I started Kathak at the age of 15 under the famous dancing duo - Smt. Nirupama and Sri. Rajendra and now, I train under the guidance of the maestro of Jaipur Gharana - Pt. Rajendra Gangani. My mother Smt. Shakuntala R Prabhath, who is a senior Bharatanatyam Guru was the reason I grew up learning about dance in general, but it was Kathak that fascinated me the most as a child.
1. Tell us more about your background and journey.
I'm extremely grateful to be belonging to the rich lineage of Saint Poet Purandara Dasaru - The father of Karnatic Music. My great grandfather Sri Venkanna Das was an Asthana Vidwan, who performed Harikatha using 5 languages. His sons who created the illustrious company Prabhath (a household name in Karnataka) were also very well-established artists.
My grandfather - Jai Simha Das and his elder brother Gopinath Das gathered 1000+ crowds for every Harikatha performance of theirs. The same sparkled to the creation of Dance Dramas. My grandfather Gopinath Das is believed to be the father of Dance Dramas, who directed and presented many dance musicals in the 1940s and 1950s - which has been a never-dying trend to date.
Belonging to such an illustrious lineage, it was very organic for me to develop an interest in arts. So, my journey has been an artistic one with lots of learning and exposure in every step! I started Karnatic vocal music at the age of 12 under the able tutelage of Dr. Hamsini Nagendra and now, I continue training under Vid. Tirumale Srinivas.
I started Kathak at the age of 15 under the famous dancing duo - Smt. Nirupama and Sri. Rajendra and now, I train under the guidance of the maestro of Jaipur Gharana - Pt. Rajendra Gangani. My mother Smt. Shakuntala R Prabhath, who is a senior Bharatanatyam Guru was the reason I grew up learning about dance in general, but it was Kathak that fascinated me the most as a child.
2. When did you first decide you wanted to pursue dancing and music and how did you start?
My journey began when I started performing Harikatha, under the training of my father - Acharya Raghavendra J Prabhat at the age of 19. Harikatha, which demands mastery over music, dance, enactment, and storytelling, paved the way for my growth as a dancer, musician, and also as actor.
The exposure to varied forms from my initial days, bestowed many memorable opportunities in several TV series and acting projects, directed by top minds of Kannada - like Sri Dwarakish, Sri Dinesh Babu, Sri Nagabharana, to name a few. My career as an artist grew alongside my mainstream career with the goal of being an entrepreneur.
After completing my master's in Business Administration, I established two companies - PADAPA and Artoholic Events - whilst I was working at many corporate and media companies. Artistically, I started performing at the age of 2, but my career had a formal start when I began touring and performing with Abhinava Dance Company and Prabhat Arts International. I got several opportunities to perform in many countries and prestigious platforms in the initial stage of my career.
My journey as a director, choreographer and music composer took a leap in the year 2015 when I directed my first dance musical "Kathaatra, the dawn of the epic" along with my brother, Bharat R Prabhath, who also is a promising artist and a technical mastermind.
Kathaastra, a multi-media dance production was a blend of living and recorded music along with holographic animations designed by the story supervisor of the mega movie Bahubali 1. A mixture of 7 forms of World dance and music, Kathaastra was very well received. The production had record-breaking success. Followed by this, I was fortunate enough to create many dances, music, and theater projects for many established artists and production houses across the globe.
In the year 2019, along with my brother, I materialized our childhood dream of directing, composing music, and choreographing the Kurukshetra war, for the stage with more than 60 very well trained professional dancers, actors, and martial artists, along with a skilled team of more than 100 technicians, designers, costumers, and animators. “18 days, the dusk of an era” incorporated levitation, aerial techniques, animations, magic tricks, and varied forms of World dance and music.
I had the freedom to experiment with newer movement vocabularies, musical nuances, and perceptions through scripting the entire production after a long research of 2 years. Therefore, the production in itself was like a Ph.D. course for me. 18 days too created a permanent impact on the minds of audiences.
Post the success of 18 days, I have now taken up art full time. I coach many aspiring kathak dancers, musicians, and artists at my institute, in Bangalore, and also online.
3. Can you throw some light on opportunities one gets as a dancer?
When we say opportunities in dance, we’ll have to treat group productions and classical solos separately; because the clients who organize group productions are very different in comparison with the ones who organize classical solos. The former is basically done for the audience or guests and the latter is organized by the connoisseurs themselves.
Considering the larger scenario, the majority of dancers are soloists and hence, as per my experience, the opportunities for a dancer (classical) are given in the name of exposure, which is a very sad practice. It would be wrong to generalize and say that every platform expects the same out of a dancer. But, most of the platforms expect the dancer to perform for exposure or an honorarium.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that classical dancers go through maximum hardship financially from booking an auditorium, costumes, sound & lights, paying the musicians, etc. The only way this problem could be addressed is by empathizing with dancers and providing financial assistance to every performance of theirs’.
4. Is format training required or can one train themselves purely on the basis of talent?
I have always believed in “Guru Mukha” training. Relying on talent and ignoring the correct training routine would be similar to sleepwalking – where there is an activity that is futile. The ones who cannot afford to learn or the ones devoid of such opportunities should always try to find a teacher, without compromising on their self-training. But, it is always better to have GPS support in unknown terrain. Hence, format training is essential in an artist’s life.
5. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring artists?
- As mentioned earlier, do not succumb to quick fame and wrong training techniques
- Patience is an intangible armor
- A number of followers wouldn’t define the quality of your art. Yes, marketing is important, but prioritizing knowledge and practice over fame would result in unceasing success
6. Which is your favorite book and why?
I don’t have a single book that can be named as my favorite. All the books I have read have given me things that I needed the most at those respective times. But, there is one book I frequently visit and that is “Bhagavat Geeta.” If I had to suggest a book to anyone that would undoubtedly be Geeta.
Interviewed By: Nishad Kinhikar
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