INSIDE Young Pulse Bhaktikalalayam of Florida Education Dance Courses Roehampton Reviews Sonia Sabri Dance Co, Arushi Mudgal, Alam Khan, Arati Ankalikar-ikekar, Dr. Jyotsna Srikanth, M.S. Subbulakshmi.
Summer 2011 - Issue 113 �7.50|�15|�9.50 Celebrating sound in print www.pulseconnects.com
kada ka dam m connecting asian da danc nce e and m and mus usic ic co com mmu mun nities
Ravi Shankar Celebrating his tenth decade Tue 21 Jun 8pm Barbican An evening of Ragas with a living legend of world music accompanied by Tanmoy Bose tabla Ravichandra Kulur flute Parimal Sadaphal sitar
Tickets £25–£75 lso.co.uk/shankar 020 7638 8891 Promoted by London Symphony Orchestra Ltd Orchestra Ltd Ravi Shankar appears by arrangement arrangement with Sulivan Sweetland Ltd
London Symphony Orchestra LSO St Luke’s
UBS Soundscapes: Eclectica
The Singing Violin Thu 7 Jul 8pm Kala Ramnath incorporates jazz, flamenco and African music with Indian classical repertoire. repertoire. Her performance features a new work by Max de Wardener and LSO players. Kala Ramnath violin Sanju Sahai tabla LSO Strings
Tickets £8–£22 LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street lso.co.uk/eclectica 020 7638 8891 Tickets £8 £14 £22 LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street lso.co.uk/eclectica 020 7638 8891
Start your Pen! Activate your alkingPEN with Issue 113 by touching the play symbol with your PEN
6 Arunima Kumar
Contents
Upfront
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Editorial and Letters News Listings
Features
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Kuchipudi in Focus Isabel Putinja gives a comprehensive background of the form and the personalities most closely associated with the development of kuchipudi as we know it today.
takes kuchipudi forward in the UK.
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12 Kali Chandrasegaram
inspired by vaudeville and cabaret
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in full flow
Cover Photo - Arunima Kumar | Photo: Simon Richardson / Aunima’s dress: Vanashree Rao, jewellery: Rajvi Vohra, Meenakshi Gupta Tis Page - Photos: 1 - Arunima Kumar | Photo: Simon Richardson, 2 - Kali Chandrasegaram | Photo: Simon Richardson, 3 - Asha Bhosle & Shujaat Khan | Photo: Janio Edwards of GDM.
Pulse Summer 2011 * Issue no 113 ISSN 1476-6019 Supported by
kadam connecting asian dance and music communities
Audio Content sponsored by
A Profile of Kali Chandrasegaram Donald Hutera traces the journey of this multidimensional artist from a dance class in Kuala Lumpur to becoming one of the three ACE/Akademi choreographic bursary awardees.
Naina Lagaike Ken Hunt catches up with Asha Bhosle, popular music’s living legend and Shujaat Khan, son of the late Vilayat Khan, in London following their concert of Naina Lagaike at the Royal Festival Hall.
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Enhancing Dance Careers Dr. Avanthi Meduri speaks about the dance courses on offer at Roehampton Univesity and how academic study can give an edge to career-making.
Reviews 21
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Asha and Shujaat
asian music and dance
Swapnasundari on Vilasani Natyam Dancer, scholar and researcher Swapnasundari took a break from her performance career to delve into the legacy of the elegu court and temple dancers. She shares her insights with Isabel Putinja.
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Young Pulse Te Bhaktikalalayam dance troupe from Florida have grown up within the Hare Krishna community. Tey tell Jahnavi Harrison what moves them to keep up their practice.
Published by Kadam Asian Dance and Music c/o Te Hat Factory, 65-67 Bute Street, Luton, LU1 2EY +44 (0) 1582 876 038 Editorial eam Sanjeevini Dutta Commissioning Editor S Ryan and J Harrison Assistants Subscriptions & Advertising
[email protected] [email protected] Contacts
[email protected] Design Pritpal Ajimal Designer
Dance Performances Kathakbox (Sonia Sabri) Sutra (Arushi Mudgal) CD Reviews Carnatic Jazz (Dr. Jyotsna Srikanth) Surdas Bhajans (M.S. Subbulakshmi) Music Performances ‘A Tribute to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’ (Alam Khan) Serene Morning Ragas (Arati Ankalikar-ikekar) In Conversation Te late teacher, scholar and dancer Pt. irth Azad gave an interview to Abhay Shankar Mishra in which he explains the concept of a badakhadi .
Annual subscription £30 with free delivery. Pulse alkingPEN is priced at £14 with free delivery. Cheques payable to Kadam, c/o Te Hat Factory,65-67 Bute Street, Luton LU1 2EY. For online subscriptions and payments please visit www.pulseconnects.com Disclaimer Pulse is published by Kadam Asian Dance and Music. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright of the text is shared with its authors. Copyright of the photographs/ images reside with contributing photographers/artists. All other rights reserved. Te views/opinions expressed in Pulse are the authors’ and not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. While reasonable effort has been made to avoid errors, no liability will be accepted for any that may have inadvertentlyoccurred.
SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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Letter from the Editor Dear Reader We are very proud to present the kuchipudi style as the lead story in Pulse, for the first time. Among the styles of classical Indian dance, kuchipudi, originating in Andhra Pradesh, is overshadowed by its more powerful neighbour, bharatanatyam, centred around amil Nadu. Social and political forces have a play on art forms too, and the highly articulate amil community’s support of Carnatic music and bharatanatyam dance has much to do with the domination of these forms. However, great artists cut through the politics and appeal straight to the heart. Te late guru Kelucharan Mahapatra, for instance, took odissi, a lesser-known style, into an international arena, winning thousands of converts to the form. Similarly kuchipudi makes a mark when performed by such greats as Yamini Krishnamurthy and Swapnasundari. On our small island, the recent entry of Arunima Kumar has made us sit up and take notice of kuchipudi. We are hugely indebted to photographers Simon Richardson and Avinash Pasricha, whose images are worth a thousand words. Te classroom picture in the Kuchipudi village dance school tells more about the dynamic lines of kuchipudi than any written description. Tis is not to undermine the written word, but recognition of the knowledge that is stored in the visual. Dancer and scholar Swapnasundari gives a fascinating interview to Isabel Putinja on the release of her new book Vilasini Natyam: Bharatam of elegu emple and Court Dancers . At the height of her performance career Swapnasundari stepped out of the limelight to learn with elderly temple dancers, piecing together a style which revealed itself to have a highlydeveloped vocabulary of 102 adavus (basic dance units). Finding new contexts for classical Indian dance, Kali Chandrasegaram tells Donald Hutera that he is about to embark on a cabaret circuit. In one sense Indian dance has always had a dual face: sacred and sensual, danced at temple and court, to entertain the gods and mortals. So perhaps Kali is only being honest in presenting dance as entertainment. If in London, come and experience it for yourself, at Battersea Barge on 10 August. Our listings are burgeoning: seventy-eight unique dance and music events. We are spoilt for choice. Enjoy the summer and throw the fizz of Indian music and dance into your menu! Sanjeevini Correction
Pulse 111 published December 2010 contained an error in Dr. Jyoti Argade’s feature article, Carving a Corner for Contemporary Dance On page 7, in her discussion of the complexities involved in classifying Indian dance forms, in the sentence, “Tough the categories of classical, contemporary or postmodern dance in India are at best, useful in describing genre, and at worst, historical and arbitrary, ‘modern’ dance in India is hardly a recent phenomenon”, the word ‘historical’ should have read ‘ahistorical’.
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Dancers: Gian Luca Loddo, Kamala Devam, Kim Amundsen | Photo: Pete Schiazza
Akademi Premier Song of the City o mark the 150th anniversary of agore’s birth Akademi have brought together an eclectic artistic team in a production looking at the poet’s work and philosophy through the eyes of twentyfirst-century Londoners. Bucolic Bengali landscapes from days gone by are replaced by the grime, stone and metal of the inner city, in a narrative that sees three characters – executive, artist and muse – disrupted from their daily routines by a journey of discovery. “I have been inspired by Rabindranath agore for many years, especially in terms of his innovation in writing. I wanted to explore how his songs might be used in 2011, giving his work a new perspective for contemporary audiences” – Mira Kaushik. Premiering in Southwark Playhouse’s Vaults on 5–6 August, Song of the City has been created with the dark urban mystique of the underground space in mind. Choreographer Ash Mukherjee brings together ballet, contemporary and bharatanatyam with a ‘steampunk’ aesthetic enhanced by Arun Ghosh’s electro-beat score. With agore expert William Radice working in collaboration with film-maker William Huntley and dramaturge Deepan Sivaraman, Song of the City promises a sharp jolt to the senses in a multi-media exploration that brings agore’s themes of contrast and duality to the fore.
British Arangetram Photo: Simon Richardson
British Arangetram Exhibition Marking the culmination of an extensive heritage project, the British Arangetram Exhibition was held at Luton’s Hat Factory Arts Centre in May. In a Heritage Lottery-funded project by FIPA (Foundation for Indian Performing Arts) in partnership with Kadam, the experiences and reflections of dancers and
teachers have been presented in an exhibition and DVD documenting the importance of the arangetram to British-based bharatanatyam dancers today. Listening to the voices of the thirty-five interviewees in the DVD, gurus, experienced performers and young dancers alike emphasise the importance of this milestone event and the reverence that surrounds it. Trough respect for their art form and teachers, the students express their dedication to what for some will become a career, while others a pastime. eachers reflect upon the shifting meaning of the arangetram and the risk of losing the integrity of the experience through the pressure to produce a grand occasion. However, the overall tone is one of positivity and pride in a tradition which continues to enrich the cultural and spiritual lives of new generations of dancers and their audiences. Charting the important
UPFRON - NEWS
elements of the arangetram from its cultural significance to the training the dancer must undergo and the programme of items performed, the exhibition was coupled with a collection of photographs. Indian Dance through the lens of Simon Richardson displays images
taken over the last decade that show the vibrancy and vitality of South Asian dance in Britain and credit the aesthetic and humane approach of the photographer in presenting this genre for a modern sensibility. In a celebratory launch event, Artistic Directors Hi Ching (FIPA) and Sanjeevini Dutta (Kadam) introduced the guests to the background of the project, which was put in the wider context of national heritage by speaker Maggie Appleton (Head of Museums – Luton Culture, Committee member – Heritage Lottery Fund). Showcasing the dance form were two local bharatanatyam groups plus an inspirational workshop by Ash Mukherjee which got everyone on their feet. Te DVD and text from the exhibition can be viewed online at www.fipa.org.uk
Sonia Sabri Photo: Courtesy the artist
Funding Landscape As Te Dust Settles When the Arts Council England announced the details of their funding reforms on 30 March the shock story was the loss of support for the UK’s leading Asian music promoter – Asian Music Circuit – who saw their Regularly Funded Organisation status disappear along with £500,000 annual funding to core costs. Tat such a well-established organisation founded by the Arts Council in 1989 in response to the under-
representation of Asian music has been excluded from the Arts Council’s new National Portfolio came as a surprise to many who see the work of AMC as indispensable. With unparalleled experience in bringing a wide range of music traditions from across Asia to audiences around the country, running an extensive education programme and developing a rich collection of resources based at the Museum of Asian Music in London, it is hard to see how the Arts Council can justify such a body-blow to the Asian arts sector. Other national big hitters – Akademi and Milapfest – retained a similar level of funding while sampad saw a small decrease. A large increase in Asian Arts Agency’s funding puts Bristol firmly on the map in terms of South Asian arts provision. However, elsewhere in the south the news was bleak for Art Asia in Southampton. Not only was the organisation dealt a cut of over 60 per cent to funding in their transition to the National Portfolio, they also currently face being sidelined by the Arts Council and their local authority in the development of a new arts complex to which Art Asia have contributed significant investment. With Akademi and Akram Khan Company retaining the same level of funding, the dance scene in London seems relatively undisturbed. However, broadening the focus to include music sees the catastrophic loss to AMC plus a 19 per cent cut to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s funding which will set alarm bells ringing for the capital’s music lovers. Bring storytelling into the picture and it is worth noting the complete cut of Vayu Naidu’s funding. In some regions losses were balanced by gains, which echoed the statement by Chair Dame Liz Forgan that the Arts Council has “taken the brave path of strategic choices not salami slices which has meant some painful decisions”. In the north-east the Pakistan Cultural Society was denied a place in the National Portfolio, while Gem Arts saw their support almost double. In the East Midlands, Surtal Arts were left off the list as Darbar appeared as one of two newcomers to the National Portfolio from the South Asian music and dance sector. In
a statement Darbar director Sandeep Virdee expressed his delight in the vote of confidence given by NPO status: “...It’s been sheer hard work and dedication over the past six years to establish the festival as Europe’s premier Indian classical music festival, recognised as the largest of its kind outside of India. Te funding will enable us to create capacity and develop our work in partnership to reach out to new audiences throughout the UK. Even though we are facing tough cutbacks in a recession, it is the arts that give us colour in what is seen as a black and white economy.” Te second newcomer to the National Portfolio is Sonia Sabri Company. Sonia Sabri is a respected classical artist who has upped her national presence by successful tours articulating her vision of ‘urban kathak’. By supporting her ACE is putting its confidence in a second-generation artist, born and trained in the UK. “I am delighted that my company has been included as one of Arts Council England’s NPO. I see this as a new phase of existence for the company,” says Sabri. Balancing the bad news of the West Midland’s disappointing loss of funding to Chitraleka Dance Company, Sonia Sabri becomes one of only three South Asian dance touring companies included on the National Portfolio. Sabri joins Akram Khan and Balbir Singh to make a strong case for contemporary kathak in the UK. Te latter artist is facing a bright future from his base in Huddersfield as a massive increase in funding was awarded to Balbir Singh Dance Company. Elsewhere in Yorkshire, the support looks healthy as Kala Sangam and SAA-UK saw a small funding boost. With the 29.6 per cent reduction of funding to the Arts Council over four years announced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2010, there were always going to be painful losses to organisations on the front line. Te question is, have the Arts Council dealt with these losses fairly and in the best interests to their mission to provide ‘great art for everyone’? Visit the following websites for more information on how you can show your support for AMC and Art Asia: www.amc. org.uk & www.artasia.org.uk. A
complete list of National Portfolio Organisations and their funding can be downloaded from: www. artscouncil.org.uk/funding/ national-portfolio-funding
Annaporna Kuppuswamy Photo: steveosbornphotography.com
Tyagarajah’s Ramayana Annapoorna Kuppuswamy, bharatanatyam artist, neuroscientist and Pulse reviewer, gave a solo performance based on the Ramayana at the Nehru Centre on 22 March 2011. In a non-stop seventy-minute performance Annapoorna entranced the audience by her technical precision, strong yet gentle expressions and the sheer stamina of her presentation. aking the lyrics from the kritis of Tyagarajah the saintpoet of eighteenth century, Ramayana , Annapoorna choreographed the key episodes from the epic. A student of the famous guru Adyar Lakshman, Annapoorna keeps up her dance art alongside a career as a research scientist.
