Lalitha Srinivasan is a Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher and choreographer who has spent decades working to preserve and expand the Mysore style of dance. A lifelong resident of Malleswaram, her journey began when she was introduced to dance at the age of ten. Over the years, she studied under renowned gurus H.R. Keshava Murthy and Padma Bhushan K. Venkatalakshamma, whose teachings deepened her interest in Abhinaya and the literary and expressive dimensions of dance.

In 1978, she founded Nupura, an institution through which she has trained generations of dancers and produced numerous dance dramas. She also pioneered the Nithya Nritya dance festival in Bengaluru, creating a platform for performers from different classical dance traditions. Her work has been particularly significant in bringing greater attention to the Mysore style of Bharatanatyam, its repertoire and its emphasis on literature, melody and expression.

Alongside her work in dance, Srinivasan studied History and conducted research into the cultural history of Karnataka. Her interest in the region's artistic traditions led her to revive and reconstruct works such as the Suladi Prabhanda. Her approach to dance has also been shaped by interdisciplinary learning, including a period of study at Wesleyan University in the United States.

For Srinivasan, dance has never been limited to performance. It has been a way of understanding literature, history, culture and identity. Her decades of teaching, research and choreography have made her an important figure in keeping the Mysore tradition of Bharatanatyam visible and alive.

In conversation with Lalitha Srinivasan

Q. You had to move frequently as a child because of your father's work. How did you eventually get into dance?

My father worked in the Electricity Department, so his transfers were usually to project areas such as Shivanasamudra, Jog Falls, Hassan and Chikmagalur. By the time I was ten, we moved to Bangalore because my older siblings had to study in college. We settled in Malleswaram.

I was put into a dance class when I was around ten, at Keshava Natya Shala, where I began learning under my guru, H.R. Keshava Murthy. That was where my journey with dance began.

Q. You took a break from dancing after your marriage. What made you return to it?

I got married when I was nineteen, while I was in my final year of BSc. At the time, I was living with my in-laws and, although they knew I was a dancer, I was hesitant to ask if I could continue.

When some of my friends began giving their Rangapraveshas, I became interested again and asked my husband if I could perform. He agreed. I performed my Rangapravesha in 1966, and everyone encouraged me to continue.

After my daughter was born, I gave up dancing again for some time. Later, when my husband went away to study for his master's degree, I found myself with some time and returned to my dance classes. My mother-in-law was very supportive and told me to learn whatever I wanted while she looked after my child.

Q. When did dance become more than just a performance for you?

When I began preparing for my dance examinations, I realised that dance was not simply movement or glamour on a stage. There was a whole scientific and intellectual dimension to it.

I started reading extensively and travelling to Madras to find books on dance. I also began studying the work of Dr. K. Venkatalakshamma in Mysore. I was particularly attracted to the Abhinaya aspect of her teaching. She was like a Pandora's box for me—there was so much to learn from her.

I continued learning from both Keshava Murthy in Bangalore and Venkatalakshamma in Mysore. I spent nearly twenty years with each of them.

Q. What drew you particularly to the Mysore style of Bharatanatyam?

The Mysore school depends greatly on literature, literary beauty, melody and expression. It has its own way of rendering Padams, Javalis and Ashtapadis, and there is an inherent grace in it.

I was especially attracted to Abhinaya—the use of hand gestures, facial expressions and movement to bring out the meaning of poetry. The Mysore court had many Sanskrit, Kannada and Telugu scholars, which encouraged this strong literary and expressive tradition.

After learning from Venkatalakshamma, I felt that there was so much beauty in the Mysore style that I had to bring it out and make it better known.

Q. How did Nupura come about?

In 1973, someone at the Malaysian Ladies Association encouraged me to teach their children because I had already been learning dance for many years. I initially thought I would teach just for fun, but there were around sixty students.

That experience pushed me towards more creative work. I began organising performances and eventually started my own institution, Nupura, in 1978. From then on, there was no looking back. I have taught many students, produced around fifteen to twenty dance dramas in Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit, and also undertaken research and choreography.

