Dr Sunil Kothari profiles Raghunath Manet compare to Rudolph Nureyev for his grace

Dance like a man,
Dr Sunil Kothari profiles Raghunath Manet,
a Bharat Natyam dancer who has been compared
to Rudolph Nureyev for his grace

 

His credentials are impeccable. Trained in Bharat Natyam from a very young age and later on graduate from Kalakshetra (at Chennai) — founded by Rukmini Devi, our own Bolshoi and Kirov rolled into one — Pondicherry-born Raghunath Manet will be performing in the city for the fast time today.

Right from his lineage — his mother is half-Vietnamese and half-Tarnilian, his father served in the French Army and in his spare time wrote on traditional Indian sport — to his striking looks and his exceptional dance form, everything about Manet is a cut above the ordinary. A total dancer, his family left for Paris when Manet was only five years old. In the art capital of the world he was exposed to the best in the world of dance and music. "Of course, one had to struggle," says this 33-plus dancer. "And it is not yet over. It's a continuous struggle. To make a mark there after several years indeed is as heady as champagne." And the bubbly seems to he sparkling. Manet's season at the Arab Centre in Paris, fast was runaway success. Not a single seat was available for all four evenings that he performed. But the higgest breakthrough came with the French mainstream media noticing this dancer, from their 'former colony' Pondicherry, with admiration. Had I not seen the crowds attending his last performance, I would not have helieved this.

Grace under posture
In a year's time, however, he had found his feet and his own style. He now comes across as a male dancer, intense, far from being effete or apologetic. He is determined to express himself in a form where the votaries are beautiful women.

Raghunath Manet is a dancer worth watching. He deserves praise not only for his dance but also for his talent with the veena. His dances have musicians dressed like performers, whose entry is also choreographed. They are a part of the performance and not just accompanists. He is a showman who knows how to weave all these elements.

And when he isn't spanning continents, Manet is immersing himself in his other interests. He teaches dance to 200 disabled children at Tala Sruti, an institute set up by him in 1988, in Pondicherry. He also plans to evolve a special repertoire for male dancers. "I want them to leam music, vocal and instrumental, so that their dancing is rounded," says Raghunath. He is also working on his doctorate in cultural anthropology. "My interest in Tamil culture is deep. My book on Temple Dancers of Villenour has received a good response from scholars in the field," says Manet. "Women play an important role in Bharata Natyam. My daughter Hemanti may take up dancing. And some of my concepts of Bharata Natyam, she may fulfil."

Official Raghunath Manet's website

http://www.raghunathmanet.com

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