Kuchipudi Collective and new partnership announced at Kala Sangam Yorkshire-based organisation Kala Sangam has recently announced its new partnership with Akademi, sampad and Kadam as part of the South Asian Dance Alliance (SADA). Tis relationship will allow the four organisations to work closely in programming and artist development across a wider area covering each group’s remit in London, the West Midlands, the East and the North. Following a lecture SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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demonstration and workshop on vilasini natyam, presented by Akademi and Kadam at Akademi’s base in London, Kala Sangam will host the renowned kuchipudi artist Padma Vibhushan Swapnasundari presenting a kuchipudi Master Class on 18 June. Kala Sangam will be using this perfect occasion to launch the Kuchipudi Collective – a new dancer-led initiative that aims to develop opportunities for kuchipudi dancers regionally and nationally to meet, create new work and perform collectively. UK-based kuchipudi dancers are few and far between, so following a call from a number of regional dancers Kala Sangam has decided to offer support to enable dancers to pool their resources and work collaboratively. Kala Sangam will be offering the Collective access to space for rehearsals and meetings, mentoring and technical and marketing support, with a view to developing performance platforms and touring opportunities in the future. o find out more about the Kuchipudi Collective or Kala Sangam’s work, visit www.kalasangam.org
and entrepreneur Shalini Bhalla brings her glitzy Bollywoodinspired workout to a home audience with 30 minutes of routines plus 30 minutes of clear and careful tuition: “We are the UK’s first and only accredited Bollywood fitness course, with accreditation from REPs (the Register of Exercise Professionals). Whilst we will continue to train instructors to meet the increasing demand for classes, the Just Jhoom! dancefitness DVD enables those who prefer to exercise from home to keep fit using our specially choreographed Just Jhoom! workouts” - Shalini Bhalla. Presented in a down-toearth manner by Shalini and a team of instructors, the DVD offers routines suitable for a range of abilities to develop aerobic fitness, co-ordination, mobility and flexibility, plus the all-important feel-good factor. With music from recent blockbusters by respected production company Yash Raj Films and a guest performance by the glamorous Bollywood Dance London troupe the Just Jhoom! DVD brings accessible fitness with a touch of sparkle to a living room near you! For more information visit www.justjhoom.co.uk.
Anusha Subramanyam – double award winner
In the midst of filming one of the DVD dance routines Photo: Just Jhoom!
Bollywood routines in the comfort of your home Developing their already blossoming Bollywood dance fitness brand, Just Jhoom! launched their first DVD on the 1st of June. Just over a year since Just Jhoom! arrived on the dancercise scene, it has grown to a 15-strong team of instructors who teach classes in eight counties across the UK. Now bharatanatyam dancer
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In a ceremony held on 19 May at the Park Lane Hilton in London, popular bharatanatyam dancer Anusha Subramanyam was selected for the Asian Women of Achievement Award in the Arts and Culture category. Anusha had to make a presentation to Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of London’s Southbank Centre. Te overall award went to Amerdeep Somal, commissioner at the Independent Police Complaints Commission. In autumn 2010 Anusha was one of three to win the prestigious Bonnie Bird Award for New Choreography from choreographer Rosemary Butcher. Each of the three finalists received a sum of £1,500 to help them pursue their choreographic ambitions. Anusha will be working on a contemporary bharatanatyam piece titled Revisiting Murugan ,
in which she will explore her childhood memories and growing up, particularly her South Indian roots, through her relationship with the deity Murugan. Hari Krishnan of InDance, who works extensively with solo artists and dance companies internationally, will be the co-director/ choreographer.
nevertheless be treated in India and internationally to sample part of its treasures. An extensive tour of the MKDC in conjunction with the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), will take place following a launch at the Habitat Centre in Delhi on 17 July 2011 at a glittering event with attendance from the leading figures of Indian dance. his will be followed by a world tour to ten US cities, France and Italy in 2011 and in 2012 to the UK, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Singapore and Malaysia. Pulse welcomes proposals for UK organisations who would like to host the exhibition with Nehru Centre in 2012.
JUNE
anjore Nautch Party 1890 Photo: Courtesy Mohan Khokar Dance Collection
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Music Ravi Shankar: Celebrating his tenth decade Symphony Hall, Birmingham www.thsh.co.uk
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Dance Music, Ankle bells & Gestures: Menaka PP Bora (sattriya) Pittrivers Museum, Oxford www.prm.ox.ac.uk/spotlights.html
Unveiling the Mohan Khokar Dance Collection In his lifetime Prof Mohan Khokar (1924–1999) collected every book written on dance, every journal and prospectus that he could lay his hands on and not stopping at that also included such dancerelated materials as posters, brochures, postage stamps, sculptures, textile, and objects such as toy dolls. Te result amounts to the most extensive and fascinating private collection of dance resources held in India which is hailed internationally (Lincoln Centre, New York; UNESCO Council for Dance, Paris; and the world’s first dance museum,Stockholm). As current holder of the MKDC, Ashish Khokar, himself a dance historian wryly points out on the website http://www. dancearchivesofindia.com, of the billion Indians only one thought it worthwhile to make a record for posterity on the subject of dance in a holistic way. he fact that the collection covers a period of growth and expansion of the dance art over the last century and a half to the dance form we know today makes it particularly crucial that such a collection be preserved for the sakeof current and future generations. It has been awaiting a home, and although this is not yet forthcoming, the public will
Dance Akhilam Madhuram: Rama Vaidyanathan (bharatanatyam) Te Lowry, Salford Quays www.thelowry.com Music NAAD: Present and Future 2011 Sanjay Guha (Sitar), Kiranpal Singh (santoor), Radha Mahta (vocals), Rajkumar Misra (tabla), Dinesh Venkateswaran (harmonium), Surjeet Singh (sarangi) Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London www.bhavan.net Music & Dance Namaskar St Edmunds Church Hall, Leeds ticketsource.co.uk/saauk 18-19 Festival O2 Glasgow Mela: Various Artists Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow www.glasgowlife.org.uk 19
Dance Akhilam Madhuram: Rama Vaidyanathan (bharatanatyam) Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London www.bhavan.net Dance Tis or Tat?: Divya Kasturi (bharatanatyam) Gordon Craig Teatre, Stevenage Festival, Stevenage www.stevenage-festival.co.uk
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Dance Book Launch: Vilasini Natyam Bharatam of elugu emple and Court Dancers: Swapnasundari Nehru Centre, London www.nehrucentre.org.uk
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Dance Kathakbox: Sonia Sabri Company he Pound, Corsham Festival, Wiltshire www.poundarts.org.uk
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Dance Kathakbox: Sonia Sabri Company Stephen Joseph Teatre, Scarborough www.sjt.uk.com
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Dance Bharatanatyam Performance: Devika Srimal Nehru Centre, London www.nehrucentre.org.uk
UPFRON - LISINGS 24-25 Conference From motivation to movement: owards an empirical understanding of the role of dance in health: International Congress of Dance in Health Bedfordshire University, Polhill Campus, Bedford, UK www.beds.ac.uk/dancescience 24
Music Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in Concert Demontfort Hall, Leicester www.demontforthall.co.uk
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Dance Chhau Dancers St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, London stethelburgas.org
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Music Haveli Sangeet Shree Nathji Sanatan Mandir, London www.amc.org.uk 4
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Dance Vedic Recitations and Haveli Sangeet Wittenberg Devotional Music Festival, Wittenberg, Germany www.amc.org.uk Music Vina Performance: Geetha Krishnamurthy Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London www.bhavan.net 26
Music Haveli Sangeet Hindu emple, Nottingham www.amc.org.uk Dance Just Dance: Srishti Yuva Culture Kodak Sports Ground, Under One Sky Festival,Harrow www.paviliondance.org.uk Music Hindustani Vocal Concert: Kasturi Paigude Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London www.bhavan.net
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Music Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in Concert O2 Apollo, Manchester www.o2apollomanchester.co.uk 27
Music Haveli Sangeet Indian Community Centre Association, Nottingham www.amc.org.uk
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Music Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in Concert Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow www.glasgowconcerthalls.com
Music Vedic Recitations & Haveli Sangeet Seven Arts, Leeds www.sevenleeds.co.uk
Music Mid-day Mantra: Ravichandra Kulur (flute), Jyotsna Srikanth (violin) Symphony Hall, Birmingham www.thsh.co.uk
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Dance Dance India: Karunakaran Nair (kathakali), Odissi Ensemble, Arianna Balabbio (bharatanatyam) Te Capstone Teatre, Liverpool www.milapfest.com
Festival Southampton Mela: Art Asia Hoglands Park, Southampton www.southamptonmela.com
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Dance Dance India: Rhythm Ensemble, Priyadarsini Govind (bharatanatyam) Te Capstone Teatre, Liverpool www.milapfest.com
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Lecture Dance India: eachers and gurus in conversation including Leela Samson,Vijayanthi Kashi, Sujata Mohapatra & Kumudini Lakhi Te Capstone Teatre, Liverpool www.milapfest.com
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Dance Just Dance: Srishti Yuva Culture Te Rose Teatre, Kingstonupon-Tames www.iyafestival.org.uk
Music & Dance SAA-UK Family Variety Show Sheepscar Club, Leeds ticketsource.co.uk/saauk
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Music Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band Hull ruck Teatre, Hull www.hulltruck.co.uk
Lecture Celebratinganjavur-A housandYears ofCulture:LakshmiVishwanathan Nehru Centre, London www.nehrucentre.org.uk Music Anuradha Paudwal in Concert Shree Radha Krishna Mandir, Manchester www.radhakrishnamandir.co.uk Music Te Singing Violin: Kala Ramnath, London Symphony Orchestra Strings, Sanju Sahai (tabla) LSO St Luke’s, London lso.co.uk/lsostlukes
21-22 Dance Exposure: iger-bharatanatyam: Devaraj Timmaiah, Mayuri Boonham, AMA Clore Studio, Royal Opera House, London www.roh.org.uk 23
Dance raditional Bharatanatyam: Srishti Yuva Culture Harrow Arts Centre, Hatch End www.harrowarts.com
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Dance Summer Production: Dancing Nikita Company Student Showcase Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead www.dancingnikitacompany.com
Music Vedic Recitations Hindu emple, Nottingham www.amc.org.uk
Festival sampad Arts Mela Te Public, West Bromwich www.thepublic.com 26
Music AMC presents: Shammi Pithia (bansuri) & Hari Sivanesan (veena) Southbank Centre, London www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Music Vedic Recitations Hindu emple, Nottingham www.amc.org.uk
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Dance Te Indian Hereafter Annapurna Dance Company Te Lowry, Salford Quays www.thelowry.com
Music & Dance Classical Music and Dance Yehudi Menuhin School, Cobham, Surrey www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk
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Music Music Drum Jam Yehudi Menuhin School, Cobham, Surrey www.chakardar.com
Dance Kathakbox: Sonia Sabri Company Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal www.breweryarts.co.uk
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Music Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in Concert HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London venues.meanfiddler.com/apollo
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Music Anuradha Paudwal in Concert Cadogan Hall, London www.cadoganhall.com Dance Shishya’ Student Showcase: India Dance Wales Bute Teatre, Cardiff www.rwcmd.ac.uk
Festival Ramayana Puppets Leicester Caribbean Carnival 2011, Leicester www.cicd.org.uk Music and Dance Summer School Finale Concert: Bhavan Students Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London www.bhavan.net
SUMMER SCHOOLS SOAS World Music Summer School 20-30 South Indian Vocals and Violin June Nandini Muthuswamy 13-16 abla - Sanju Sahai July School of Oriental and African Studies, London www.soas.ac.uk/music/ summermusicschool Bhavan 2011 Summer School 16 July Hindusthani vocals: Shubra Guha abla: Ansubha Banyopadhyay – 7 Aug Kathak: Prashant Pravinchandra Shah Karnatic vocals: Sukanya Prabhakar Bharatanatyam: Surya N. Rao Mridangam: Nyveli Venkatesh Violin: Ganesh Rajagopalan Sitar: Sanjay Guha Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London www.bhavan.net Chakrardar Summer School 27-31 abla: Shankar Ghosh, Prabhu Edouard & Harkirat Singh July Kathak: Hanna Mannila Yoga: Kanwal Ahluwalia Yehudi Menuhin School, Cobham, Surrey www.chakardar.com Demystifying Indian Music 6-13 Introduction to Indian Classical music with Sanju Sahai, Jaymini Sahai & Aug Debipriya Sircar Dartington Hall, otnes, Devon www.dartington.org/tagore150/ demystifying-indian-musict SAA UK Community Summer School 2011 15-21 Santoor, Sitar, abla, Vocals GNNSJ Gurdwara, Leeds Aug www.saa-uk.org.uk Dance India 14-21 Hindusthani vocals: Shubra Guha abla: Ansubha Banyopadhyay Aug Kathak: Prashant Pravinchandra Shah Karnatic vocals: Sukanya Prabhakar Bharatanatyam: Surya N. Rao Mridangam: Nyveli Venkatesh Violin: Ganesh Rajagopalan Sitar: Sanjay Guha Creative Campus, Liverpool Hope University,Liverpool www.danceindia.org.uk
