Tamanna Rahman is considered a leading manipuri dancer in the country. Besides presenting spectacular dance recitals at regular shows in home and abroad, Tamanna teaches manipuri dance at different institutions such as Shanto Mariam University of Creative Technology and cultural organisation Chayanaut.
She has also received many prestigious awards including Guru Maisnam Amubi Singh Award from the Rabindra Bharati University for securing first position in master programme in manipuri dance and Daughter of Manipur title for her performance in the classical dance festival held in Manipur, India, in 2010. Moreover, the artiste has also honed her expertise in other classical dance forms including Odissy and Kathak.
With inspirations from her mother Anwara Rahman, Tamanna started learning dance from a very earlier stage of her life. After completing her graduation from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1992, Tamanna went to India and undertook a six-year rigorous training in manipuri dance at Kolkata. She received ICCR scholarship from the government of India and completed masters in dance from Rabindra Bharati University.
Sharing her attachment with classical dance, Tamanna said, ‘To me, classical dance of all forms is a means to attain a profound command on one’s limbs. But I have a special corner in my heart for Manipuri as it is the only form, among others, which has the historical attachment with Bangladeshi culture’.
She also has honed her expertise in Dance drama while she was in Kolkata. As a co-actor with Guru Kalabati Devi she performed in Tagore’s dance drama Chitrangada at several prestigious venues in India.
After returning to Bangladesh, she choreographed several dance dramas for her students. Tamanna Rahman told New Age that she dedicated herself to her students for the rest of her life. ‘I am proud that many of my students have gained international acclaim’, she added.
Her famous productions for children include Tagore’s Tasher Desh and Satyajit Roy’s Torai Badha Ghorar Dim and many more.
Tamanna is happy with current dance scene in the country, considering a remarkable number of talented artistes are staging shows on a regular basis. From her vast experience of over four decades, Tamanna Rahman, however, feels that there are many limitations in the country for grooming young classical dancers such as lack of training opportunity and scarcity of traditional manipuri instrumentalists.
Stressing on the need for intensive academic training in dance, said, ‘Immediate inclusion of dance department in public universities should be initiated’.
Advising the young dancers in the country, Tamanna Rahman, who is also a leader of Bangladesh Dance artistes’ Association, said, ‘Young artistes have to struggle a lot to develop their skill.’
At present Tamanna Rahman is doing research on the 250-year old tradition of manipuri dance form.
