Art doesn’t really pay you unlike other professions: Lakshmi Ramaswamy

"Margazhi in Chennai, to me, is a time for deep contemplation and exhibition,” begins Bharatanatyam exponent Lakshmi Ramaswamy. “Whatever we have contemplated all year, we get a platform to exhibit our art at this time of the year. Also, it is during this season that we meet people from various walks of life (and from different parts of the world) who converge in one place for the sake of art,” she says.
After a hiatus, the Tirunelveli-born dancer, who has over three decades of experience in her field, made a return to the stage with her solo presentation, Pramaanam, recently in the city.
Ask her about Chennai, and her face lights up at once. “Growing up down south, I always wanted to come to Chennai, because this is the place where you get so many opportunities, not only to perform but also to watch professionals in the classical arts. Here, I saw how much the art is revered and how much people have worked to keep it that way. And I also saw the stalwarts performing.”

The danseuse reckons a dancer has to really take care of their body. “Dance is about showing whatever the body can do in a given space. It is very important for dancers to take care of their bodies because we need to be ready to perform at any point in time and give our best,” she states.
Lakshmi Ramaswamy believes more transparency is the need of the hour when it comes to remuneration for classical performances. “The challenge for a person who decides to take up classical art as their career is creating enough financial strength to lead a normal life while also keeping their work going. In my own case, I teach, and it gives me enough fuel for my performances, many of which are not paid. But when it comes to the question of finance and whether art really pays you like other professions do, that is definitely a ‘no’. It is madness which keeps us going,” she explains.
The dancer admits social media lends a helping hand to contemporary dancers. “Today, we have Instagram, but earlier one had to go to certain venues to watch an artiste perform,” she says. However, she also admits the downsides. “There is this mentality of sitting at home and watching performances online. People are not stepping out to watch performances as much as they did earlier. But those of us who have really known the flavour of seeing a performance live, we choose to watch an artiste in the live setting,” she adds.
Mental health, the dancer says, “is very important”. “In my own personal journey, it is art which has helped me keep mentally fit. Even though I had physical difficulties, even though I had financial difficulties, it was the one thing that kept me going. Every time I wanted to really move away from dance, it held on to me and kept me going. So, if an artiste is able to hold on with that type of strength, then, even with the ups and downs in life, they will still have the energy to bounce back,”
About sabha canteen food...
It is a solace to me. When you have a rehearsal early in the morning and then if you also want to watch an artiste right after, sabha canteens are such a solace, since we can just go have a sip of coffee or have breakfast and watch the morning performances. Food eases you out of stress.
On the importance of fitness...
Fitness is not an issue when you are young. I used to believe that dance itself was an exercise. But as you grow and as things change in life, the body becomes different. I’ve gotten injured, underwent surgeries, and then had to recover from that. While we will not be able to avoid certain things in life, we can definitely do certain things to keep track of fitness, like eating proper food and training regularly.
Written By: Praveen Kumar S