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Dance Dance India: Sujata Mohapatra (odissi), Ananda Shankar Jayant (bharatanatyam/kuchipudi) Te Capstone Teatre, Liverpool www.milapfest.com
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Dance Dance India: Leela Samson (bharatanatyam), Maulic Shah & Ishira Parikh (kathak) Te Capstone Teatre, Liverpool www.milapfest.com
Sujata Banerjee Company presents: International Dance Camp in Goa 21-31 Kathak with legendary Guru Pundit Birju Maharaj and others Aug Kala Academy, Panjim, Goa, India Email:
[email protected] elephone: 07466 488 354
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Dance Dance India: Sanjukta Sinha (kathak), Shijit Menon & Parvathi Menon (bharatanatyam) Te Capstone Teatre, Liverpool www.milapfest.com
o submit a news story or an event listing, please email
[email protected]
Music Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal www.breweryarts.co.uk
JULY
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Music Mridangam Concert, M. Balachandar Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London www.bhavan.net
Music Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in Concert Birmingham own Hall, Birmingham www.thsh.co.uk
Music Vedic Recitations & Haveli Sangeet Unitarian Church, Brighton www.srishti.co.uk
Dance Dance India: Vijayanthi Kashi & Prateeksha Kashi (kuchipudi), Irina Komissarova (odissi) Te Capstone Teatre, Liverpool www.milapfest.com
Music Haveli Sangeet Hindu Mandir, Wembley www.amc.org.uk
Dance Just Dance: Srishti Yuva Culture Barra Hall Park, Hillingdon www.hillingdon.gov.uk
Dance Kathakbox: Sonia Sabri Company Te Courtyard Teatre, Hereford www.courtyard.org.uk
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Dance Just Dance: Srishti Yuva Culture Te Scoop, London www.londondance.com
Dance Ek Awaaz (One Voice): Dr Vijay Rajput, Sri Shahbaz Hussain & Ustad Harbhajan Singh Seven Arts Centre, Leeds ticketsource.co.uk/saauk
30Dance 2 July Sacred Geometry: Divya Kasturi (bharatanatyam) Fringe Festival, Exeter www.exeterfringe.org.uk
14-15 Dance Exposure: iger-bharatanatyam: Devaraj Timmaiah, Mayuri Boonham, AMA Clore Studio, Royal Opera House, London www.roh.org.uk
Dance Kathakbox: Sonia Sabri Company New Vic Teatre, Newcastleunder-Lyme www.newvictheatre.org.uk
Dance Sivaloka: AMA Dance British Museum, London www.britishmuseum.org
Music Haveli Sangeet Hindu emple, Nottingham www.amc.org.uk
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Music Anuradha Paudwal in Concert: Popular Music De Montfort Hall, Leicester www.demontforthall.co.uk
SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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KUCHIPUDI IN FOCUS
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Isabel Putinja gives a fascinating account of the origins, development and personalities behind kuchipudi, a lesser-known dance style, which has evolved from a dance-drama tradition performed by Brahmin men in one Andhra village to a solo form with an international presence. Dancers such as Yamini Krishnamurthy and Swapnasundari have popularised kuchipudi on the bygone stages. Will the young dancers profiled in Pulse do the same by imposing the form on public consciousness? Only time will tell.
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850 dancers. 200 gurus. 11 minutes. Tis was the recipe for history in the making. When on 26 December 2010, 2,850 kuchipudi dancers of all ages performed an 11-minute thillana in a stadium in Hyderabad, they created a world record. Tis was the largest group performance of kuchipudi, an historical event clocked in the Guinness Book of World Records. Te world record was celebrated with much pomp in the Indian media as a majestic occasion, which showcased this South Indian classical dance to the world.
“…Bhagavatulu-s would dance, act and sing, assuming both male and female roles”. For an Indian classical dance form, which is often overshadowed by more popular classical styles, the event was considered by many of its practitioners to be a magnificent achievement not only for its scale but also for kuchipudi’s visibility. Tis landmark event also marked a milestone in the dance’s long journey from its origins in a sleepy village in rural Andhra Pradesh. Te dance presented on 26 December 2010 was different in many ways from its original form, for along kuchipudi’s 50-year-long-or-so journey, the dance has gone through a process of evolution and change, transforming itself on the way. Over fifty years ago in Kuchipudi village from which the dance takes its name, what we know today as
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kuchipudi was presented as dance drama, performed exclusively by Brahmin men, who passed on their art to their sons. Te performers (called Bhagavatulu-s) would dance, act and sing, assuming both male and female roles. Tey would travel from village to village, staging night-long performances, presented outdoors on makeshift stages. Writing in 1972, Ragini Devi describes a Bhagavata Mela performance in Kuchipudi village: “Dance dramas are staged at night in Kuchipudi on an improvised stage facing the temple. Te audience sit on the ground. A multi-coloured curtain is held up by two torch-bearers, who provide the stage lighting. Musical accompaniment consists of vocal music, a bagpipe drone, drum (mridanga) and cymbals… Preliminary prayers are offered behind the stage curtain. Te stage manager (Sutradhara) appears before the audience and recites the invocation. Indra’s banner-staff is set up on the stage. Te presiding deities of the theatre are worshipped with holy water,
“As the gurus moved out of the village to large cities, the dance form...evolved for the contemporary stage.” incense, lights, and flowers. An actor, wearing an elephant mask, impersonates the elephant-headed god, Ganesh, who blesses the actors and spectators. Ten the Sutradhara announces the play. He is always present on the stage, bearing a crooked stick, the symbol of his office, to conduct the play and lead the vocalists… Resin powder is thrown on the torches to effect a sudden flash of light with the dropping of the curtain when certain powerful characters appear. Each actor introduces himself with a pravesa daru , an entrance dance appropriate to his role, accompanied by song and rhythm syllables (daru ). Tere are both masculine and feminine darus with dramatic gestures, postures, and dance sequences, rendered with grace and elegance. Darus also provide the dance element throughout the play.” Tis dance-drama tradition had developed during the Bhakti movement of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, along with other forms of vernacular theatre, as a mode of religious expression through the recounting of religious stories. According to a legend, Siddhendra Yogi, an ascetic and Krishna devotee, is
credited as the founder of kuchipudi dance drama. From its origins as a dance-drama tradition performed in rural villages exclusively by Brahmin men, today the dance has evolved into a solo dance form performed on city stages by dancers from nonhereditary backgrounds, mostly women. Te dance’s revival started, like for most of the other Indian classical dances, in the late 50s following India’s independence. As the gurus moved out of the village to large cities, the dance form and its repertoire inevitably evolved for the contemporary stage. Guru Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastri had made a significant contribution to the popularisation of kuchipudi in the early 1940s and 1950s. He significantly expanded the scope of the dance-drama form by choreographing many nritta and abhinaya items for solo dancers. He had a vast repertoire of ashtapadis , padams and javalis. He was also the first to teach female dancers, including temple dancers. His students included none other than Balasaraswati, Mylapore Gauri Amma, and Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai who all became legends in their own right. Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam is credited with having made the biggest contribution to the development of kuchipudi. He developed and codified the technique of the dance based on the principles of the Natya Shastra. He classified the dance units or adavus and introduced a systematic teaching method. He polished and perfected the nritta , or pure dance movements. He developed his own particular individual style, which is referred to as the Vempati style or ‘new style’ of kuchipudi. Characterised by strong clean lines, crisp energetic jatis and vibrant footwork, the Vempati style seems to be the most popular style of kuchipudi today. Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam is also a prolific choreographer, having choreographed 180 solo items and fifteen dance dramas. He has received many awards for his contribution to kuchipudi including the prestigious Padma Bhushan from the government of India. He established the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai in 1963. Some of his students who went on to
“Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam… codified the technique of the dance based on the principles of the Natya Shastra.” SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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KUCHIPUDI IN FOCUS
become celebrated kuchipudi exponents include Yamini Krishnamurty, Sobha Naidu and Swapnasundari. His son Vempati Ravishankar has followed in his footsteps and is an established dancer and guru. Tanks to some prominent dancing couples, kuchipudi has also developed as a duet form. Jaya Rama Rao is from a traditional Bhagavatulu family. He and his disciple and wife Vanashree are well-known and respected kuchipudi dancers and gurus based in Delhi. Chennai-based gurus Narasimhachari and Vasanthalakshmi are better known as bharatanatyam dancers but they are also accomplished kuchipudi dancers known for their innovative choreographies created for duos. Te Reddys are probably the bestknown kuchipudi couple. Tey have won numerous awards for the excellence of their dance, including the Padmashri. Radha’s sister Kaushalya is also a prominent dancer, as are their daughters Yamini and Bhavana Reddy. Compared to the other Indian classical dance styles, kuchipudi is perhaps closest to bharatanatyam in terms of technique, but it has its own unique characteristics. Both styles feature a half-sitting posture as the basic position and strong, rhythmical footwork. But kuchipudi has a certain light-footedness and many graceful hops and leaps. Compared to bharatanatyam, it is less angular, with ‘rounded’ arm movements and characteristic bobbing, bending and swaying movements, which are unique to kuchipudi. Te kuchipudi repertoire presented by the solo dancer on the contemporary stage is still evolving and though there is a trend to standardise it, there is no fixed ‘recipe’ when it comes to a performance
“Kuchipudi has a certain light-footedness… that distinguishes it from its cousin (bharatanatyam).” repertoire, as is the case for the bharatanatyam margam , for example. A kuchipudi performance may start with a prayer or an invocatory piece: an offering of flowers to a deity through a puspanjali , or a kautavam in praise of a certain god. Like in bharatanatyam, the jatiswaram set to swara patterns is a popular item
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(but performed on stage less often), as are thillanas as concluding pieces. Episodes from the traditional dance dramas are also popular, the most famous being Bhama Kalapam which tells the story of Satyabhama, a consort of Krishna. Te dramatic aspect of abhinaya characteristic to kuchipudi is an inheritance from its dance-drama tradition. Tere is a rich repertoire of padams, javalis, kirtanams , shabdams, ashtapadis . Te padams and kirtanams by elugu poet and
“Te dramatic aspect of abhinaya… is an inheritance from its dancedrama tradition.” composer Kshetrayya are favourites. Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma is a renowned kuchipudi artist famous for his compelling and versatile abhinaya and especially his convincing impersonation of female roles during which he completely transforms, adopting the grace of a woman with ease and conviction. Te arangam is unique to kuchipudi, often performed as a finale. Tis is a technique where dancers stand on the edges of a brass plate, sometimes balancing a pot on the head and holding oil lamps, as they move to complex rhythmical patterns. Another technique unique to kuchipudi which was popularised by guru C. R. Acharyulu is tala chitra nritya . Using her feet dipped in coloured paint, powder or dye, the dancer traces the outline of an animal: a peacock in Mayura Kautavam , lion in Simhanandanam or an elephant in Ganesh Kautavam . All of India’s classical dances went through a revival following independence, which involved a process of reconstruction and codification. Over the past few decades, kuchipudi has made many transitions: from a dance-drama tradition to a solo repertoire; from hereditary male performers to a proliferation of female dancers; from the makeshift stages of rural villages to the theatres of metropolitan cities; from guru-shisya parampara to institutionalised teaching; from the Natya Shastra to the Guinness Book… Tis process of evolution continues with the contemporary kuchipudi gurus and dancers of today who inject it with their own perspectives, innovations and inspiration.
