Reflections of the society on stage

The ongoing 16th Dance Festival at The Music Academy, Madras has been one of the most loved dance festivals in Chennai, that promises a profusion of performances by artistes, each prominent in their respective dance form or genre. Amongst a whole lot of eminent dancers, we catch up with bharatanatyam performers Parshwanath Upadhye and Rama Vaidyanathan who are going to be presenting their creations on stage on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

A satire on society

“I am presenting the traditional margam because The Music Academy does expect artistes to present the margam format only. Within that format, I have chosen a lot of interesting compositions, starting with a combination of Chota Khayal and Natesha Kauthuvam (sung in praise of Lord Shiva) — which is a combination of hindustani and carnatic music. I move to a centrepiece, known as Swarajathi — but here, it’s from the perspective of Lord Shiva’s greatest devotee, Ravana. The third composition is written by Kshetrayya — known as Kshetrayya’s Padam. My composition is a sarcastic take on society where I present a man eve-teasing a woman. When his proposal is rejected by the woman, he starts gossiping about her, even badmouthing her. So, it’s a satire on the society we live in today,” says Parshwanath Upadhye. 

Also read: Veteran Bharatnatyam guru Vandana Alase Hazra shares with us her alternative approach towards the dance form

Since he mentions satire, we ask the artiste if people are receptive of such subjects on stage, and he responds, “Art has always represented society. Having said that, subjects we choose today wouldn’t have been appropriate 30-40 years ago, owing to stigmas attached to various issues in different times. Such themes were not open for discussion then, but today, thanks to social media, we are allowed to openly have a dialogue through art, and I do think people are more receptive now.”

Talking from personal experience, Parshwanath explains, “We have been a part of society where male dancers were expected to dance in a certain way. As a child, I was bullied and made fun of. It was only in my 30s that my guru told me that I had to be myself on stage, irrespective of the gender. Prior to that, all my gurus would teach me compositions that are male oriented, sans any shingara, or grace. But over time, things have evolved and so have I, and I’m glad all those clichés are vanishing.”

Parshwanath says he is elated to be performing in Chennai, because “it is the Kashi of bharatanatyam. “The popularity of the new bharatanatyam that was developed in the last century is all thanks to Chennai because it is the epicentre. The way Chennai is rooted in culture and tradition makes every artiste go back to basics, and this apart from giving a lot of opportunity to be creative within the boundaries, which is so rare! We go to different cities to perform, and receive compliments that motivate us, but what Chennai gives artistes is unparalleled — it evaluates our work and offers 
constructive criticism for improvement.”

Mother Earth – the nurturer

Rama Vaidyanathan is all set to present a composition that she created during the pandemic. Giving us a little bit of background, she says, “During the pandemic, I wasn’t touring or performing; so I had all the time to look into things with depth, explore and expand my creative thought process, without having to worry about a deadline or have an agenda. That helped me envisage an imagery of a plant growing out of a woman’s womb — which of course, is not in my dance vocabulary. So, I had to create new vocabulary, new imagery, but within the framework of my dance, and that involves a lot of thought and time.”

The artiste’s performance is going to be on a range of topics. “The first piece is called the Ratna Garbha, which means Mother Earth who has the whole of nature inside her womb, and how she constantly delivers, every season, year after year. I was inspired by a figurine from the Harappa civilization which shows a plant growing from the womb of a woman. That imagery stuck in my mind, and I created a whole piece revolving around the same. I have also incorporated verses from 
the Rigveda.”

That’s not all. Rama’s piece has an interesting weave of different issues, as she chooses her protagonist to be a farmer. “I think it’s very appropriate. I felt the need to use the farmer’s voice. Basically, it is all about the universal idea of respecting Mother Earth and offering our prayers to our nurturer who gives us so much.”

Also read: Odissi dancer Laavanya Ghosh is working on the art of story-telling through facial expressions and classical techniques

After Ratna Garbha, she is also going to perform, “a typically traditional composition — Swarajathi” as she puts it. “I wanted a mix of creative and traditional in my presentation this time at the dance festival. So, I have included Swarajathi which is about love, longing and passion.”

Before signing off, the dancer tells us why she thinks “Chennai is the Mecca of bharatanatyam”. “We find the most number of bharatanatyam connoisseurs from this city. Whether or not your piece is liked, any dancer performing here is assured that their creations will receive a response and that response comes only when one understands the art.”

Also read: Serendipity Arts Festival: How a Maharashtrian folk dance-drama Lavanya Katta won the audience over

She also says that for any tradition to thrive, it has to constantly evolve. “Same goes for traditional dance forms. There is always this tenacity, an urge to communicate the language of the current times. In that respect, classical art forms are evolving. And I don’t believe evolving equals compromising, for there are enough gurus maintaining the core principles of the dance forms.”

Parshwanath performs on January 6 at 11.30 am;
Rama performs on January 7 at 6 pm.
At The Music Academy, Mylapore.