Making her debut in a solo performance in Bengaluru, danseuse Anoushka Rehman has a promising future in the artform

Nrityagram has come to be known for the quality of the dancers it produces and the city’s dance and art community have been gung-ho about the debut solo performance by one of their most-talked about young students, Anoushka Rehman. We catch up with the young danseuse to understand what this ranga pravesha of sorts will feature…

What led to your interest in dance?

My parents enrolled me in odishi classes when I was 3 years old, and there was no looking back. As I grew older, the dance grew within me and became a part of who I am, very organically. It has been my first love and has expanded in me, in more ways than I can comprehend.

What can we look forward to in your solo debut?

I will be presenting a repertoire of six pieces, curated by my guru Surupa Sen. It’s a one and a half hour long solo odishi recital. Five of the pieces are her compositions and one is choreographed by guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. All the six pieces are different and unique, with aspects of technical and emotional graphs. Nrityagram performances are specially noted for their trademark techniques and choreographies and I am hoping I will be able to bring alive the magic of my guru’s pieces through myself and do justice to the work that she has done here in the last 35 years and showcase her contribution to the field of odishi.

As a young dancer, how do you ensure the art form you represent is accessible to your own generation?

I feel it is extremely important to make odishi accessible to our own generation, with widespread circulation of introductory information and knowledge, in both formal and informal spaces, along with exposure to live shows. In Nrityagram, we try to do that as much as possible.

How relevant is classical dance in today’s world, according to you?

Although our form is inherently devotional and spiritual, which in my opinion is not a common trait that we see in our generation or the upcoming ones, I still believe there is a certain aspect of purity and encapsulation of time, that come hand in hand with this form, which this generation craves for deep inside; and that’s the thread that makes our form relevant to this generation. I can take my own example here, I have been a non-practising Muslim all my life with zero exposure to any kind of god or religion, but the dance has been my medium to my spiritual journey and has helped me find my faith. I think in these times of instant gratification and continuous hustle to keep running and finding ‘something,’ the beauty of classical dance is that it demands you to stop, hold on for a second and calmly absorb what you see and feel. That experience is priceless and will always be necessary and relevant — from the happiest of times to the darkest ones.

Where can we see you present your artform, next?

I’m a member of the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and we have upcoming shows including a performance on January 9, 2025 at the 18th Dance Festival of The Madras Music Academy.

Entry free. November 9, 7 pm onwards. At JNCASR Auditorium, Jakkur.

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