Chitra Kalyandurg | Photo: Courtesy the artist/ Arunima Kumar | Photo: Simon Richardson/Vyjayanthi Kashi | Photo: Courtesy the artist
Dancer Profiles Chitra Kalyandurg Chitra Kalyandurg is a kuchipudi performer, educator and choreographer based in Maryland, USA. Speaking about the current state of kuchipudi in the US today, she says: “Tere are very few kuchipudi dancers who are solely performers, and who are regularly creating and performing new work that moves beyond the various ‘banis’ or styles. Te stalwarts are performing much less nowadays; however, new work is being created, much of it by choreographers from India who work with kuchipudi schools in the US. Many schools bring kuchipudi exponents from India during the summer to conduct workshops and we benefit from their creativity.” Chitra began learning kuchipudi at a young age with Mrinalini Sadananda. In 1994, she began training with renowned kuchipudi artist and guru, Anuradha Nehru, a disciple of the renowned Vempati Chinna Satyam. She also had the opportunity to learn with Guru himself during intensive summer dance camps, as well as with his son Vempati Ravishankar, and wellknown guru Jaikishore Mosalikanti. “In the US there is a predominance of teachers following in the Vempati Chinna Satyam style,” she explains, “which makes sense, as he trained many kuchipudi artists who relocated here in the 1990s. Dr. Sobha Naidu’s school also has a large community of disciples here. Since there are many kuchipudi teachers who run dance schools, a lot of the performances are student- and communitycentred. Troughout the country there are pockets of kuchipudi activity that stay regional, and which remain more of a cultural tradition rather than an artistic movement.” Along with her guru Anuradha Nehru and two fellow students, Chitra co-founded the Kalanidhi Dance Company in 2005. Te company has collaborated with several US-based and international artists, and has toured nationally and internationally. “I’m part of a group of young kuchipudi dancers who have been learning in this country for over twenty years and who are taking up the art form and running with it. As American dancers of Indian origin, these artists bring
to kuchipudi a new perspective that I believe only enhances it and adds to its evolution. I am optimistic that the art form will continue to grow artistically, and am really hopeful that classical Indian dance can one day reach the level of national recognition here, as it does in the UK,” she concludes. Arunima Kumar Moving from India where she’s a well-known dancer and starting over in London where kuchipudi occupies little space has been a challenging experience for dancer Arunima Kumar. “Tere were quite a few obstacles at first,” she reveals. “Having to audition for a performance slot, for example, was a completely new experience for me. But after my first performance, things really took off.” In the space of only two years, Arunima has managed to attract much attention and establish herself as a dancer to look out for in a scene dominated by bharatanatyam and with little exposure to kuchipudi. She has presented over fifty shows and workshops across the country and already has a dedicated group of students. Arunima had the good fortune to study under eminent gurus. She had her first lessons in kuchipudi at the age of 7 from the renowned dancer Swapnasundari. She then trained for fifteen years under well-known gurus Jaya Rama Rao and Vanasree Rao. Arunima has performed extensively all over the world and is the recipient of many awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. She’s set on bringing more visibility to the dance form: “I would like to have a strong base for kuchipudi in London. I’m keen on creating a kuchipudi dance collective and developing a syllabus for kuchipudi under the ISD,” she says. Arunima is also interested in broadening her horizons by exploring new productions, and developing and promoting choreographic works and collaborations with dancers of other styles. In this way she hopes to explore new dimensions while retaining the classical identity of kuchipudi.
Vyjayanthi and Prateeksha Kashi Vyjayanthi Kashi is a highly respected kuchipudi performer, choreographer and guru. She’s an active and dynamic figure in Bangalore’s dance scene with an infectious enthusiasm and passion for the arts. Vyjayanthi grew up in a family of wellknown theatre artists from Karnataka. She was drawn to dance at a young age, first studying bharatanatyam before finding that her passion was for kuchipudi. She studied with numerous eminent kuchipudi gurus. “I have been able to take something from each guru,” she says. “From senior guru C. R. Acharyulu I learnt the ‘old style’ of kuchipudi and temple rituals. Gurus at that time were looking for students who could continue their teaching. You will be my ‘dancing daughter’ is what he told me. I got a government of India scholarship to study in Andhra Pradesh. I studied with Vedantam Prahalada Sarma who gave me my foundation. We would have intense classes from morning to evening. Having strong basics is extremely important. I learned Yakshagana from Korada Narasimha Rao and Kalapam from Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma. I also learnt the ‘new style’ of kuchipudi from guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. I have been able to absorb the best from my gurus and I take the best from both styles.” Vyjayanthi started her dance centre, Shambhavi School of Dance, on the outskirts of Bangalore in 1993. Over the past year, through her ‘Celebrate Dance’ series, she has invited top gurus of different styles to conduct workshops and offer dance students a taste of each classical dance tradition. Her annual Dance Jathre (dance fair) is a celebration of dance and the performing arts and brings together practitioners and connoisseurs from all dance styles. She has won numerous awards including the prestigious Puraskar award from the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Her daughter Prateeksha is only 21 but has already made her mark on the kuchipudi scene. She has performed in many prestigious festivals in India and abroad and has featured in many dance productions for television.
SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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SWAPNASUNDARI ON VILASANI NAYAM
Vilasani Natyam, the form practiced by the devadasis of Andhara Pradesh co-existed with the Bhagavatalu tradition, which gave rise to kuchipudi as we know it today. Swapnasundari took a break from her performing career to investigate and study, through document research and by learning the form herself. Te fruit of her work has been distilled into a new book Vilasini Natyam: Bharatam of elugu emple and Court Dancers. Isabel Putinja speaks to
Swapnasundari for Pulse.
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You have had an interesting journey as a dancer. While most dancers devote their lives to a single dance style and focus on a career as a performer, you have not been afraid to change trajectories and explore other dance forms and fields. At the height of your bharatanatyam career, you turned to kuchipudi and later you devoted yourself to the revival of vilasini natyam. What was the catalyst which inspired you each time to change direction? I agree that my artistic journey has been very untypical. Te change in my trajectory has been spurred by many factors. Both my mother and maternal grandmother were knowledge-seekers and enthusiastic explorers of new skills. Perhaps I am similar to them - I sincerely believe that continuous growth is essential for an artist. Whenever I have sensed stagnation in the external environment, I have sought to build an artistically rich inner world. Other than dancing three dance styles, I also sing, teach and write. Both kuchipudi and vilasini natyam have their origins in the elugu-speaking region of India. How are they similar and dissimilar? Tere is no direct relationship between the kuchipudi and vilasini natyam. In fact, one can discern some similarities between vilasini natyam, bharatanatyam and odissi. Te historical connect between the solo Bharatham forms which were danced in these parts of southern and south-eastern India has been discussed in my book on vilasini natyam (Vilasini Natyam: Bharatam of elugu emple and Court Dancers ). Interestingly, the elugu hereditary dancers of vilasini natyam from whom I have learnt, have never studied from kuchipudi masters. Most of them had not even seen kuchipudi until television entered their lives. Te name of the late Balasaraswati is unknown to them as is that of odissi dance. Physical behaviour, mannerisms, language, customs, and preferences of people invariably leave a characteristic stamp on artforms. Any passing resemblance between kuchipudi and vilasini natyam is an outcome of their shared culture. Tough some similarity between kuchipudi and vilasini natyam is discernible in the operatic repertoire, the differences are many. Te Northern and coastal school of vilasini natyam alone contains over 100 basic adavus and their permutations and combinations. Another thirty-five to forty nrittha units belong to its Southern school. None of these find a place in the kuchipudi Sampradayam taught to me by its traditional male Gurus. Equally vast and varied is the abhinaya repertoire and methodology earlier followed by the elugu hereditary female dancers which continues today in vilasini natyam. All this differs from what is currently taught and performed in kuchipudi. t s i t r a e h t y s e t r u o C : o t o h P | i r a d n u s a n p a w
You have learnt from dance gurus as well as from hereditary temple-dancers. How has the experience been different? Is one experience more ‘authentic’ than the other? So far as traditional performing arts are concerned, I do not ascribe much importance to claims of ‘purity’ and ‘authenticity’ which are frequently heard. Adaptations have always taken place as and when necessary. In kuchipudi the operatic tradition has all but
disappeared and solo kuchipudi dance is more sought after now. Te sweeping changes and innovations which have been made in kuchipudi over the last fifty years, may have even rendered it unrecognisable to the generation which has lived through this period. In the case of vilasini natyam its new performers including myself, do not belong to the devadasi community. We present the artform in a new context. We dance on the proscenium stage, not in the royal court or the temple (except in the annual templefestival of Rang Bagh). I respect the art which has been taught by my bharatanatyam and kuchipudi gurus as well as my devadasi gurus. Tey have sincerely bequeathed to me what they had inherited and nourished assiduously through their lives. Now it is for me to handle this inheritance carefully and take it further. As has been happening over past centuries, it is natural that the dance styles I perform and teach would acquire new dimensions through my interpretations. Why didn’t vilasini natyam receive the same attention as other dance forms post-independence? Tough I have mentioned some key facts in my book, it is the cultural administrators of our country who have to answer this question. I pursue vilasini natyam for purely artistic reasons. I am not a part of any lobby, political or otherwise. Organisations such as Sangeet Natak Akademi do nothing to support my efforts, although vilasini natyam as an artform has already gained great appreciation among connoisseurs as well as the discerning media. You have taken vilasini natyam not only to the stage but also back into the temple during an annual festival at a temple in Hyderabad. Does this feature the ritual and ceremonial aspects of the dance? It is only the ritual and ceremonial dances of vilasini natyam that we perform annually in Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple in Rang Bagh, Hyderabad. Tese ritual-dances (called Agama Nartanam in Sanskrit and Gudi-Seva in elugu) can be seen here every day during the Brahmotsavam, which usually falls in the months of January-February. As a part of worship in the temple, we dance these to the accompaniment of religious chanting and traditional music that includes ancient talas and rare ragas. Every vilasini natyam dancer looks forward each year to this one-of-a-kind experience. Please feel free to mention anything else you think is important or relevant. Besides performing vilasini natyam, I have also been teaching it over the past ten years to a select few. Some of my disciples are multi-stylists, like myself. Teir experience while dancing vilasini natyam appears very similar to my own. Tey tell me that they feel ‘centred’ and sense a certain kind of ‘inner equanimity’ within themselves, not just while dancing temple-rituals, but even during their stage concerts. I can’t help thinking that indeed, this is the true purpose of art. If I am able to lead people there I am deeply honoured and humbled, especially by the fact that it is the honest art of the much-maligned elugu devadasi and the proud artistic legacy of the elugu rajadasi, that has brought me so close to the core of dance. SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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A PROFILE OF KALI CHANDRASEGARAM
Te first of a series focusing on a new wave of performers and dance-makers in the UK with South Asian connections. Kicking off the series is Kali Chandrasegaram, ‘a rebel with a cause’ who has come a long way since he dropped into his sister’s dance class in Kuala Lumpur eighteen years ago. As he completes the second of a two-year Akademi/ Arts Council choreographic development bursary, he reflects upon the radical re-haul he has been through.
