#Nurturingskills- 2
In conversation with Dasaratha Rama, parent and a TAHD professional.
1) What is theatre? Can you break it down for us?
Essentially, theatre comprises 5 elements.
Movement and dance
Music and Rhythm
Story telling
Drama
Arts and Crafts
Theatre is excellent for holistic development and has its roots in Indian art. Theater Arts for Holistic Development (TAHD) is a framework developed by Dr. Ambika Kameshwar, the Founder, Director of RASA India.
TAHD’s learning model encompasses the 4Es (Engagement, Exploration, Experience, Expression, Enjoyment). The term enjoyment intrigued me and drew me to TAHD. As parentsof a child with autism; we have done it all. Enjoyment is not there on anybody’s map, so to speak. Why can’t our children also enjoy.? So the 4 E’s grabbed my attention.
Then there is the Abhinaya- Aangika, Vachika, Aharya, Satvika. The concept of Abhinaya changes our approach to communication. We spend a lot of time focusing on speech. There is so much expression happening from the body. Nobody seems to pay attention to emotional expression.
Theatre, to me, is a culmination of all our efforts we have put in the past for our son, Ananth- Relationship Development Intervention (RDI), Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI), Waldorf/ Enki Education, and many other experiences.
2) What are your takeaways from RDI?
RDI cued us into non-verbal communication early on. Our RDI teacher, once mentioned, those who have a lot of language, face problems because they are verbal, but have these huge gaps in their communication that goes unnoticed. Nobody realises they have a problem because they are speaking. We played a lot of nonverbal games.
RDI did wonders for his social communication development. The other brilliant ramification was that speech is not everything. Regulation, Challenge, and reorganisation. This was another splendid takeaway. It's a sort of regulatory pattern, wherein you bring about small changes in their routine. Autistics have a huge challenge with changes. Now we have moved on to a different set of terminologies, Just Noticeable Differences. For instance, when we go for a walk, and I stop, he notices my movement, and he has to respond to this behaviour of mine. I have not given any verbal instructions. To this day, RDI has been my basic philosophy of teaching.
There are two areas that RDI could not help us with. The sensory motor difficulties that Ananth had. Second, RDI gave me the understanding to address nonverbal communication, but the working knowledge to go about it came after we started theatre at RASA. What’s better than theatre to teach nonverbal communication? Advancing; they have the expertise to work on voice intonation and modulation as well.
3) What prompted you to look at PACE Place?
We tried Waldroff school, when he was around 6-7 years old. It should have worked beautifully, but we had to pull him out because he had huge anxiety issues. Then we tried a brilliant family model for emotional regulation. A parent suggested PACE Place where we worked with a brilliant therapist, Eric Hamblen. Eric’s teachings emphasized that much of parents’ behaviour was subconscious. He had designed a unique Connector RX device to tap into subconscious ways of interactions. They were simple ideas, but sometimes simple ideas are the most effective. We used the Connector Rx. The belts connected the parent and child, around the waist. It is just velcro tape, so the child has the freedom to disconnect, if he chose to. We tried cooking and Ananth was so tuned in. He observed my movements intensely and anticipated my movements. I had never seen him this focused and attentive. His dad and he used to put away dishes. Nobody is coaching him or giving overt cues. There is a lot of physical signalling going along. It was remarkably effective.
However, his sensory motor issues persisted. We then moved on to MNRI (Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration).
4) Could you tell us a little more about MNRI
MNRI was the beginning of an upward climb for us. With Bharatnatyam and MNRI, his systems improved on its own and we didn't have to do much after that. We picked our way to dance when Dr. Svetlana Masgutova told us it is time for Ananth to learn to dance. Initially, we were apprehensive, because he had many motor challenges. We did several intense MNRI camps. MNRI is highly integrated. During the camps, there would be multiple sessions daily including archetype movements, tactile integration, reflex integration etc. At the end of the camp, we were provided a home program. My husband followed up on the MNRI home program consistently.
5) Storytelling is an important aspect of theatre. How does it help with language and communication?
We started online theatre during the covid time, with a senior facilitator for RASA India, Usha Sankaran. We saw a remarkable change in his voice with storytelling. She really worked with him on how to speak. The pick up was splendid, because we had done the groundwork already, with 10 years of Bharatnatyam. He was speaking in a particular manner because of established patterns, and storytelling assisted in breaking the patterns. People are understanding his speech because his articulation has improved so much. He could talk in a webinar. His facial expressions have evolved.
