Growing up in Kolkata, danseuse Vandana Alase Hazra never had an alternative vision on life where art did not exist in any form. Like every other culturally rooted parent residing in this part of the world, her mother too sent young Vandana for Bharatnatyam lessons as an extracurricular activity. Vandana however, soon realised the dance form means much more to her and eventually pursued it as a career. Having pursued a mainstream degree as the basic criteria laid down by her father, she delved deep into the world of dance and found passion in finding a different approach towards Bharatnatyam, from the eyes of a non-Tamilian practising the dance form in another state. She went on to train under the legendary Guru T V Saunderrajan in Nalanda NrityaKala Mahavidyalaya in Mumbai, and today she not only practises widely as a solo artist but also collaborates with multi-disciplinary artists to create works of varied appeal. She is also a guest faculty at Rabindra Bharati University and often conducts workshops across the country to understand dance pedagogies. We speak to Vandana to learn more about her approach towards this ancient dance form.
How do you keep up with the traditional aspect of Bharatnatyam while making it relevant to the new generation?
Being aware of the crises practicing dancers face over the years is of prime importance as after a point you realise you have spent years trying to master an art form, only to wonder if it is relevant to the current times anymore or not. Communicating these to the younger generation and introducing them to the world of talking without symbols set out the basics. It is also important to not just focus on the external ways of expression through dance. Making them contemplate and inquire into life and beliefs is a way to associate them with the crises faced over the years. Dancers especially at the post-graduation level must move beyond perceiving dance as just an imitative process. I also try to inculcate choreographies that are much more based on nature than religious symbology that will make them comfortable with these internal dilemmas. Choreographing pieces that are more comprehensible in terms of language is another method I try to explore.
Take us through your process of trying to make Bharatnatyam an interdisciplinary form.
Any form of art that is relevant to life is primarily an inter-disciplinary form since it begins with inquiry into life, which essentially is Philosophy. Next, to construct particular dance segments, collaboration with musicians, literature and poetry has always been there making it an interdisciplinary art form from the very beginning. Coming to the present times, interdisciplinary studies have become an important part of the curriculum in the last two decades also in subjects like science and technology. Bharatnatyam is usually associated with musical instruments like the Mridangam for instance, which is not widely available in Kolkata. This gives rise to possibilities of collaborating with North Indian musicians, which in turn brings the dance form closer to the people who live in these parts. Studying the rhythms of poetry and not just dance, is also another example of how a dance piece can be enriched. Additionally, advancement of audio and video recording facilities have further enhanced and changed the interdisciplinary nature of Bharatnatyam.
Are you working on any new concepts and projects?
I have not been performing a lot lately, especially due to the pandemic. Simultaneously I also realised that I am looking forward to teaching and collaborative works more at this point of my life. However I do have dreams of working on the saint poets of Maharashtra such as Tukaram. I will also be conducting a few workshops in and around Bengal in the next few months.