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f words are clues to understanding how a person thinks and functions in the world, there are a few key phrases that pop up in relation to the versatile, London-based dancer and choreographer Kali Chandrasegaram. One comes from his extensive website www.kalidance.net which is subtitled ‘Gateways to differential dance’. Te work documented there certainly gives ample indication of Chandrasegaram’s varied interests as a dance-based artist. Another, more basic notion appears at the end of his emails, which simply reads: ‘May you always be happy.’ Combining the two ideas, the sense is that here is someone who is perhaps happiest when striding into new creative territory. Now in his late thirties, Chandrasegaram is also a person to whom the various gatekeepers of South Asian dance want to give opportunities. For proof look no further than the ringing endorsement of him as “an intriguing, upcoming performer and choreographer of his generation”. So says Mira Kaushik of Akademi, the organisation through which Chandrasegaram has just
“A very perfumed dancer is how I remember him.” completed a two-year stint as one of three recipients of a choreographic development award jointly administered with the Arts Council. Or consider this praise and encouragement from Piali Ray of sampad, Birmingham: “Kali is more than a dancer – he is a performer who loves to think outside the box and has a creative energy that is gentle but confident. I always believe that to capture the hearts and minds of an audience, an artist has to be a good human being besides having acquired technical expertise. And Kali is that artist.” Even Shobana Jeyasingh, for whom Chandrasegaram worked a decade ago, retains a strong impression. “He had his own highly individual way of moving,” she recalls. “A very perfumed dancer is how I remember him, both literally and figuratively!” So who is this man about whom others speak in such a vivid, positive manner? Onstage he cuts quite a figure: tall, muscular, imposing but with softer shadings, too. One’s eye is drawn to him, which makes
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him in particular a magnetic soloist. Born in Kuala Lumpur, Chandrasegaram began training there in bharatanatyam at the ripe old age of 18. It was 1991, and he was realising a dream of which his parents initially disapproved. Tey had, he says, “the orthodox mentality that boys should not be dancers but should instead become a lawyer, doctor or engineer”. His response to this familial plan? “Yeah, right! I guess you can say that after my basic education I became a rebel with a cause and started training at a
“...Began training there in bharatanatyam at the ripe old age of 18.” dance school where my oldest sister went for classes. She also performed in the big theatre productions there, which I secretly desired to be very much a part of for many years.” Chandrasegaram’s determination still shines through two decades later. “I was ready to face my destiny to become an eminent dancer,” he says, jokingly adding, “not quite world-famous since I didn’t start at the tender age of five! But nothing was going to stop me. I worked my butt off for seven years, playing the lead in many productions, performing for local television and on international tours. I literally lived my life in that school starting at 6am with yoga classes right up to 9pm or, if there was a performance, 11pm.” Eventually his family changed their tune and started being supportive of Chandrasegaram’s devotion to dance. Another turning point was being invited to further his dance education in the UK by an uncle and aunt. “Tis was in 1998,” he explains. “After completing my Arangetram (South Asian dance graduation) in Malaysia I did a Higher National Diploma in Performing Arts at University of Hertfordshire, took a year off to work and tour with Shobana’s company and then went back and finished my third year in dance performance at Middlesex University.” Already grounded in an array of South Asian dance styles, the Western strings Chandrasegaram added to his bow included training in Graham, Cunningham and Humphrey techniques. “Learning to free my body from the constraints of South Asian classical dance was a stepping stone in my maturity in terms of thinking about and creating new dance. For me it’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions conveyed through physical intensity.” Te goal, he says, is “to assimilate the many different dance vocabularies in my body memory bank to create choreographies which usually don’t fit in boxes created by social and cultural norms”. Professionally he has enjoyed some lucky breaks. “I was one of very few South Asian dancers in the UK to land a regular job as an artist in residence for seven years straight after graduation,” Chandrasegaram says. Tis was thanks to Kadam Asian Dance and Music. He tried forming a company “and failed miserably. So I decided to be an independent artist who works with others rather than be branded with a company. I have my name, and that’s enough.” Going freelance, however, has posed challenges. “It can be a constant struggle to get work, but it’s always good to have good friends and colleagues who trust you.” Although he can be a flamboyant performer, offstage Chandrasegaram comes across as both innately modest and quietly dedicated. “I don’t intend to change the world with my art. What I’m interested in is taking traditional forms and breaking them by using SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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A PROFILE OF KALI CHANDRASEGARAM
individual, personal experiences and belief in one’s self rather than structured, codified formulas. Tese experiences are presented in a widely accessible, fun, exciting, light-hearted way with references to current social issues. What I want to say [to an audience] is, ‘Come with me on a journey of self-reflection, contrast, contradiction and exuberance!’ It’s all about the tease,
n o s d r a h c i R n o m i S : o t o h P | m a r a g e s a r d n a h C i l a K
“It’s all about the tease, but with an insight.” but with an insight.” Te insights include his own. “I’d been happy just being a dancer and a ‘puppet’ choreographer working and re-interpreting ideas from others. Now I’m going through a complete overhaul.” He lays much of the credit for this radical re-invention to the Akademi/ Arts Council bursary mentioned earlier. “I finally had the chance to give myself time and space to think and work towards developing confidence to go against the grain.” o Chandrasegaram this means a pursuit of cross-pollinating (‘and poly-amorous!’) acts of creation made with a mix of ‘authenticity and audacity’ that instigates change “whilst embracing and then purging ingrained, pre-determined and stereotypical mind-sets until you begin to understand how, in the words of [the genderbending American actor and singer-songwriter] Ru Paul, ‘Te real you is the energy force that created the entire universe!’” Clearly Chandrasegaram combines drive with a fecund imagination. “I can’t think of choreography without the entire aesthetics of it. Mine usually come as a complete package with the design of sets, costumes and lighting.” Among his current projects are a solo for odissi/contemporary dancer Katie Ryan that will “bring out the Black Swan within her using the sculptures of the Konarak emple in Orissa as a metaphor, paying importance to the coarse texture of the stones rather than just their beautiful shapes”; a solo for himself that “plays on the layering of two different personalities, one a Japanese geisha and the other Rebekah from the Bible (Genesis 24:60), and celebrates the power of women through a male form”; and a piece drawing upon “Hindu and Muslim cross-cultural influences in kathak, finding the transition from one to the other using the ideology of the Chaotic Node, a transition state to do with the collapse of the collective lies of a culture.” It all sounds pretty heady for someone who champions frivolity and proclaims, “After all, life should not be taken that seriously.” As a performer Chandrasegaram has of late been dancing and acting on stilts in an adaptation of Te Ramayana for FIPA (Foundation for Indian Performing Arts) that saw him cast as Ravana, ‘a schizophrenic with ten different personalities’. Elsewhere his experimental side has sought release by collaboratively
“He lays much of the credit for this radical re-invention to the Akademi/Arts Council bursary”. mixing dance with trapeze, opera, swathes of fabric and site-specific work made in response to architectural space. He’s also continuing to develop JayKali, an androgynous alter ego cum alternative aesthetic that lends a distinctly different cabaret/burlesque flavour to his South Asian dance roots. Te precedent is stri-
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vesham , or cross-dressing as evinced in the classical
dance forms of bharatanatyam, odissi, kuchipudi and kathakali. For this he was inspired by his training with Hari Krishnan, director of the Canadian company
“I feel like an outcast, but I absolutely believe in what I’m doing.” InDance and choreographer of Chandrasegaram’s solo Uma [reviewed in Pulse Issue 111]. “I’m just revisiting an age-old tradition and giving it a new light,” he says. “Unfortunately it’s a struggle for the South Asian dance community to accept this. It will take time. Te bottom line is I love dressing up; since childhood I secretly desired to do it and what better way than the performing arts to express my innermost desires? “I’m interested in pursuing very different and varied things,” Chandrasegaram continues, “working across disciplines rather than sticking to one form of dance or creativity. Only when I’m being dictated to by a director does my work have definition…reluctantly!” Again he repeats, “Te Asian dance community doesn’t comprehend my work because it’s far from the ‘safety’ zone. I feel like an outcast, but I absolutely believe in what I’m doing. Hopefully one day I’ll be looked at as an artist who dares...a true Daredeva!”
YOUNG PULSE
s t s i t r a e h t y s e t r u o C : o t o h P
Te members of the Bhaktikalalayam troupe, bharatanatyam-trained dancers, based in Florida are on their first tour outside the USA. Tey talk to Jahnavi Harrison on what motivates them to practise this form of dance with such dedication. I’m on the phone at midnight. Tousands of miles away in Florida, the six girls of the Bhakti Dance Seva troupe are taking a break from rehearsals to chat. Tey laugh and scream as one of their group arrives, after being in India for nine months. Teir Bhaktikalalayam Academy studio is secluded – they share the wooded setting with a few curious peacocks and even cows. Tough they’ve travelled almost every summer performing their bhakti-filled bharatanatyam at festivals across North America, their upcoming European tour is their first ever trip outside the US. As members of the Hare Krishna community, they were introduced to dance from a young age as a way of offering love and devotion to God, and sharing that with an audience. Teir teacher, Anapayini Jakupko felt a calling to South Indian dance from early childhood, and spent extensive time in Bangalore and Chennai with her guru, Smt. Indira Kadambi. As an adult, she began teaching this form to the local girls of the community, some of whom began to take their training and performance very seriously. “It gives me physical and mental discipline,” says Nadia, 22. “It’s so much more than just a hobby or a form of exercise – it’s a deep devotional practice.” Sita, 21, was attracted to this art form because of its deep capacity to express emotion: “It almost
gives a freedom of speech,” she says. “And performing dances that explore such unique, spiritual topics gives an audience a chance to examine their emotions too.” Practitioners of the Hare Krishna lifestyle often attend daily temple services and classes, and practise meditation at home. Many of the second generation find little time or relevance for these activities, but for some of the girls, dance has been their unbroken connection. “It is my spiritual life,” Prtha stresses. “I’m in college and I’m working, and I have no time, but dance has been my saving grace. You can’t dance and not feel close to Krishna – there is no separation.” Te other girls murmur their agreement. But how do six non-Indian girls from ‘po-dunk’ Alachua fare dancing this traditional form among audiences outside their home community? “People usually say stuff like ‘You’re American girls, how come you didn’t do ballet?’ Tey’re usually surprised but when they see us dance, they can see we feel it – it is a form of worship, it is an offering,” Jahnavi adds, “otherwise what would our connection be?” Anapayini has pushed the girls even harder for the last few years, choreographing new repertoire, most interestingly that which explores the spiritual tradition they practise – coming from the Bengal/Orissa region, in the idiom of bharatanatyam. Tese include ‘Jaya Jaya Jagannath’, a fifteenth-century Bengali bhajan recomposed in Carnatic style, and a special group alarippu that depicts the opening of a lotus. Every dance is a deep expression of their faith, and performances are normally offered as a voluntary service,
hence the troupe’s name – Bhakti Dance Seva. Tis year marks an exciting shift. With almost every girl graduating from college, they will be embarking on a seven-month tour – first to Europe where they will perform a marathon sixty-four times! Tey then travel to India, where they will be undertaking intensive training in Chennai for the first time and staying for the December season. “We never have a chance to just focus on dance,” says Sita. “We also never get to see other professional dancers perform. Tey just don’t come to Florida much. We’ve seen plenty of uninspiring ones who obviously don’t put in much effort, but this will be a chance to have a new level of exposure to this art form.” And what of the future? It seems no dance teacher escapes the fate of most students giving up dance once they hit their late twenties. Like many, the girls don’t want to depend on dance as a source of income, and want to pursue different career paths. But they unanimously stress that it has an eternal value in their lives. “I want to dance, whether I perform or not,” says Jahnavi. “Te joy of the sadhana is separate from the performance.” Kalindi agrees, “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to dance and I can’t imagine life without it. It trains me to be confident but also to be humble. Tis is a service, it’s not about me being on stage.” If you’d like to catch the troupe on their brief stay in England, check the Pulse website for up-to-date listings. Bhaktikalalayam perform 18 June at the Leicester City Festival and 19 June at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford. Visit their website for more photos, videos and information: www.bhaktidance.com SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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ASHA HE RISK-AKING LEGEND
Words by Ken Hunt
Asha Bhosle and Shujaat Khan talk to Ken Hunt about their recent project Naina Lagaike studio recording and live performance at the Royal Festival
Hall as part of an international tour.
