Rathna Kumar laments the growing pay-to-perform culture in classical dance

Known affectionately as ‘Rathna Papa’ when she first stepped into the dance classroom as a child, Rathna Kumar completes 75 years in dance this year. Yet, after a lifetime devoted to Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, she rejects the idea of artistic finality. “You never master dance,” she says. “You remain a student all your life.” Bharatanatyam formed the foundation of her training under K.J. Sarasa, who accepted her as her very first student, while her transition to Kuchipudi began under Vempati Pedda Satyam before she came under the tutelage of Vempati Chinna Satyam, with whom she continued her training, rebuilding her technique from the ground up. Studies in Kathak, Mohiniyattam and Odissi further enriched her understanding of movement, and an early encounter with the legendary Ram Gopal, who urged her to devote herself entirely to Kuchipudi, foreshadowed the path her career would eventually take. Looking back, she believes dancers should first establish a firm grounding in one tradition before embracing another.

Reflecting on the evolution of Kuchipudi, Rathna feels that the form has gradually lost much of the grace and fluidity that defined the style taught by her guru, Vempati Chinna Satyam. Lamenting that performances today often prioritise speed, sharp lines and athletic precision over seamless movement, she credits her guru with refining the tradition for the female body without altering its essential vocabulary, insisting on elegance and restraint. For Rathna, preserving Kuchipudi’s distinctive identity is more important than adapting to changing aesthetic trends.

Teaching was never part of Rathna’s original plan. After moving to Houston in the U.S. in 1975 following her marriage, she enrolled in a PhD programme in English at Rice University in Texas, seeing herself as a performer rather than a guru. Unsure whether she possessed the knowledge to teach, she frequently sought reassurance from her gurus. Vempati Chinna Satyam’s words became her guiding philosophy: “The Upanishads tell us that when we die, we can take neither our vidya (education) nor our dhanam (wealth) with us. Therefore, during your lifetime you must distribute both.” K.J. Sarasa’s counsel was equally influential. Teaching, Rathna discovered, did not diminish her artistry but deepened it. “In the process of becoming a teacher, I was becoming a better dancer.”

Nearly five decades later, that journey has grown into a legacy. At the heart of it is the Anjali Center for Performing Arts, where students who first learnt from her in the 1970s now return with their children, while some others rediscover dance after long breaks taken for careers and family. For Kumar, these intergenerational relationships embody the true spirit of the guru-sishya tradition. “Dance will not end with my generation,” she says. “There is continuity. There is hope.”

Her influence extends well beyond the Indian diaspora. After early masterclasses across American universities, Rathna found a permanent home at Rice University, where she has taught since 2002. Most of her students are not of Indian origin, yet her classes remain oversubscribed. She deliberately teaches Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi as liberal arts disciplines rather than collections of steps, introducing students to history, literature, philosophy, storytelling and the language of mudras. Many leave with a deeper appreciation of Indian civilisation, and some have even travelled to India after discovering its performing arts through her classroom.

The same desire to build cultural understanding inspired the founding of ‘Samskriti’ more than three decades ago. Through the Houston-based non-profit, Rathna has presented leading Indian artistes while also creating ambitious cross-cultural productions. One such was her Ramayana, which brought together Bharatanatyam, Thai, Indonesian, Sri Lankan and Kathak traditions alongside Gamelan and Indian music, demonstrated that artistic collaboration need not compromise classical integrity.

Rathna is equally forthright about the challenges facing Indian classical dance today. She laments the growing pay-to-perform culture, where young dancers often bear the cost of venues, orchestra and production simply to gain visibility. She advocates stronger institutional funding, government grants and opportunities for emerging artistes, suggesting that senior performers should regularly include young dancers as opening acts. At Samskriti, every performer — from internationally acclaimed artistes to children in small roles — receives an honorarium because, she believes, organisations must practise the values they espouse.

Her choreography similarly reflects a conviction that classical dance must engage with the present while remaining rooted in tradition. Productions such as Ahimsa, Purnam and A Story, A Song and A Dance explore terrorism, disability, grief and healing through the classical vocabulary. The belief became deeply personal after she lost her son during the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning to dance through online classes helped her emerge from profound grief. “People often speak about the healing power of the arts,” she reflects. “After COVID, I experienced it personally.” For Rathna Kumar, dance is not merely performance — it is education, cultural dialogue, social reflection and, ultimately, a source of hope.

Reflecting on the future of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, Rathna believes that today’s dancers are often under pressure to achieve too much, too quickly. “Don’t be in a hurry,” she advises. “Dance matures slowly.” Technique alone, however, is never enough. She urges young dancers to cultivate the mind as much as the body. Literature, poetry, history, theatre, painting, architecture, travel and music all enrich a dancer’s imagination. “Dance is about life. If you don’t understand life, what exactly are you expressing?” she asks. Perfectly executed movements, she believes, remain empty unless they are informed by thought, curiosity and lived experience. The greatest artistes are those whose interests extend well beyond the boundaries of their own discipline.

These convictions have shaped not only her teaching but also her work as a choreographer and arts administrator. Through initiatives such as Let’s Create, she has encouraged emerging choreographers by offering grants that enable them to transform ideas into productions. Rather than prescribing themes, she urges them to discover their own artistic voices. The resulting works have ranged from mythology and history to contemporary personalities like Malala Yousafzai, reaffirming her belief that classical dance possesses the power to engage with the concerns of every generation.

As the conversation ends, she recalls a quotation by American choreographer Agnes de Mille that appears at the end of every email she sends: “Everything passes. Art alone, enduring, stays to us.” Those words reflect her own journey. Performances conclude, careers evolve, and honours fade, but art continues to inspire and transform lives. It is this enduring faith in dance that has sustained Rathna Kumar through 75 remarkable years. If she is remembered, she hopes it will simply be as someone who loved the art wholeheartedly.

Celebrating a landmark year

Seetha Ratnakar and Bharat Kalachar present ‘Navaratna’ to mark Rathna Kumar’s 75-year artistic journey on July 25 (6 p.m.) at Bharat Kalachar. The event will include ‘Sarasa Natana Mala’ by the students of Sarasalaya, ‘Ratna Mala’ by dancer and raconteuse Ramaa Bharadwaj and felicitations by renowned artistes and industrialist Nalli Kuppuswami Chetty.