Koyali, featured dancer
Koyali Burman has been an exponent of Indian classical dance-Kathak, Tagore’s dance form- Rabindra Nritya and Mohiniattam. She began learning Kathak at the age of three in India under the tutelage of Bina Moitra- disciple of renowned guru Acchan Maharaj, father of Pt. Birju Maharaj as well as Kalpana Mallick. She has been trained in both Lucknow and Jaipur Gharanas (school of dance) in India. She received acclaim as “Sangeet Ratna” (M Muse) and winner of numerous regional awards in India. She has performed at various prestigious events like Dover Lane Conference, India Day, Commonwealth Day, Festival of Diversity, City of Vancouver celebration as well as in Television channels of India and Vancouver.
She has a Masters degree from University of British Columbia. Besides her professional career, she enjoys performing and teaching dance and expanding the cultural boundaries with a dedication to excellence. She sits on various art and cultural committees, is on the board of directors in various social service agencies.
Ariadne’s note: Koyali has danced and supported World Poetry for a number of years. We greatly appreciate her art, wisdom and expertise. She will be doing a devotional dance at the World Poetry Canada International Peace Festival in May.
Here is her radio interview. Questions are in red and answers are in blue.
Hello World! Namaste, Nomoskar.
Thank you Ariadne for inviting me to the show. Its great pleasure to be with you all at the Café.
Are you a dancer first and an arts advocate second?
Well it’s a good question. I am both a dancer and an advocate since early years. I consider dance as one of the vital form of expression through art; a medium which convey a message effectively and powerfully. It is a form of non-verbal communication between audiences through gestures. For example Indian classical dances like Kathak, Mohiniattam and others communicate and convey messages to the audience through footwork and body movements. I feel the expression of dance is perhaps the most intricate and developed and yet easily understood art form. This is because I know so many people who have not learned dance but they appreciate and advocate art and one is dance.
What is your vision for art and community?
It is a great question. If you see throughout the ages, art has played a crucial role in each and everyone’s life. Art is universal because it is everywhere; we experience it on daily basis. From the houses we live in (architecture) to movies we see (theatre) to books we read (literature). Even in ancient culture art has played a crucial role. In prehistoric times cave dwellers dew on the walls of caves. Now with the acceleration of globalization ways of thinking and acting in all sectors of human activity are being re-examined. The “paradigm shift” was initially introduced by the new management gurus, but has since become common in our society.
For example there is so much research and performances are happening around the world. Kathak is predominantly classical dance form of northern India centres being in Deldin, Lucknow, Jaipur and Benares. Flamenco is an amalgamation of Spanish heritage and the gypsy’s lineage. The gypsies who migrated from India to Spain in various waves incorporated particular traits and customs whose land they passed through into their own unique customs, language and way of life. Although the birth of Kathak and flamenco emerged out of two different human responses, they share common features in their historical and contextual development- A shared technique and shared roots. So people are experimenting.
So my vision is community to continuously evolve and embrace new ideas while balancing the inherent nature of the past, present, and future community values and culture. A conscious artistic community that appreciates and supports diverse artistic talents in the community by sharing knowledge of each others culture.
What are your future goals?
My future goals are to continue being a dancer and instructor-advocating through teaching others. Apart from my professional research, I would like to research and write around shared techniques and shared roots of various dance forms in the global context and its influence on individual level and community. It is my passion. It’s a process and would take couple of years as hard pressed with time.
How can individuals make a difference?
On an individual level one can make a difference by keeping art alive within themselves in whatever form be that poetry, music, sculpture, dance etc within themselves. Taking time to cultivate what someone has learnt before and share it with others either through performing, reading poetry, writing, public speaking. We are fortunate to be in a diverse place where we can experience various art forms from all over the world.
In today’s’ rushed life its very easy to forget things we learned but continue to cultivate the art form is actually honouring those people who have supported throughout the journey like my parents and gurus.
Few of us realise that art that dance can offer much more than people think of. It can improve a physical and mental well being of a person and create a healthy society.
Is there any country that is leading in art and culture?
Each country has its own unique forms of art and culture and I have a desire to visit couple of countries and experience art and culture by being present there. But what comes to my mind now is that India is a place of infinite variety of art and culture- be it poetry, music, dance, painting, sculpture etc. for example there are classical and folk dances from all parts of the country.
Do what you do wholeheartedly. Keep your passion alive and appreciate others and their art forms be that dance, poetry, painting from any parts of the world. Spread the message of peace.
Happy International Women’s Day March 8th!
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