Given this, how is it different to teach people who have been born and brought up outside India?
What is the strategy we would follow to teach foreign students?
These are questions which arise all the time in the minds of the young teachers.
First of all, let's take Indian children born and brought up outside India
-They are more exposed to the culture of the place they have been brought up in
-They are aware and have knowledge of our Indian culture to some extent due to family influence, but it is difficult for them to relate to it
-They may want to be part of Indian get-togethers and functions but can only relate to similar children with the same background
-They do find children brought up in India a little strange and conventional.
Given this background, the first thing the teacher should do is to make the child believe in our culture
by talking about stories and values of our system.
Dance is something which is deeply rooted in our culture and it is important to give them an insight into our culture and values.
Small gestures and acts which we take it for granted with children brought up here, will have to be taught. like, bowing to the teacher before and after the class... This is something that our gurus have taught us and it comes naturally to children here as they are exposed to it constantly.
Wearing Indian clothes to classes is again an important part of connecting to our culture.
Many of them wear stretch pants and short tops, which is, of course, comfortable, but don't fit into our culture.
The class is like a temple where children come not only to learn the art form but also to feel integrated. Being part of the school is like being in a big joint family.
Basically, all our dance forms are created thinking in " an Indian way". for example there are padams which talk about the nosey neighbours, or interfering in-laws, which the children can hardly understand. So as teachers, we need to explain the concept and make them realise the difference in perception.
These are just a few pointers which will help us understand children with different backgrounds and not labelling them as snobbish, which happens many a time and the children are left demotivated and disillusioned after their stint in India.
