This International Dance Day, we decided to focus on one of the city’s most celebrated classical dancers who has also come to be known for her experiments in theatre and contemporary dance. Fondly called ‘akka’ by some and ‘amma’ by many others, she is indeed a ‘mother’ to many in the world of dance. Often speaking up for marginalised voices in dance and beyond, she is also warmly regarded as a ‘safe space,’ quite literally opening her home and hearth to dancers for rehearsals and more recently, for one of the city’s most famous vegan pop-ups. A connoisseur of all things fine, she is also a champion of indigenous textiles and can often be spotted across the city’s nightlife in the most au courant fashion. We are, of course, speaking of none other than danseuse, actress, choreographer and more recently, social media celebrity, Anita Ratnam. With several brilliant dance festivals and projects to her name, Anita is also known for her gift to the dance world — narthaki. We catch up with the multifaceted artiste to speak about dance, her journey and lots more. Excerpts.
How did this journey in dance begin?
I became a dancer because my mother was not allowed to dance. When she was growing up, her father thought bharatanatyam was not something for girls from our family background. But my mother just wanted to dance so much and I think she made a secret vow to herself that if she had daughters that she would definitely give them the opportunity to do so. So, I think it was because of my mother’s great unfulfilled wish that I began to dance at a very young age.
Starting off in classical dance, you then at some point in your life decided to also experiment with contemporary forms of movement and choreography?
When I was about 19, I was already a successful well-known classical dancer. I was also very interested in sports. I applied for a scholarship to a university in New Orleans, USA and I got a scholarship to study theatre and television. I had a choice of either going to the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance or to go to a regular university and do a masters. My mother was very keen I do a masters because nobody in the family had done more than a BA at that time. In fact, my mother got her BA after her children were married because that’s how keen we were as a family when it came to education. While I was there, I worked in television, theatre, and film, and began to understand what was needed before one steps onto the stage. There is a costume department, there’s the lighting department, there’s a rehearsal director and then there’s a director. There’s also a script and there’s so much more that you have to deal with! So, I asked myself: why are we only looking at the classical dancing body which is just beautiful and visual and very well trained; why can’t we move beyond Radha Krishna… Rama Sita? I thought the world was changing and yet somehow, the repertoire, the content of what I had learned was not speaking to me. I love the form but I had a problem with the content. So, I said: now, what do I do? How do I start creating a vocabulary or a language and take what I love and transform it? How do I make my art and my life come closer together rather than be separate? How can I walk the talk? So, there was that period of experimentation which was quite long. It didn’t happen overnight and eventually, I created a style which I call neo-bharatam and that’s how that journey unfurled.
You then came back to India and started narthaki.com?
I’ve always thought technology is a great bridge across generations for ideas. I’ve always believed that one needs to harness it and use it in the right way. So, narthiki began as a telephone directory in 1992. It was a telephone book and it started because the Indian Consulate and the Indian Embassy didn’t have phone numbers of prominent Indian dancers when the American media wanted to come to India and do some soft stories. That got me thinking — if the most important dancers of India are not available to our international embassies, the representations of our country abroad will also be affected by that. So, I began working on this directory and it was a slow process. I had to find and appoint people in 10 cities and asked them to get me 50 names and addresses. It was published in 1992 and sold out in three months. Then we just kept printing these directories and when the 2000s approached and we knew we had to go online, we promptly did so in April 2000. The rest is history.
You’re also a textile aficionado, where does that love come from?
My mother and my grandmother were great fashionistas, I mean they were very fashion conscious and fashion forward for their time and they always insisted on beautiful fabrics. They insisted on being conscious of the weaves and supporting weavers, so, I think that imprinted on me. I often think if I was not in dance and performance, then I might have been in fashion — because I love looking at crafts, textiles, different kinds of accessories and costume jewelry and obsess over how one can look their best on any occasion.
Shifting focus to the reason for this interview — your message on International Dance Day 2023?
On International Dance Day, I wish everyone ‘dance’ in their lives! Dancers are so fortunate to have this element of embodied expression and I hope that across generations, we can hold on to this exhilarating gift. Dance chooses you and seizes you. As millions across the world celebrate this day, I wish to add a note of caution. We live in a multicultural world, of many shapes, sizes and cultures, languages, faiths and beliefs. The body is a universal language and must be celebrated beyond identity and narrow binaries. It is time for dancers, especially in India, to shed homophobic and trans-phobic reactions, closely held ideas about aesthetics of the dancing body and embrace every single human being in their quest for self expression. The creative arts have always welcomed every kind of identity and as performing artistes; we must lead the way in a world that is narrowing and closing borders to diversity and variety. There is no redress mechanism for issues of harassment and personal dilemmas. The dance community has to step up and stop being part of the ‘popcorn generation.’ We cannot sit on the fence or sidelines without engaging, anymore!
And finally, even though we have so much more to talk about, what can we see you working on next?
In 2023, I have put aside time to archive, digitise and document my work of several decades. I will be touring as a guest artiste in a production called Warrior Women of Bharat in which I will play the role of Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, the commander of the first all female fighting regiment of the Indian National Army. I will also be premiering Prism, a meditative sharing of Tibetan and mountain landscapes. This is also the year I am preparing for the 25th revival performance of Kaisika Natakam, the annual ritual in the ancestral temple in my hometown, Thirukurungudi, while I also continue to travel to mentor several students in the US and Europe. I’m also ruminating on a new group work called White.
romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal