The Artiste and the Wishing Tree

There is much talk of cloning. Not in the bio-medical circles but in the arts! For the uninitiated, there have been several closed door discussions on how awe for certain performers translates into imitation and grows into mimicking and further into adopting every mannerism of the performer. One could argue against such talk by stating that students of music and dance are bound to be influenced by the way of performance of their teachers and mentors. After all, the influence of a Guru on student is natural. One is bound to pick up subtleties of performance from teachers by virtue of simply being in close proximity and under the constant exposure to their way of performance. But fingers do not point at this organic process that happens over a long period of time. Fingers point at the unexplained need to mimic those who are successful; be it teachers, mentors or others. Fingers point at the lack of wanting to develop a unique identity- a quality that is very important in the Arts! For...