6) How do you think learning Bharatnatyam is immersive and can be an excellent way to help our children? How is it attuned to the requirements of our children?
Bharatnatyam, incorporates many RDI principles. It is incremental, and designed in that way. There is a clear path. Earlier, he was learning hip hop and other dance forms. From the first day, they began practising for the recital. For his first Bharatanatyam recital, he kept asking his teacher, "Why aren't we practising for the recital?" She kept her cool and told him to continue practising his steps. Just a few days before the recital, she put the steps together, put them on stage and they did it. There is a structured method for putting together small blocks, which eventually leads to something bigger.
7) Has his self-regulation improved since beginning to learn Bharatanatyam?
Yes, I think that is happening. RASA’s lifeskills program, group experiences, and individual training in Bharatanatyam and drama are working together to support development in many ways including the development of self-regulation.
8) What kind of experiences does RASA provide?
RASA provides many individual and group experiences. Dr. Vaishnavi Poorna, Deputy Director of RASA, organizes all the group experiences for Ananth. Theater offers rich learning experiences.
9) How does Theatre arts for holistic development (TAHD) influence Bharatanatyam teaching and learning?
RASA, the organisation developed by Dr. Ambika Kameshwar, integrates TAHD in all their teachings including Bharatanatyam. Dr. Ambika has evolved her style of Bharatanatyam, Lasyapriya, that she refers to as the communicative dialect of Bharatanatyam. She notes that the focus of lasyapriya is on the art being engaging and easy to comprehend, features that we experience every day in the teachings of Ananth’s guru, Shri Ujwal Jagadish.
Shri Ujwal Jagadeesh is a senior artiste and faculty with the Ramana Maharishi Centre of learning. He teaches Bharatnatyam, but he is also a THAD professional. He is also a deeply spiritual person and upholds Maharishis’s teachings. His unique capabilities have been immensely helpful for Ananth. When teaching an adavu, (step) he will tell him stories of Maharishi. So there is so much learning happening with his thought process as well. It's not just about theatre or dance. It is more wholesome and all-encompassing. Earlier, when he learned Bharatnatyam, he didn't comprehend all of it. Weaving storytelling deeply into every part of every lesson has greatly improved comprehension. The stories are told in a simple and engaging way but spark deeper conversations. We are increasingly building conversations from stories told during the dance classes. Ananth’s self-awareness has improved significantly.
RASA does a 4 part certification program to become a TAHD professional, of which I have done the first part. I am now working in helping them connect with parents. I am implementing a 100-day THAD lab for parents in collaboration with RASA through my Facebook group to raise awareness of what TAHD can bring to neurodivergent children and adults as well as to their families.
Ananth went through some real anxiety during covid times, and we had a lot of changes happening on the home front. It was a rough year. But after we started theatre at RASA; he calmed down. He continues theatre with Smt. Usha. We are grateful to his dream team, Dr. Ambika Kameshwar (Founder, Director of RASA), Dr. Vaishnavi Poorna (Deputy Director of RASA), Ms. Usha Sankaran, and Shri Ujwal Jagadeesh. I feel, neither parents' nor children's stress and anxiety are adequately addressed in India. In the US, there is better awareness, at least with some people. I feel TAHD can be a powerful tool for stress management and emotional regulation.
10) What's the 100-day program about?
We have been blessed to have the best resources, knowledge, information, for Ananth. I have home-schooled Ananth for long spells. So that is where the idea of a 100-day program came in. I set it at 100 days. It's more of a parental/guide control. We tried various things, but the problem was consistency. We were bombarded with information. The 100-day lab is primarily for consistency and sustainability. We would get a 10 pages report and somehow, we could never assimilate all of that. But now with this 100-day lab, we pick, choose and prioritise. You can pick a concept and spread it over 100 days, learn it well rather than trying to squeeze in 15 lessons. There is a little movement idea and you can build it over 100 days.
That has been the overarching story of our life, moving back to India, to coming back to our roots. And finally, it is these interventions that have paid off.
Thank you, Rama, for taking the time to explain everything in great detail.
Picture 1- Ananth with Dr. Ambika Kameshwar at a recent performance by the Foureeees Special Theater Group.
Picture-2 RASA day 2022
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