Today we’d like to introduce you to Punam Kumar.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Punam. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in a small, conservative town in North India called Mathura, where it was frowned upon for women to perform in public or even work in the same space as a man. While my mother loved Indian literature, music and dance, my father wasn’t too appreciative of it and didn’t want me or my sisters dancing, especially in public.
And because my mother did not have the opportunity to learn Kathak herself, she was even more passionate about her daughters pursuing it. This caused a bit of friction at home with my father, but we continued anyway. I started learning dance around the age of eight. My guru noticed I had a natural talent, so I picked up the lessons very well and soon began performing for local events and festivals. The performances drew praises from peers, friends and family and above all my Guru. Soon I began assisting my guru in teaching younger students of the academy. After completing my Master’s degree in Chemistry, I went on and also received my Master’s in Kathak.
I came to this country in 1976 not knowing the people and the culture. It never crossed my mind that I would have the opportunity to teach Indian dance as I didn’t see any scope. I looked for a job in the field of chemistry but soon, I realized that I needed local college credentials to secure a job in this field. I got an accounting job for some time though to help my husband financially, who was a college student at the time. Occasionally I used to wonder whether there would be a chance to start teaching Kathak, but I let those thoughts dissipate. After working at the accounting job for two years, my daughter Sonal was born; I quit my job to be with Sonal full-time. One afternoon a friend was over for tea and she brought up the idea of my teaching Kathak to her daughter along with one of her friends. This was the start. I started teaching those two students in my garage. After posting a few hand-written flyers in local shops, my enrollment grew from 2 to 9 and years later the school had about 100 students.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think any road to success is struggle free. I’ve had my shares of as well. At the start of my dance teaching career, it was hard to find a place to teach as I wasn’t able to afford a fancy studio. I started teaching in my garage which wasn’t a desirable place for many students to learn dance. I feel like I would’ve been able to expand more if I had a proper studio.
My teaching schedule which was in the evenings and on the weekends often conflicted with my children’s homework and family time, which I regret. I wish I could’ve been at both places at once. Another hurdle I dealt with was that it is a challenge to teach Indian dance to the kids growing up here as they are not well-aware of the Indian language, Indian culture and philosophy, Indian mythology, as well as Indian classical music. Kathak is based on all of these points, and it has been difficult trying to relay this in my teaching. The context of it all is often lost in translation.
It was also a challenge seeking professional Indian classical musicians as well as finding costumes for my dance productions and recitals. The mothers of the students would sew the costumes on their own or would team up and make them together. Of course, a lot has changed now that the world is smaller and the scope is wider.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
With over 35 years of teaching experience under my belt, I have the ability to connect with my students with love and patience. My goal is to try to accommodate the parents and students as much as possible, so as to make learning a classical dance enjoyable and stress-free. The emphasis in my training is to instill proper technique and understanding of rhythmic patterns while paying close attention to hand, eye, and body coordination and posture. Disciples of Shivam Arts regularly participate in the school’s annual dance recitals, where they demonstrate their progress and mastery.
Instruction at Shivam Arts often culminates in a solo Kathak dance debut, called Samarpan, where senior students showcase their rigorous training. I was the first (to my knowledge) to pioneer the concept of Samarpan in 1993. While other classical dance forms have their own dance debut traditions, Kathak was lacking this.
I am an avid believer of keeping up with the times; the music from 35 years ago isn’t the music of today, and so the current generation of students has a hard time connecting. I make it a point to keep the choreography and choice of music current, without losing the traditional aspects of the classical dance. It is a challenge I enjoy working around. Also, my daughter and lead dancer of the school, Sonal Kumar Turakhia has taken on the role as the director of Shivam Arts Dance Company (SADC), which is a professional group of highly-skilled, classically trained Kathak dancers who are pushing the boundaries of traditional dance in a modern setting. The group of girls in the dance company are all students who have trained extensively at my school.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
My advice for young women is to keep pushing for what you feel is right, even if that means you have to put up a fight. It is often difficult balancing family time with work life, but know that if you have steadfast commitment and passion in your work, your kids and the younger generation will use this as an example to pursue their dreams. Do not be afraid to work through the bumps in the road because there will be many.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shivamartsdance.com
- Phone: 714.293.4539
- Email: info@shivamartsdance.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/shivamartsdance
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shivamartsdance
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/shivamartsdance.com
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/KaavyaCollective
Image Credit:
Sari Makki Photography
Tiffany Le Visuals
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