Making headway in the dance firmament

Anik Bose -- in creativity.

Among the few male dance artistes in Bangladesh is creative and folk dancer Anik Bose. Complaining of the stepmotherly treatment accorded to dance in comparison with music, theatre and art, he points out that male dancers are often scoffed at. In his words, "When a man dances, people laugh and question why he is dancing on stage. Basically they subscribe to the view that dance is reserved for women."
Nevertheless Bose has made considerable headway in the dance firmament. He is a dance teacher of Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA) and Bangladesh International Tutorial (BIT). A regular dance artist of BTV, he has participated in various programmes in government and non-government level both nationally and internationally. Among his achievements is his performance as an artiste in China , Thailand , Indonesia , Bhutan and India as a member of the Bangladesh Government cultural team.
His compositions have been aired on Baishakhi TV, Rtv, BTV, ATN and staged by BIT and BAFA. "The taste for dance is not yet fully developed," says Bose, asserting that through the schools and TV channels he has spread the dance culture in the country.
Bose ventured into studying dance at the tender age of six years. Encouraged by his late father, actor Arun Bose, he was enrolled for training in dance. In the course of the years he has trained under a variety of masters from BAFA, Rahiza Khanom Jhono (folk and creative), Kartik Sinha (Kathak), Humayun Kabir (basic dance) and Chitra (creative dance).
Today his forte is folk dance. "Folk dance is popular in Bangladesh . I find the dance postures very attractive. For instance, there is the fishermen's, tea garden workers' and snake charmers' dances," points out Bose.
Yet there is still a long way to go. His dream is to see dance established as a separate subject in all the schools in Bangladesh . In his view, while English medium schools such as Green Dale, Salvation, Scholastica and Red Beat have dance classes, he would like to see a more pervasive dance culture.
Bose has made an impact on the dance scenario in Bangladesh . As for the future, he has no plans to retire. "Dance is in my blood and I can't imagine a life without it," concludes Bose.