When “Entertaining” Becomes the Wrong Question

Recently, an adult student chose to leave my Kathak class saying it wasn’t “entertaining enough.”They had been enrolled for a year, attended about half the classes, and felt something was missing.

It made me pause—not in disappointment, but in reflection.

Because it raised an important question: Should classical dance education be entertaining?

Indian classical arts were never designed for instant gratification. They were built on riyaz, repetition, patience, and discipline. On showing up—even when it’s hard, even when progress feels slow.

Our role as teachers is not to perform for students. Our responsibility is to impart knowledge, transmit lineage, build foundation, and nurture depth.

And then there’s the word entertaining. What does it even mean today?

Does it mean adding Bollywood elements to Kathak? Chasing Instagram trends?

Reducing years of technique into a few flashy combinations?

If that’s the definition, then no—we don’t do that.

Kathak doesn’t need to be diluted to be relevant. It needs commitment to be understood.

Classical art asks something of you. Time. Consistency. Humility. Presence.

And not everyone is ready for that—and that’s okay.

But when we confuse learning with entertainment, we risk losing the very soul of the art.

Some journeys are meant for depth, not dopamine.

I have been teaching Kathak- Classical dance form, for over a decade now. but recently an adult student- who in a period of 1 year, attended 6 months worth of classes- dropped out.

Her Alibi? We lacked "entertainment"

My question is not "how do we", but it is "Why should we compete with the flashy - bolly kathak.