Neeleswaram: Seventeen homemakers who manage to find some time off their household chores and busy schedules eagerly showcase their dancing skills after training rigorously under instructor Surendran Pattana. The idea came up after a group of elderly women, trained by the same instructor, performed the Dasavatharam dance drama at a public event in 2012.
Yamuna K Nair, who appeared in the dance performance in 2012, has formed the Janatha Kala Samiti by inviting interested homemakers to get trained in classical dance and debuted at the famed Mookambika Temple at Kollur. Later, the group performed at many prominent temples including the Guruvayur temple and at many more stages.
There are homemakers and working women in the group who find time to come together for the rehearsals. Besides classical dance forms, the group also trains in thiruvathira and folk songs.
Dance instructor Pattana is a KSEB official. He had learnt Bharatnatyam from the noted dancer couple Padmabhushan Shanta and Dhanajayan. Besides, he is also trained in Keralanadanam from Pankajavalli at the Dr Guru Gopinath Nadanashramam, run by the cultural department at Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram.