he promise inherent in the pairing of Asha Bhosle and Shujaat Khan for Naina Lagaike – and their subsequent concerts promoting that recording – was mighty. She is one of the world’s most haloed and popular singers – note, the world’s, not the subcontinent’s or the diaspora’s – and he is a sitarist and truly gifted vocalist in his own right. Expectations were doubly raised because, one, both principal musicians come trailing clouds of glory, but very different ones in the popular imagination; and, two, because when they entered the Mumbai studio they had decided to lay the music down live in the studio and bounce off each other. “What generally happens is that Asha ji ’s used to having everything written down and fixed,” explains Shujaat Khan. “Like, ‘Shujaat sings this line once; Asha sings this line three times; Shujaat sings line number
“Here nothing is fixed. It’s just eye contact, feeling and how you feel.” three; Asha sings line four…’ Here nothing is fixed. It’s just eye contact, feeling and how you feel. Tat’s the whole fun of it.” Asha Bhosle (the family’s preferred spelling over Bhonsle) is a stalwart of the Indian film industry – and not only the one later nicknamed Bollywood. Born Asha Dinanath Mangeshkar in September 1933, she and her four siblings would recontextualise the Mangeshkar name. Teir father Dinanath Mangeshkar worked in Marathi- and sometimes Hindi-language drama. With a view to advancing his professional status, he adopted the gotra (sub-caste) name, a species of Hindu
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surname, Mangeshkar. It drew on his ancestral village of Mangeshi, to which he added the protective hand ( kar ) of the family deity Lord Mangesh. He specialised in the Marathi dramatic song-form known as Sangeet Natak . Like many regional drama forms, during performances Marathi drama generally interspersed songs as light relief or employed them to move the action on. ried and tested, this theatrical convention guided the subcontinent’s film-makers when India went walkies with talkies from 1931. Filmi sangeet – film song – captured annapaying audiences’ interest even when they could not understand the language or follow the intertitles. Te subcontinent was ‘going multilingual’ and little Asha grew up in the era of pictures, as films were called in Raj-era India. It was a transitional world of Silents, Partial alkies and One Hundred Per Cent alkies. Teir father’s sudden death in 1942 forced the family to move, finally relocating to Bombay where Asha’s eldest sister Lata established a toehold in its booming film industry as one of the open-secret playback singers who put words in lip-synching actors’ mouths – uncredited in case, as industry moguls feared, audiences were turned off and stayed away. Asha Mangeshkar made her first cinematic entrance aged 10 in the Marathi film Majha Bal . She liked the singing but not the acting, which nipped acting in the bud very early. Only in 2011 did she give it a second chance for the film Maaee (‘mother’, more colloquially ‘mum’). Days before Maaee’s ‘going on floors’, jargon for shooting, that April, she confides, “It’s a mother’s role. And I’m a mother, so I don’t have to act. I thought now I’ve done playback singing, shows, everything – apart from one area and that was appearing on the big screen.” She is a musician who genuinely deserves the title of legend. After all, she has recorded more songs than
M D G f o s d r a w d E o i n a J : s o t o h p n a h K t a a j u h S d n a e l s o h B a h s A
Ken Hunt has worked with Asha Bhosle on three projects, two that won Grammy nominations and the third with her and the Kronos Quartet’s re-interpretations of R.D. Burman’s Hindi and Bengali film industry legacy.
any musician in history. Musically speaking, she is a risk-taker, a role originally foisted upon her during her early years as one of many low-ranking playback
“…She has recorded more songs than any musician in history.” singers in Bombay. With three children to support – her first, Hemant, was born in 1949 – and as the family’s de facto head breadwinner, she took whatever ‘potboiler’ singing jobs came up. Bombay’s studios, filmmakers and ‘music-directors’ (composers) operated a preferential and hierarchical system. It opened doors so long as the face fit and slammed them shut if it didn’t. It took years for her to be recognised and championed. By then risk-taking was a default disposition hotwired into her psyche and creativity. It was made most deliciously manifest in her singing for her second husband, music-director Rahul Dev Burman, and her singing for the actress Helen. Shujaat Husain Khan is the son of one of the most magisterial sitarists of the twentieth century, Vilayat Khan. He first performed in public in 1966 and on his parents’ separation he lived with his father, who
“…Risk-taking was… deliciously manifest in her singing for her second husband, music-director Rahul Dev Burman.” doubled as his guru. Music was in his bloodstream but he attempted to kick against the pricks and get out of music. He considered, he told Deepak Raja in 1996,
becoming a manager on an Assamese tea estate – as hand-picked a way to go stir crazy in them thar hills as human brain could devise. But he read his tea leaves, persevered and emerged as arguably the deepest and finest next-generation sitarist of the late twentieth century. With the Iranian kamancheh (stick-fiddle) maestro Kayhan Kalhor, he fronted Ghazal, an ensemble dedicated to finding common ground between the related Persian and Hindustani modal systems and their improvisation-based forms. But let’s rewind. Before Shujaat made his name in Hindustani classical music, he pounded the Bollywood treadmill, too. People, especially people with regular pay packets can afford to look askance at classical musicians lowering their standards (surtitles: ‘dumbing down’) by taking other musical work. What looks like the allure of the profession from the outside looking in must be balanced by the freelance musician’s need to put food on the plate. Tus, for every piccolo trumpet solo that excited people’s imaginations or got him into obituaries worldwide – the session in question being the Beatles’ Penny Lane – David Mason put in unnumbered hours of rehearsing and bum-numbing trumpet chair work in orchestral settings, sessions and so on. India was no different. op-ranking soloists and musicians starting out alike jumped at the chance of film work. A far from comprehensive bead-roll of classical talent might include Begum Akhtar, Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ali Akbar Khan, Rais Khan, Vilayat Khan, Ravi Shankar, Shivkumar Sharma and Parveen Sultana. Famously, the music-director Naushad Ali (Asha: “A very great musician. He was very disciplined and a very nice person”) after much pleading even enticed the stone-walling purist Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to sing live to screen during the delightfully named ‘feather scene’ between the prince and his beloved Anarkali in K. Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam (1960), the year Shujaat was born. Shujaat explains, “See, I grew up in a family where my father was a great, big, old legend of his time. I was not star-struck, so, when I finished school and started working with backgrounds in movies, very often I used to go to the studio and they’d give me my piece and we’d wait for the singers to come. Asha ji or Mohd. Rafi or Kishore Kumar used to come, sit in their different room – because we were just musicians. Very often she came, she worked and she went away. Tere was no connection between her and us.”
“I have a space, a very small pond but I’m the king of that pond.” Although he found himself on the same sessions as her on occasion, this dividing line was firmly in place. respassing was not an option, so long as he retained his anonymity, rather than admitting to being Vilayat Khansahib’s son. In March 2004 his father died and five years on, he contacted her about celebrating his father’s memory. She agreed to attend and sang. Te next day when he went to thank her again and say goodbye, she threw the prospect of doing something together musically into the ring. “I was overjoyed,” he chirrups. “I have a space, a very small pond but I’m the king of that pond. I play classical music and some Sufi and folk and what I do no-one else does. C’mon, she’s twice my age and a legend. Everyone wants to do something with her. I couldn’t’ve had the courage to go up and say that she and I should do something together.” SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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ASHA HE RISK-AKING LEGEND
It gelled, his role becoming one of sourcing and putting together Naina Lagaike’s Hindi-language repertoire and the accompanying musicians. “Naina mean ‘eyes’,” he translates for anyone whose Hindi is rusty, unnuanced or non-existent. “Naina Lagaike would be the locking of the eyes, so the meaning of the song [title] would be, ‘I rue having locked eyes with you’.” Te decision was reached to record live in the studio eye-to-eye. Shujaat winkled her out of her comfort zone, so to speak. Te material he brought to the table included a song that appeared in two versions on his Waiting For Love (1998). Called Aaja Re Piya Mora (‘Come back my love’) there, on Naina Lagaike it is titled Aaja Re Piya (‘Come back love’). In some ways it is the album’s signature song, perhaps even over the title song that appears in three versions for solo singer and duo. His classically inflected sitar part sets the scene before they indulge in a call and response passage. Ten nearly a minute in, electric bass re-positions the performance firmly within the ‘modern song’ genre. Step by step other instruments enter. Te full team consists of his regular tabla player, Amit Choubey, his son Azaan Khan on guitar, flautist Ajay Prasanna, Bheem Rao on dholak and arranger-orchestrator Upmanyu Bhanot on whatever else was needed to finish the portraits. “Having worked with Asha ji on three projects, most notably her two Grammy-nominated recordings, she and I know each other some. Te first was her and her guru, the sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan’s bandish (fixed composition) classical project Legacy (1996). Te second was You’ve Stolen My Heart (2005), her and the Kronos Quartet’s re-interpretations of R.D. Burman’s Hindi and
“So, it’s (improvisation) fun and it’s new for me.” Bengali film industry legacy. Candour is a watchword. She corrects my faulty Hindi pronunciation and I tell her that Naina Lagaike is a grown-up project, reflecting the dignity of the artist she is now. Remixes and retreads of filmi sangeet are not my thing.” How does she feel about the project? “At first I was not really happy,” she answers frankly. “And a little bit afraid. I didn’t know Shujaat; I didn’t know his musicians. But after one rehearsal, after that I had confidence that it could be good.” In the spirit of the Stage Sound studio sessions, the concerts allow spontaneity. “On stage it’s not rehearsed,” she continues. “We don’t know what they will play. Tey don’t know what I’m going to do when I’m improvising in a song. So, it’s fun and it’s new for me.” So, is it an adventure? With comic timing, she says, “Sort of!” before bursting into laughter. One of the most welcome aspects of the Naina Lagaike experience is their eagerness to take risks on stage. alking the morning after its public unveiling at London’s Royal Festival Hall in March 2011, Shujaat says, “One of the pieces I started had a completely different pitch. She looks at me and it was, ‘Really, you want me to go that high? OK…’ I don’t know why people are presenting music as if it’s a presentation where everything is absolutely set up and fixed. C’mon man, where’s the element of fun and spontaneity and pleasure gone from our lives? You make a mistake on stage? Laugh!” With thanks to Anand Bhosle, Atul Churamani, Sareata Gindha and Scheherezade King at Saregama. Photography: Janio Edwards of GDM, courtesy of Saregama.
