When renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Rama Vaidyanathan took to the stage with four of his students at the Madhavi Festival in New Delhi last year, it was poetry in motion. Remarkably, this dancer retained the core forms of classical dance while bringing in a fresh perspective, making her movements more fluid and expansive, with occasional applause echoing through the packed auditorium. , the audience remained spellbound.
Watching her performance, the audience couldn't help but notice how this dance form has evolved in style, theme, and appearance while staying true to its core. Bharatanatyam was originally a form of temple dance, but now it is no longer restricted to temples. The inclusion of secular and universal themes while adhering to tradition has definitely contributed to its popularity within the state and beyond.
Among the themes that Vaidyanathan performed in front of a diverse audience was the universal theme of love, which she played with the symbol of Lord Krishna.
Beyond a closed identity
This dance form originated in Tamil Nadu and was performed primarily in temples, but it spread throughout India.
“The story may seem to revolve around Lord Krishna, but the theme is universal: love,” Vaidyanathan says of his performance.
In India, although many see Indian classical dance as confined to a particular identity, secular themes have always found their way into performances, often evoking the gods Shiva, Rama and Krishna. Masu.
Kamalini Dutt, former director of Doordarshan Central Archives in New Delhi, explains this phenomenon: When performed, the lyrics go beyond religious content and appeal to a broader sensibility, even when addressing or describing Shiva, Krishna, and Rama. ”
Dutt, a young Bharatanatyam prodigy, suffers an accident that makes her career as a dancer impossible. However, this did not diminish her love for art. Her Dutt is known for her work in archiving Doordarshan's old content on art, culture, dance, music, drama, etc. that was discarded as her television moved from black and white to color.
According to her, Bharatanatyam ceases to be a religious art the moment it leaves the temple and enters a secular space. Immediately after India gained independence in 1947, the then President of Madras abolished the Devadasi system. Devadasis are women who dedicated the rest of their lives to gods and temples. They learned, performed and preserved this temple dance form among other things. The abolition of the devadasi system democratized the dance form, but at the cost of the loss of livelihood, power, and prestige to the women who had long been its guardians. Since then, stalwart artists like Rukmini Devi Arundale, Yamini Krishnamurthy, Balasaraswati, Mrinalini and Mallika Sarabhai have become stalwarts in the field.
Divya Devaguptap, a supporter of Bharatanatyam, sang Kabir's famous poem 'Moko Kahan' at the World Dance Day festival curated by dancer and Padma Shri awardee Geetha Chandran in New Delhi last year. He performed “Doon Do Re Band…” and showed off the evolution of the form over time. “Art should be universal like Kabir,” Devaguptap says. At the festival, dancer Pavitra Bhat's performance revolved around male and female emotions. “While these are universal, it is true that here the protagonist was a Shiva Linga in the form of Brihadeshwara, but it only represents a male identity.”
Notably, Bharatanatyam is considered a female-dominated field. However, over the years, many male performers have made a name for themselves. This is despite the stigma that many face. “This question is often asked, but luckily I have never faced any such problem,” says Bhatt, adding that these days many male Bharatanatyam dancers get ample performance opportunities. He added that he has not only won several awards, but also won several awards.
Talking about his performances, Burt agrees that religious symbolism on universal themes can be difficult to understand for a wider audience, but here he says, “You have to be a little bit judicious in choosing the composition.'' If you stick to your traditions, you can definitely get the audience excited about your form,” he says.
Before the performance, some artists also communicate with the audience and speak about the theme in a language that the audience understands. This not only helps attract the audience, but also makes the composition easier to understand.
Beyond religious and popular themes, this dance form is also employed to raise awareness on many issues. “Apart from regular performances, I have also performed for cancer organizations, underprivileged children and the deaf and dumb,” Burt says. Not only these, but themes such as gender inequality, Dalit movements, etc. have also come to the fore, and this ancient dance form has not remained unaffected by the surrounding socio-political climate; This is evidence that it has evolved significantly from its constituent elements. .
From stage to smartphone
No art form can remain unchanged. It will change over time. It also enfolds within itself the state of society. The same goes for Bharatanatyam. By looking at past performance and comparing it to recent performance, you can easily see how society has changed over the years.
As a producer for Doordarshan, Dutt has witnessed the transformation of Bharatanatyam in his four-decade-long career. She explains: “When she joined Doordarshan in 1972, her life
According to Chandran, an avid follower of Bharatanatyam, dance has grown in two ways. Explaining it perfectly, she says: “The Bharatanatyam lake has been deeply engraved in tradition, even though some artists have carved out the borders of the lake to reshape its contours. Both movements are equally important and are part of the dance form. It has further increased its weight.”
These changes are more fundamental to the dancers, but the audience can also see the changes as the venue gets bigger, the costumes get jazzier, and the makeup gets more intense.
Initially performed in open spaces, this dance form has found a new audience on social media, and long performances have been replaced with multi-minute performances. During this process of change, dance forms also adapted to new media.
Talking about the transition from stage to social media through television, Dutt says, “The proscenium gave classical dance a lot of space. As a result, there was a wider range of movements that had to cover the space. On TV, there is a lot more space that the dancers have to deal with, a performance There is a certain space given to perform, a mid-shot or close-up that the camera provides. The close-up provided a deep look into the emotional space of the performer and brought a different kind of visual energy. ”
According to Dutt, social media is now the center of attention and is helping to expand and increase viewership.
While this is true, dancers' experiences are not the same. “I perform on stage in front of a live audience because of the connection,” says Bhatt, who also runs her YouTube channel showcasing her dance performances.
check box
Bharatanatyam once provided Devadasis with the means to acquire wealth, power and prestige. Now, making a living from it is a concern for some dancers. Support from family and teachers has kept Burt going, but concerns about income can sometimes discourage performers.
“You need to invest time and money.”
But building that brand today takes a lot more than dance. “Sound and light techniques and performing arts are now expected of dancers,” says Chandran. “Dancers are expected to do everything themselves, from conceiving the dance piece, setting the music, leading rehearsals, designing costumes, planning events, and driving publicity,” she says. Masu. A lot is expected of a dancer, but the ecosystem that supports her has not evolved much.
Elaborating on this, a Bharatanatyam veteran says: Dancers are required to invest their own money to create their work. As I said earlier, there is a total lack of a vibrant and egalitarian ecosystem to support dance and dancers,” says Chandran.
“There's a lot of work to do.