A performance that combines bharatanatyam and theatrical music seems like a very interesting one and the city is set to witness Shravya S Vasista and Anil V Iyer take the stage today for RangaGeethaAbhinaya. Both the performers are trained bharatanatyam dancers, theatre actors and students of carnatic music. The performance is a presentation of bharatanatyam with theatrical music, which explores the nuances of theatre through dance. We speak to Anil Iyer, one of the dancers, who shares his thoughts on the production, his upcoming projects and lots more…
Can you tell us more about the production?
Both Shravya and I, are not just bharatanatyam dancers but also theatre actors. Having been introduced to theatre by B Jayashree, who is a renowned theatre actor, director and singer, we have also been presenting ranga geethe, which means theatrical music as performances, and through that, we got the chance to learn and perform the art in many shows and multiple venues over the years. The old theatre practice, which is kampani theatre, had plays that were designed in such a way that the music predominantly played the role of narrating the whole story or linking the scenes. Then we had the amateur theatre, which had its own songs and music that was presented alongside. So, we thought we should present a production based on just theatrical music in a bharatanatyam movement vocabulary, which is not done till now, as far as we know.
Will the production be more theatre or dance?
The performance fits into all categories. Since it is theatrical music, we decided not to go for recorded music but to have a live musical ensemble. We have singers, percussionists and instrumentalists accompanying us. The richness of theatre music is with its musicians. It is neither folk nor classical or light music. It brings in all aspects, retaining the structure of what a dialogue does in a theatrical play. Keeping the same essence and adding some movements to it, is our work. You can call it a dance based on theatrical music. Also, I am spilling the beans here. We also have a narrator, who is not just going to narrate or emcee about the dance or music but also weave through the stories. The narrator is going to talk about how the play evolved and how it was received and also how it is significant to what we are presenting today.
What were some of the changes you came across while working on different theatre pieces?
The old kampani style, the professional theatre group that we were introduced to, their music is extremely rich in the classical genre of music. Even the lyrics are very character-based. But later on, you could notice that it need not be particular to a character or scene as such but it could just be used to bridge two scenes. Or a song in itself could be a story. We have taken dance-able songs because not all theatre music can be danced to within a bharatanatyam framework. Keeping that in mind, we are not doing a traditional bharatanatyam recital. We have explored more creative choreography.
Bharatanatyam being a classical dance form, bringing in changes to it might have been a tough job. Was it that way?
I think theatre helps with that. It is usually a medium that breaks the framework and creates an alternative framework for every scene or action. Theatre is always meant to be unconventional. Also, little ability to be versatile has helped us break the rigidity that a classical framework can bring in because everything is defined.
Has the performance been staged before? If so, what changes have you brought to this production?
Yes, this production was first staged five or six years ago and yes, we have brought some changes to the production. We have brought in 15 or 20 percent of the initial choreography and enhanced the performance in many ways. I guess that happened because we grew as artistes and also because of the liberty we get with live music.
INR 200. July 29, 6.30 pm. At Viveka Auditorium, Jayanagar.
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