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Enha Roehampton University’s Dance Department has been declared ‘number one in the field of dance research’. Its alumni include performers, choreographers and entrepreneurs. Dr. Avanthi Meduri, the Convenor of the MA and Postgraduate courses describes what is on off er for dancers looking towards making careers in the wider field of dance
M
ost readers of Pulse know that a postgraduate South Asian Dance Studies (SADS) course is offered at Roehampton University. But how many understand its relevance to dance practice or production, whether it be in India or the UK? In the course of this article I would like to take the opportunity to describe how the MA and the Postgraduate certificate in SADS may be useful to you as dance-makers, choreographers and teachers, and equip you to work broadly as ‘cultural entrepreneurs’ in the rapidly-expanding South Asian Dance sector. Briefly, the South Asian Dance MA was launched as a new international postgraduate research programme at Roehampton in autumn 2005, following the huge success of the large-scale Leverhulme-funded SaDiB (South Asian Dance in Britain) research project led by Professor Andree Grau at the university in 2001. Te SADS MA does not exist separately but is part of a cluster of seven dance MAs. In the recently-published National Research Audit (2008), Roehampton Dance Department was assessed as number one in the country for dance research, and South Asian Dance Studies was declared an ‘area of excellence’. Tis acknowledgement is significant as it demonstrates that South Asian Dance has come of age, not just in mainstream British dance production but also in higher education! o promote the research vision of the Department, Roehampton offers two graduate bursaries: an AHRC bursary for professional dancers, and a specific bursary for South Asian Dance. Te latter, offered by Milapfest, the UK’s South Asian Arts Development rust, was set up in 2010. Urja Desai Takore from the UK and Sabina Sweta Sen from Poland are recipients of the award this year. I joined the Roehampton dance team from India/ the US and was asked to lead on the programme. Since we are living in what we call the age of globalisation, I conceptualised a global arts pedagogy for South Asian performing arts including classical, contemporary and popular forms like Bollywood and Bhangra. We created
ENHANCING DANCE CAREERS
cing t s i t r a e h t y s e t r u o C : t 1 s e o t f o p a h l i P | M i r y u s d e e t r u M i o C h t : n 2 a o v t A o r h D P
this pedagogy by taking as inspiration the work and vision of contemporary/classical Indian and British Asian choreographers, dancers and dance teachers. Tese include Akram Khan, Shobana Jeyasingh, Pushkala Gopal, Mavin Khoo, Hari Krishnan, Nina Rajarani, Sonia Sabri, Anusha Subramaniyam, Kumudhini Lakia, Mrinalini Sarabhai, the late Chandralekha, Rukmini Devi Arundale, . Balasaraswati, Ram Gopal and Uday Shankar, to name but a few. Drawing on my doctoral research completed in the US in the late 1990s, and the pioneering work of dance scholars in Britain, we positioned Indian dance production within the globalising framework of South Asia and focused on themes revolving around dance modernism, dance migration, dance history, British multiculturalism, diversity, dance politics, and British/Indian arts policy. How are cultural traditions preserved and transformed in the British, American and South Asian diaspora? What links these diverse productions? Does travel change the historical identity of dance traditions? Tese are key questions that students research at Roehampton. Since arts organisations helped mainstream South Asian dance, Roehampton students research the work of national organisations like Akademi, sampad, Kadam and Milapfest, and write research papers on the unique manner in which they mainstream and develop South Asian arts within the multicultural fabric of Britain. Since its inception the programme has attracted practitioners and all have used their academic degrees creatively to create new profiles for themselves. Graduates of Roehampton include Paya Ahuja (India/Australia), Shrikant Subramaniyam (India/ UK), Shalini Bhalla (Kenya/UK), Jasmine Lail (UK), Madeleine Hull (USA), Rupa Nathwani (UK/India), Divya Kasturi (India/UK), Urja Desai Takore (India/ UK), and Sabina Sweta (India/Poland). Students enrolled on the programme have the option of writing a dissertation as part of their final assessment, or as a
‘pratice-based submission’. Shrikant Subramaniyam, for instance, completed a ‘practice as research’ dissertation focused on the emergence of the male dancer on the global stage. Divya Kasturi and Urja Desai Takore have also taken this option and will present their practice dissertations in summer 2011. Mavin Khoo, enrolled on our PhD programme, will be pursuing a ‘Practice’-based dissertation on bharatanatyam, while Suparna Banerjee is working towards a traditional PhD on South Asian dance. In addition to the MA, Roehampton now offers a Postgraduate Certificate in South Asian Dance Studies. Tis introductory or taster programme, compressed into three months, is aimed at professional dancers who do not have the time to pursue full-time study. We offer this foundation course because we think it will be useful to South Asian dance teachers, students and choreographers, and also to students interested in arts management, arts administration, arts curation, dramaturgy and arts journalism. Tis certificate, combined with an ISD (Imperial Society of eachers of Dancing) qualification or even an arts management degree can create professional pathways for South Asian dancers and aspiring arts managers and producers of culture. Although the South Asian Dance MA has generated international interest, the programme has not recruited as well as we had hoped, perhaps because South Asian students are unaware of career opportunities available to them in Higher Education. I believe it is time to think outside the box and embrace the positive benefits of acquiring an academic/practice degree or certificate in South Asian Dance Studies. As a researcher/practitioner, I would be delighted to enter into such a dialogue with the South Asian dance community and forge new collaborations that could help us expand the South Asian arts sector, both within local communities and Higher Education practices. SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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REVIEWS — DANCE
Dance Performances Kathakbox
17 February 2011 Sonia Sabri Company Mac, Birmingham Reviewed by Shezad Khalil
he seventy-minute world premiere of Kathakbox at the mac, Birmingham was the result of an eighteen-month project, led by British-based kathak dancer/choreographer Sonia Sabri. Featuring seven artists-collaborators including Sabri herself and musicianhusband Sarvar Sabri, it took place and to an excited and expectant full house on the Company’s home turf. Kathakbox successfully portrayed the ‘meeting points’ or the artistic parallels between the performative genres of kathak, contemporary dance, hiphop culture, spoken word and beatboxing, making a case for the relevance of kathak in a twentyfirst-century multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-
SoniaSabriandSuzanneGrubham| Photo:SimonRichardson
movement-based Britain. Not narrative-driven, but rather a vocalisation of a hybridised dialogue between various artistic styles and how they correlate and overlap formed the main thrust of the piece. A key element running throughout was the confrontation of the ‘tick-box’ culture. From the opening motif of each artist occupying their position within a square, each performer, in turn, demonstrated his or her particular skill. Tis was mirrored by the chessboard check design suggesting identities confined and constrained by boundaries, too anxious to think and move ‘outside the box’. However, as the performance developed, there was a loosening-up between the
artists: first tentative and then increasingly more confident as they engaged with each other’s artistic discipline. From Geering’s hip-hop sequence that involved him balancing on his head while his torso and legs were slanted towards the adjacent box, to Marcina Arnold and Shan Bansil’s expressive musical vocalisations and beatboxing exchanges, Kathakbox ‘challenged’ the frontiers between static and ‘fixed’ traditions of both dance and music. Te most interesting elements were the new conversations by artists taking on unfamiliar forms and lending a new twist to their personal dance and musical vocabularies. For instance, in one particular section of Kathakbox , the audience witnessed how all of the artists, regardless of their dance training (Amayra Fuller and Suzanne Grubham, contemporary dancers), executed the tatkar ; the rhythmic compositions of kathak, and how they altered these cadences through the use of clapping with their hands and body parts rather than the conventional employment of footwork. Even though this device of striking body parts for rhythm creation has already been executed in many of Sabri’s previous compositions, its use here was particularly striking. It also reiterated Sabri’s vision of the inter-connections between these artistic modes. Te second skilful and enjoyable feature was the use of humour throughout this composition. For example, in one arrangement Sabri and Geering took it in turns to exhibit the conventional aspects of kathak and hip-hop, but could visually laugh at themselves and the confinements of the ‘tick-box’ culture that they reside in. Also worthy of mention was the sweet and sharp text of poet Zena Edwards and delivery in song lyrics by Marcina Arnold which raised the quality bar of the experience. Te fact that there were no musical instruments, not even the ubiquitous tabla, and that all music was generated by the vocal chords of dancers and musicians was another first for South Asian dance. Overall, Kathakbox was a thoughtful and entertaining
piece that demonstrated Sabri’s vision of expanding kathak into new territories, particularly to embrace the urban environment so that Kathakbox becomes the song of Birmingham. Te performance left the viewer hungry for more, a sequel perhaps?
Sutra – Creativity in radition
frontal and did not achieve the exploration of space suggested in the introduction. However, the choice of movement vocabulary gave the item an engaging thread of tension: a playful push and pull pervaded the choreography, which successfully showcased the dancer’s crisp, fleet footwork. In an Oriya Champu choreographed by Guru
8 May 2011
Arushi Mudgal Te Lowry, Salford Quays Reviewed by Katie Ryan
L
ondon audiences missed out in May as the North-West was treated to a feast of odissi, performed by Arushi Mudgal – the recipient of Milapfest’s 2010 International ouring Fellowship. In recent years, the 24-year-old niece and student of celebrated odissi artist Madhavi Mudgal has been establishing herself as a talented soloist. With impressive stamina and confidence, Arushi sailed through a programme of six items with ease and mastery, engaging both South Asian dance fans and newcomers to the genre. Arushi presented choreography from three generations of artists: the pioneering Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and his disciple Madhavi Mudgal, plus her own creative work. Opening with an iconic Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra piece, Ardhanarishwar , Arushi showed perfect poise and a mesmerising centredness. With rock-solid balance, her leg movements were as articulate as her arms as she executed poses depicting the contrasting male and female energies of Shiva and Parvati. Conveying the required masculinity of Shiva’s andava is a daunting task for a dancer of slender stature, but as Arushi moved from the more static section to rhythmic compositions, her strong footwork gave the performance the necessary authority. Choreographed by the dancer herself, Bageshree was introduced as exploring the architectonics of the dance form. Although there were tantalising moments where the dancer posed facing away from the audience, generally the choreography was very
Arushi Mudgal | Photo: Courtesy Milapfest
Kelucharan Mohapatra, Arushi showed that her talent for clarity and articulation is not confined to her execution of nritta , as she adeptly portrayed the layered characterisation of a sakhi mocking Radha for her lovelorn behaviour. Arushi imparted a jovial scorn of a friend as the sakhi compared Radha’s pursuit of Krishna to that of a dwarf attempting to pluck the flowers of heaven. Arushi added a suitable touch of comedy to the role as a teasing sakhi , her warm and accessible performance defying any cultural or language barriers. Tis accessibility would have been enhanced throughout the evening had Arushi simply reduced the pace of her poetically and concisely-worded introductions. Her audience would have benefitted from more time to absorb each new idea, especially when dealing with an unfamiliar narrative. Madhavi Mudgal’s beautifully composed Vasant from Kalidas’ Ritusamhara ended the first part of the programme. With a long shloka setting the scene, the dancer roamed about the space, allowing time for each new image of spring to develop. It was particularly captivating to see the agitated bees’ flight as Arushi’s hands trembled, circled and danced around each other. With effective use of space and projection the dancer evoked an idyllic spring setting, which remained in the mind’s eye during the celebratory SUMMER 2011 — PULSE
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rhythmic conclusion. Te highlight of the evening came after the interval, with Kumarasambhavam , another epic poem by Kalidas, choreographed by Madhavi Mudgal. Te subject of Parvati’s extreme penance to win the heart of her beloved Shiva is a narrative less familiar to odissi audiences. Te first part of the composition depicted the episode of Kamadeva’s destruction to ashes on attempting to rouse Shiva from meditation. Ten, in three succinct sections aided by atmospheric lighting, Parvati was shown serenely enduring the trials of exposure to fire, mountain-top storms and immersion in the ice-cold water of a lotus pond. Te sense of devotion and drama was well conveyed. A hint towards Parvati’s suffering might add a note of more humanity to the portrayal. With a complete sense of the context, the audience was brought to the crux of the piece: a dialogue between Parvati and Shiva disguised as an ascetic. Again Arushi successfully portrayed the complex characterisation of Shiva as he acts out a role mocking himself and discretely reacting to Parvati’s flattering responses. Cleverly, as the dialogue progressed, the dancer switched between the roles of Parvati and Shiva with increased frequency, allowing the presence of two separate characters to grow stronger. At the point when Shiva’s identity is revealed, one feels a tangible sense of both characters. As the lights fade Shiva’s presence is defined in the space created by the dancer as Parvati: eyes closed with her face uplifted in rapture towards her beloved. In her self-choreographed finale, Aahlad , Arushi really took the brakes off: weaving through the space in extended phrases of continuous movement. Te unpredictable use of phrasing and exciting leaps gave the brief static moments punctured by crisp gestures and glances all the more impact. Conveying the authentic joy of an artist comfortable in her own skin, Arushi Mudgal is a performer who approaches every aspect of her dance with conscientious detail and depth coloured by her infectious vivacity.
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CD Reviews Carnatic Jazz
Dr. Jyotsna Srikanth Swathi Soft Solutions Reviewed by Ken Hunt
he principle of Carnatic jazz is fairly long-established. By that, let’s agree on a fusion of the Carnatic – also Karnatic – art music tradition system of South India and jazz – predominantly, maybe exclusively jazz in its post World War II, multicultural manifestations. Te commonality, the common ground is that both extemporise to varying degrees on the three organising principles of melody, rhythm and harmony. And many people deem that common principle to be enough. It is not enough. Better put, it is no longer enough because the bar was raised in the 1970s with, say, Stu Goldberg, Larry Coryell and L. Subramaniam’s Solos-Duos-rio and most important of all, Shakti.
Carnatic Jazz | Photo: Courtesy the publisher
It is not entirely accidental that violin has played a signal role in those two highlighted cases. L. Subramaniam and, in Shakti’s case, his brother L. Shankar created new ways of expressing Carnatic sensibilities. In the subcontinent the violin is a borrowing on long-term loan but one especially dear to southern hearts through its employment in art, religious and demotic musical forms. Tose brothers succeeded because they had the wit and imagination to be alert to the tradition, the day and the moment. But when balance tended towards the day, there were spectacular train crashes… Nobody – big word – remembers the Epidemics with fondness. Jyotsna Srikanth represents one generation on. On Carnatic Jazz she distinguishes herself as alert to the tradition, the day
and the moment. Tat is highest praise. Previously, I had marked her out as an accompanist in art music contexts. Here she is joined by flautist Ravichandra Kulur, Arun Kumar on rhythm programming, sitarist Suma Rani, Praveen D. Rao and Shadrach Solomon on keyboards. Given those credits, it is presumably Kumar who contributes the mooring (Jew’s harp), an instrument that counts as percussion in the South Indian firmament. Te album opens with ‘Haunting Toughts’, a piece harnessed to ragam ‘Sallapam’ which to the forefront at the beginning, at times wittily edgy, at times so subtle as to be hardly noticeable, runs through the piece like a pulse. What is especially good about Carnatic Jazz is the way Srikanth fills the head with ideas. Te melodic variations in, notably, the album’s eighteen-minute centrepiece ‘Folk Dreams’ (“a South Indian folk theme”) resonate especially well in foodfor-thought ways. You cannot pre-conceive this music. It has to contain spontaneous composition around themes. Te opening pianistic inventions (alas, the credits are pretty useless) act as a prologue before she reveals herself; by the end rhythmicality is the watchword. It feels more like a pan-South Indian folk theme than anything specific, but I have been wrong before. It is not a complete thumbs-up. It is hard to justify this in writing, but the percussion programming sounds too tabla-esque. On this crew’s next voyage – and there must be another – stronger mridangam , ghatam or even thavil sonorities are advised. Beginning with ‘Insight’ based on ‘Chakravaka’ through to the concluding bleep rhythmicality of ‘Penta one’ – based in ‘Ratipatipriya’ – Jyotsna Srikanth creates a remarkable journey. ruly an advance on the chessboard.
