If one had any questions about the quality and level of performing art that the new Swasthi Academy for Excellence offers, their colourful launch event provided all the answers in fine style.
Unlike the half a dozen performing art institutes in Qatar, the Academy, by Malayalam film actress Lakshana, promises to be different in how focused it aspires to be when it comes to honing fine talents to their utmost limits. The institution, located close to Cambridge School in Abu Hamour, seeks to promote talent in children and young adults in Qatar and was inaugurated by South Indian actress Navya Nair, last weekend.
As part of the launch, Nair held a special dance and talent workshop at Birla Public School – a tantalising sample of the training courses in dance, music, arts, yoga and personal development that the Academy has on offer. The launch programme ended with a special evening function at the school with Malayalam superstar Suresh Gopi as the chief guest.
The event was attended by dignitaries such as Dr Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank; doctor-educationist-philanthropist Dr Mohan Thomas; Girish Kumar, President of Indian Cultural Centre; Swasthi Academy Chairman Hassan al-Baker; Swasthi Academy Directors Dr Sajith Pillai and KRG Pillai; apart from actresses Nair and Lakshana, of course. The ceremony was followed by dance and music performances, many among the artistes being students.
Lakshana told Community, “We had certainly planned for a sparkling launch event but the outcome surpassed our expectations. Everything went really well and we had a lot of people come up to us and say that they haven’t seen this kind of programme in Doha.”
That comment wouldn’t surprise many. There was a wide range of well-co-ordinated dance and music acts on display. “From the Ganesha contemporary dance to Bharatanatyam, from me joining six girls in a semi-classical dance to Kathak, Odissi, and a Kerala fusion song, we packed in the best of what we could present.”
Interestingly, the Chief Guest Gopi received confirmation of his formal appointment as Member of Parliament to Rajya Sabha – the upper house of the Parliament of India – while he was on stage at the event.
Being a passionate dancer, Lakshana was destined to flag off this institute in Doha. “I have always had a passion for dance. As a trained classical dancer, I would perform Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam and Kuchipudi. So I wanted to make use of these dance forms in my life. After my marriage, I spoke to my husband Sajith about my dream to help others who are talented, and we began wondering how we could make this happen,” she said.
Having developed some good connections in the film industry that she used to work in, Lakshana spoke with her co-stars about her idea to start such an institute. “They all said that they will support me through this. ‘You just start and we will all come down and give lessons to the kids’, they said. I felt encouraged. Then, I discussed with my husband and we decided we should start this institute. It’s not as much for business as it is for my passion as I would really love to develop young talents into realising their full potential,” she explained.
“I often see kids performing well but they lack a strong foundation,” Lakshana said, “So I wanted to start an initiative where we facilitate good training for the young so that they strengthen their base in that art form, which is key. I want to be part of building a new, good world with good talent.”
The institute offers training in a range of art forms such as classical dance (Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam, Kuchipudi, Kerala Nadanam); folk dance; western dance; Bollywood; Zumba; tango; salsa; Carnatic music vocals; Western instrumentals like guitar, violin, drums and keyboard; and also yoga and wellness classes.
Lakshana said, “We are emphasising that our yoga classes are for all ages. From kids to moms and housewives, anybody can enrol. We are recommending yoga classes for children who are learning dancing so that they can become better dances due to increased flexibility at an early age. As for admissions, we are receiving a lot of enquiries. The word of mouth has been great.” The Academy will begin classes from the second week of May.