Swati Athmanathan wears multiple hats. A multi-faceted artiste belonging to the upcoming generation, she is a fine Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, vocalist, music composer, anchor, teacher, yoga trainer, and fitness and nutrition coach. Swati has been the senior disciple of veterans in the field of Bharatanatyam Padma Bhushan Professor CV Chandrasekhar and Jaya Chandrasekhar for the past 10 years.
Born and brought up in Varanasi, Swati started learning the nuances of Bharatanatyam and poetry under the able guidance of her grandfather, the late Professor KV Krishnan. She has performed at several solo dance and vocal music concerts. She has also served as the manager of the Association of Bharatanatyam Artists of India – Chennai. Swati, along with her colleague Santanu Roy, is the founder and co-director of Bandish Arts, a non-profit organization curated for the welfare of performing artists who lost their stage shows due to COVID and lockdown in the year 2020. The duo is now set to bring their latest production Devaalayam, on stage.
“Devaalayam is an attempt to experience the beautiful architecture of a temple through the construction of dance,” Swati begins to tell us, as she elaborates, “Deva Aalayam is termed to depict the residence of that Divine Energy. In simple terms, we call it a temple but we often don’t realize or acknowledge the fact that entering that astonishing atmosphere itself brings unbelievable energy within us, that fills a dancer with joy and happiness. And after all, this is why we dance!”
The performance aims to question while we often perform to give our offerings or surrender ourselves to Him (the Divine), do we ever experience His ' residence' which has divine energy?
A duet depicting the love towards Him, the performance is more of a joy when we experience His leelas that are not just stories to listen to but are the life lessons that ring an alarm in our minds to lead with valor, Swati tells us.
On the other hand, Devalayam is more a gurukul for curators Swati and Santanu Roy, who are bringing new storylines in the traditions of their guru's compositions. Elaborating on the inspiration behind this piece, Swati says both Santanu and her are always inspired by their gurus. “Their surrender for the sake of art has only inspired us to re-create this concept through their compositions,” she says.
The performance will witness a Margam, a common carpet to present the Bharatanatyam recital, yet in a different way along with the story compilation. Swati and Santanu’s duet performance will emphasize their support and love for each other. “As a dancer, we are choosing to perform together and for each other because we know our ultimate aim is Him – the divine,” says Swati, adding, “Devaalayam is not just the praise of the Ultimate, it is the realization of real joy and happiness that survives within us.”
Tickets at INR 300 onwards.
December 27, 7 pm.
At Medai – The Stage, Alwarpet.
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