, which in turn would pave a way, through self discovery, to Parma Aananda (Ultimate Bliss) - the aim of all Indian arts.