Q. You also started the Nithya Nritya festival. What inspired that?

I used to travel to Madras and Delhi and watch different forms of classical dance—Odissi, Manipuri, Kathak, Kathakali and others. I realised that Bangalore was not being exposed to many of these traditions.

So in 1986, we started the Nithya Nritya dance festival. At that time, even the government was not holding festivals of this kind. We were among the first to create a platform where dancers from different traditions could perform.

Over the years, practically every important dancer of my generation came and performed at Nithya Nritya. The festival continued for many years, with some gaps, and became an important part of Bangalore's dance culture.

Q. Why was it important for you to promote the Mysore style?

I wanted the Mysore school to stand alongside the other major styles of Bharatanatyam. At the time, it was relatively unknown outside Mysore.

I also wanted to bring back elements of Karnataka's own repertoire. I researched the Suladi Prabhanda, which has roots going back centuries, and reconstructed it for performance. We have also worked with modern Kannada poetry and created new choreographies from it.

Today, the Mysore Bani has grown considerably, with teachers passing it on and students pursuing it even at higher levels of education.

Q. How has Malleswaram been connected to your life and work?

I have lived in Malleswaram almost my entire life, so I am extremely comfortable here. I know the streets, the market and the people. I used to walk around the area and have many friends here.

My family has also been deeply connected to Malleswaram. The Chinnaswamy family was involved in many institutions in the area, including the Malleswaram Ladies Association, which began as a space for women to meet, learn crafts and participate in cultural activities.

Malleswaram has been a focal point of our family's life.

Q. What was it like teaching at Nupura during the 1980s and 1990s?

I had a very large number of students then. Many of them were extremely serious about dance and would continue for several years before marriage or other responsibilities came along.

Today, it is much harder for students to practise seriously. By the time they reach college, they are already focused on careers, tuition and other commitments. I am quite serious as a teacher, so I prefer to work with students who genuinely want to pursue dance.

I never refuse anyone initially. I give them three or five years to discover whether they have the aptitude and commitment. Those who continue seriously stay with me.

Q. Was there a particular performance that was especially close to your heart?

I cannot choose one particular performance. I enjoyed performing solos very much.

I was never particularly fond of group performances, although I had to do them because I had so many students. At one point, I was doing two or three solo performances every month for several years, and I enjoyed that immensely.

Q. You also studied at Wesleyan University. How did that experience influence your work?

I went to Wesleyan University in 1987 for a summer course. They had a very good department of dance and were known for their work in music and dance.

I was the only Indian there, but they accepted my form of dancing very easily. They didn't force me to learn contemporary dance. Instead, they applied their theories to Bharatanatyam.

I worked on projects such as the maximum range of motion in a Bharatanatyam dancer, head and body combinations and movement analysis. That experience taught me a great deal and influenced the way I approached choreography.

It helped me create works such as Anveshane, about the eternal search for God, Nishavibhrama, which personifies the night, and Angabhava, exploring how bodily movement can express emotions without facial expressions.

Q. What do you think is necessary for someone who wants to pursue classical dance seriously today?

Concentration on the arts is very necessary. Just as someone studies for ten or twelve years to become a doctor or engineer, the same kind of commitment is necessary here.

Dance doesn't teach you only movement. It teaches you your culture, languages, responsibilities and the earth to which you belong.

I am very proud to say that I am a Kannadiga. The work I have done with the Suladi and other traditions springs from the soil of Karnataka. That fascinates me greatly.

Q. What else do you think a dancer needs beyond learning dance itself?

Interdisciplinary knowledge is very necessary if you want to do creative work. Just learning dance doesn't mean anything.

You should know music, you should know some languages, and you should read everything you can lay your hands on—politics, newspapers, magazines, books and novels. You learn so much from them, and all of that can eventually find its way into your dance.

People who simply learn the movements without developing a deeper interest often stop somewhere. You have to pursue it with real dedication.

Q. What keeps you continuing after all these years?

The passion to dance keeps prompting me to dance. Once you want to do creative work, there is no stopping you. There are so many things you can explore, but it requires a great deal of hard work.

It is not particularly lucrative. Whatever we earn from performances often goes towards paying the musicians. But if you have the ambition and passion to dance, you continue.

That strong will is necessary, especially if you want to become a solo dancer.