Surdas Bhajans M.S. Subbulakshmi
Charsur Digital Workstation Reviewed by Ken Hunt
I
n some fields of music it is possible to use a superlative like ‘greatest’ without fear of charges of partiality or
chamcha (sycophantic) designs.
Te Madurai-born, Carnatic singer Madurai Shanmugavadivu Subbulakshmi (1916–2004) was one of very few for whom ‘greatest’ could, should and – because she lives on through recordings such as this – can be used justifiably. Surdas Bhajans comprises twelve Surdas-themed settings recorded live in Calcutta at the Vidya Mandir’s Prayer Hall on 23 September 1978 with P.S.
MS S | Photo: Courtesy the publisher
Srinivasa Rao accompanying on harmonium, uncredited percussion (notably mridangam) and Radha Viswanathan supportingvocally. Née Radha Sadasivan, she is her mother’s daughter. When she comes in on ‘Madhuban um Kyon Rehat Hare’, for example, her unison vocalising creates an uplift and quite different vocal dynamic. It’s to do with heightenedartistry buzz that only blood-kin delivers – whether that is, to do a western number, dear readers, the Bee Gees, the McGarrigles, the Watersons or the Stanley Brothers. At this recital M.S.S. was one week to the day past her 62nd birthday. Her youthful voice had changed, had deepened – as had her command of her repertoire and her interpretative skills. Surdas was a blind seer (supposedly) and epigramstrewing Hindu poet-composer associated with the bhakti (devotional) tree of reforming Hinduism and Krishna worship. He was also associated with its saguna branch. Tis addressed the paradoxes of illusion on the earthly plane through theological metaphors, including both the entrapment of the senses and how we use our senses – fittingly for Surdas, especially darsan (‘sight’). Surdas, idiomatically ‘slave to sound’, was a late medieval saint-composer whose life was first described in a hagiographical, sectarian work attributed to Gokulnath but whose life and works spiralled into the stuff of bigger legend,
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including roping in the Mughal emperor Akbar (much like tales of Robin Hood rope in King John and Richard the Lionheart). Now read on… Listening to archival recordings of whatever provenance frequently calls for a suspension of audiophile ears (whatever that means) and this M.S.S. recording is no exception. Te point is that ears attune and adjust. Tat will happen as you listen to Surdas Bhajans. One thing that you can leave like shoes at the threshold is presumptions of perseverance and weightiness. Tis is too easy on the ears to count as work. Tis songcraft runs like the sheerest silk scarf through the fingers. And another thing, now you ask. Tis recording presents a less familiar side to M.S.S.’s work. Each composition is set in a northern Indian raga – Desh , Behag , Bageshri and so on – but she delivers them in a delightfully inflected ‘foreign’ accent. Imagine the seductiveness of a Frenchman or woman purring in your ear in accented English. Go on: it’s as naughty as a second helping but it’s very nice indeed. Plus, there is humour in the way ‘Muraliya Ab Kaahe’ ends with its slinky outro slide. When mother and daughter finish, you can see the smiles on their faces. Eidetic artistry.
Music Performances ‘A ribute to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’ 8 May 2011
have known. Given the chance, he would revel in cooking Bangla dishes – fish with everything – from start to finish. When the chamchas – the ‘spoons’ (literally and metaphorically) that ladle out sycophantic praise – weren’t there to hosanna his every kitchen move because it was Him that had cooked, you could see that he was so at ease in his own skin – the maestro, whom Yehudi Menuhin described to me as the greatest musician on the planet, and the maker. So, clearly there could have been no pressure on his son, Alam Khan, born in 1982, to deliver a recital with this concert’s title. Te first ‘half’ of the recital was a well-chosen, sunny afternoon ‘Bhimpalasi’ eventually unfurled in 16-beat teentāl . His opening ālap movement was really good, a gentle unfolding with some lovely wa-wa (‘excellent’) expressivity. Par for the course, given that his old man called one of his finest albums Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Plays Alap. But the way he revealed the jōr – the movement with unmetered rhythm that many Hindustani audiences kinda ho-hum through – was exquisite. I repeat the word exquisite. Any narrative that is being told needs introductions – characters, settings and motives, that sort of ālap thing – but then it needs its plot development or jōr , as we Indians call it – before the denouement. However much he is steeped in the family’s musical tradition, Alam Khan is not his father. Clearly the deal is him delivering a different sort of deal. Yet his ‘Bhimpalasi’ still
Alam Khan Kings Place, London Reviewed by Ken Hunt
W
hat amount of courage and focus does it take to get up on stage and perform? Of all the many – and I mean very many – supreme musicians, it has been my inordinate pleasure and privilege to sneak an inner glimpse of their world at, the sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan sahib is contender for the one that (a) educated me the most; (b) illuminated my appreciation of music (note, not Indian music) the most; and (c) released music of uttermost numinosity into the world the most. He was also more down-to-earth than any other top-ranking musician I
Alam Khan | Photo: Courtesy Look flickr.com
produced a number of chipoff-the-old-block resolutions of the unexpected twist kind, resolutions showing an awareness of pace, speed and balance, and two or three that prompted ‘you little rascal’ smiles. Te concluding ‘half’ similarly reflected unseasonably warm, summer-come-early sentiments with, if you get my
gist, ‘Mishra Piloo’ as its backgarden trampoline. It brought to the fore the sensitivities of Anubrata Chatterjee (another son, in his case, of the tablaplayer Anindo Chatterjee) – incidentally the Darbar festival literature’s proofreading proved pretty lame – and Alam Khan with some fine calland-response interludes. Its concluding segue or fantasia, sometimes known as a garland of ragas, flew. Alam Khan is never going to be his father, however much or how long he plays sarod. However curious that may sound, that is part of the joy of what happens from father to son. Speaks a father. Loved the concert.
Serene Morning Ragas 23 April 2011
Arati Ankalikar-ikekar Kings Place, London Reviewed by Kulbir Natt
I
s it possible to go to any concert without expectations? Arriving at the Darbar Festival, expectations of a memorable concert were high. Tese were formed by seeing Arati Ankalikar give a fabulous performance a few years ago in Mumbai (faint traces of it re-surface every now and again in my memory). Tere were also expectations set by Darbar, which has regularly presented some outstanding concerts over several years. Sadly, the event did not live up to these high hopes. It was at best a routine concert, which at times appeared a bit disjointed. Beginning with raag Ahir Bhairav , Arati gradually picked up the tempo to long sustained notes that enveloped the beautiful oak-panelled auditorium at the Kings Place. Te hand gestures began to flow but then, during a break for a bit of tabla-tuning by Anubrata Chatterjee, Arati looked distinctly bored. Something was not right. Te music recommenced but somehow the voice didn’t sparkle, the hand gestures became less effusive and several times for the rest of the performance she touched her ear, an artistic apology perhaps to her Guru, the celebrated Kishori Amonkar, for not getting things quite as they should be.
Raag Jaunpuri followed. But again it failed to elevate myself or the audience who, by now, should have developed a rapport with the artists through spontaneous verbal
Arati Ankalikar-ikekar | Photo: Courtesy Sursagar flickr.com
and physical appreciation. At one point, Arati was directing the tabla player on what to play. Not right. Young Anubrata, son of the illustrious Anindo Chatterjee – brought in at the last minute to replace the tabla-player programmed in the brochure – was looking a little uneasy. Te next two pieces were short and more enjoyable. Mirabai’s famous bhajan Mhare Ghar Aao Ji , and a wonderfully light classical song celebrating the first month of the Sindhi year Cheti Chand , describing nature and a newly-awakened yearning for the beloved. At this stage, Arati became aware of pakhawaj-player, Omkar Dalvi, seated just behind Anubrata. “Oh, you were there,” Arati says in Marati. (I don’t think the audience was not meant to hear this.) As I left the auditorium to the stirrings of raag Bhairavi , my thoughts turned to how important it is for the artists to gel together, or at least rise above minor irritations to present a polished performance. And maybe one should leave one’s expectations outside. Postscript…Unlike most UK concerts, this concert was a morning performance that allows artists to play raags specific to the time of day. A conversation with Arati later in the day was revealing. It concerned how the level of the sun (or not, as the case may be), the air and nature affect the mood of different raags played during the 24-hour daily cycle. “But,” said Arati, “once you’re in an auditorium it really doesn’t matter what time of day it is outside.”
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Why did you feel inspired to start learning kathak dance? You may be surprised to know that twelve years before I started kathak, I worked in the theatre in which I was commended for my dance. During the time I was working in the theatre, I went to see Param Narayan Prasad’s Kathak Karyakram in Delhi, after which I took the decision that I too wanted to learn kathak. Of the many different gharanas, which would you say is better known for the particular qualities which have sustained its presence till today?
e t a t s e s ’ t s i t r A e h t y s e t r u o C : o t o h P | d a z A m a R h t r i T t i d n a P
Bhavo Ki Alag Hi Bhasha Hoti Hai Expression has its own language Te late kathak dancer, teacher and scholar Pandit irth Ram Azad was associated with some of India’s best-known dance institutions and contributed three seminal texts on kathak. Here he talks to Abhay Shankar Mishra and throws light on the concept of the badakhadi that defines the gharana . 24
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Each gharana has its own palette of qualities, some emphasise more expression where others may emphasise more speed; however, no gharana is any less than another as it is all these qualities from all these gharanas that make kathak well-known and enable the dance to expand and develop further. However, these could be present-day qualities, whereas some qualities are traditionally passed down in the gharanas. What is required to differentiate a particular gharana from the rest? In this day and age this seems quite difficult, because in the process of everyone accepting and appreciating each other’s qualities, they’ve ended up mixing them! Still there are certain things, which in the bigger picture, portray and highlight the differences of a gharana ; for example the use of the limbs, of the particular bols of the gharanas, things like that still define each gharana today.
But the bols depend on the pakhawaj or an expressional song, which may be commonly used by many people. Yes. Tis is correct and keeping this in sight, many different gharanas’ famous dancers have made their own different badakhadi for their own gharanas.
What is a badakhadi ? A definite or fixed order of compositions presented in the performance is what we call badakhadi , comprising 12 or 14 bols. Te demonstration of the bols clearly depicts the gharana ’s form. Recently, this topic was brought up by the well-known dancer and Guru Rohini Bhate in a seminar. Luckily I had a paper on me in which the badakhadi for many different gharanas was written on it. On request I responded by reading it out to the audience, who received it well. Can you shed light on any one gharana ’s badakhadi ? For example take Lucknow gharana , in which you start your kathak programme with vandana and that in which you use the bol ‘thei ta thei tat ta’ on khaali (matra 9) or matra 13 and according to requirement, you can increase the matra . Te second item in the repertoire is amad , which has bols ‘ta thei tat, aa thei tat, aa thei tat’ . After this kramash, salaami, natwari, paran, amad, tej, amad, tihai, gat bhav or some bhajan or thumri . Following that in drut laya: paran, chakardar paran, parmelu, ladi towards the end of
the performance. Tis way the type of sequenced bols comes inside this badakhadi . Similarly every gharana has its own type of badakhadi , which according to the type of programme can be adjusted slightly; however, not to a greater extent, as it has to follow the kram (sequence). If it is done in a sequence completely outside its kram then the dance is not really referred to as pure original dance, hence why some qualities still define each gharana and yet cannot be mixed. Abhay Shankar Mishra belongs to an established family of Benaras tabla gharana. He trained under great Gurus like Pandit Birju Maharaj, Smt Urmilla Nagar and Pandey Maharaj. Abhayji has been the resident kathak teacher at the Bhavan, London for the last ten years. www.abhayshankar.com
Open Minds In the field of dance, Roehampton University is world class. Not just our words, but those of the Government’s Research Assessment Exercise, which placed Roehampton’s dance department ahead of every other university in the UK. We are a large and vibrant community of staff and students with a passion for dance. We’re renowned for cutting-edge choreography and performance, a reputation earned by the quality of our teaching and our world-leading research. Visit us at www.roehampton.ac.uk/dance call 020 8392 3232 or come and see us. You’ll find details of courses as well as performances on our website.
Postgraduate courses in dance include: MA Ballet Studies – MFA Choreography – MPhil/PhD Dance – MA Dance Anthropology – MA Dance Studies – MA South Asian Dance Studies
Open Spaces. Open Minds.
And new for 2011: MRes Choreography & Performance – MA Community Dance – MA Teaching Dance: Science & Art
