After the Dhananjayans started producing group productions, they did their costumes, made jewellery at home, composed their own music and trained a lot of other musicians from talented, poor families and slowly built up a highly professional group.

They believe in bringing hidden talent to the public and have commissioned many talented but initially unrecognised artists for their productions. The success of these productions paved the way for many to national and international fame.

After coming out of Kalakshetra, the Dhananjayans branched out into their style of solo and group presentations. The musicians who accompanied them were also just starting to spread their wings, and as their experience and talent got recognised, these artists started playing music for accompaniment for other dancers. A majority of the present day musicians for Bharatanaatyam started off by training and working with Bharata Kalanjali and Bharata Choodamani, Adyar Lakshman’s school. The Dhananjayans continue to train musicians, and actually have 3 sets of musicians at any given time. Musicians getting overseas assignments or any other lucrative project, are sent with good wishes and they return to perform for the Dhananjayans after fulfilling their commitment. Even those who played with them since 1969, remain in close contact with them because of the good rapport between musicians and the establishment. In a field rife with dancers and musicians complaining about each other, the Dhananjayans are lucky to share a very cordial relationship with their accompanists.

There is the oft-repeated criticism that musicians are given less importance in a dance programme. The opposite is true of the Dhananjayans who believe in giving as much importance to musicians as dancers, to such an extent that they have been criticized as sometimes even overdoing it. In fact, other artists complain that too much importance given to these accompanying musicians make them very demanding.

The Dhananjayans have been instrumental in providing musicians with proper professional fees and all their musicians are well placed. They have brought some of the accompanying musicians on the centre stage in music concerts through organizing the Bharatakalanjali Sangeetotsavam. To recognise the contribution of accompanying musicians, costume tailors, stage technicians and the like towards the success of their programs, the Dhananjayans instituted awards to honour them.

Musicians trained under the Dhananjayans at Bharata Kalanjali, Chennai