Music in and For Bharathanatyam- A Survey report- Part 3

Continued from

• Part 1
• Part 2

Carnatic Music Aptitude and/or Knowldege for dancers

An overall agreement that an aptitude or knowledge of carnatic music in the dancer helps him/her excel in Bharathanatyam, is seen from the survey responses; with the scores from within India being slightly higher in this regard. Similarly the musicians placed a higher emphasis on the need for CM knowledge/aptitude in dancers.

On how exactly Carnatic Music helps dancers improve, the general feeling can be best expressed in the words of Manjari :-

“It certainly is a big plus if the dancer understands and appreciates music, it adds much more depth to their dancing”.

It is felt that an understanding of the thala, lyrics and the flavour of the raga improve the nritta and abinaya aspects of the dance .

“Attending concerts exposes them to a variety of songs which can be included in their repertoire.”- Hamsa Venkat

Music as a requirement for choreography

However, the open-end answers, reveal that the depth of knowledge acceptable/considered essential in itself is dictated by what the dance student/dancer aims to be. Lakshmi Ramasamy referring to those who want to be professional performers says “Dancer should have a good idea of music, if not professionally sing”. “Choreographing and composing call for a higher understanding of the ragas and rhythm structures. (Anupriya Krishnan and Kavitha Ramu) as the dance should reflect the flow of the music (Soumya Tilak)”

“I don’t want a dancer to be jumping around vigorously in a slow Neelambari composition. It just affects my sensibilities” says S. Srinivasan.

If the teacher/choreographer or the dancer also is the one who decides the item list, then an awareness of which ragas should and should not be placed in proximity will go a long way in making the total performance a success. For e.g.,  Keeravani Jathiswaram followed by Simendramadhyamam item is a strict no-no!

Singing abilities for the Teacher/Nattuvanar

Yesteryear nattuvanars were excellent musicians. If the teacher intends to choreograph items for her students, then as seen from above deliberations, would definitely need to be aware of the technical nuances of Carnatic music . Also if the teacher is the one singing during the class, an appropriate standard of singing will go a long way in developing an appreciation of music itself and transalate itself as spontaneous reaction to music at subconscious levels.

A rasika, who accompanied her niece to a few dance class sessions said that

“I really don’t understand how the teacher whose singing (that she heard from the verandah outside) didn’t confine the tune to one recognisable ragam could expect her students to attain a good standard! The music appreciation of the students should be inculcated way before it is practically possible for them to practise with musicians.”

Even if the musician has all the attributes necessary it may still call for precise communication of the necessities by the nattuvanar to elicit the perfect match for the choreography- it is his vision that is being presented after all. But to communicate perfectly to the musician, the nattuvanar/ teacher/ choreographer needs to have a musical vocabulary. Bombay Jayasri says that Leela Samson knew exactly what she needed and communicated it precisely to help her give her best.

In a nutshell as Anupriya says “Dancers in India grow up in an environment where they are constantly exposed to classical music and dance. Media plays a very vital role. Unfortunately, (in some places), other than class time and practice time, students rarely get to see or hear good music and dance. Learning CN music along with BN has its own perks. Ragam & Talam gyanam is far better for those who know CN music. As a dancer, I enjoy and relate much better to a dance because of my CN background. Choreography and teaching become a natural thing for a dancer who is well versed with CN music. So CN is imperative for BN.”

The stalwarts of Bharathanatym did and do find a  “Pakka balam*” in the “Pakka vadyam*” (*Soumya quoting Smt. Chitra Visweswaran) with their aptitude and appreciation of music. So there is no escaping the fact, that to be a complete dancer, one should work hard on developing an aptitude for carnatic music (if it isn’t there yet).

CD as a replacement for live orchestra.

This is one question to which the rasikas, musicians and the dancers varied predictably and widely in their response. The rasikas quite disagree with the trend (an avg score of 3.1) while the dancers seem to embrace the concept (an avg score of 7.1). Various articles have discussed the difficulties of dancers in putting together a good orchestra. The problems range from lack of availability, to lack of co-operation, high costs and fee of the members of the orchestra and practical problems in travelling with a orchestra. These probably are the reasons for dancers being more willing to use professional CDs today.  But most rasikas and a few dancers favour it ”only as a last resort”.Musician Rama varma says “Better to use a good CD than a bad live musician!”

A definite distinction is to be made at this juncture between the ready-made commercial one-size fits all CDs and the individualized CDs that are specially recorded in a studio for a particular dancer/ choreography. These sure are expensive.  Hamsa Venkat, a dancer carefully adds,” As long as the CD has been recorded professionally for you “(it may be alright).Echoing this sentiment Passionate Dancer says “For many, it’s a means of survival, when finding a good orchestra is not possible. As long as it is professionally recorded music and if the dancer is able to use the recording to her advantage and give a good presentation it is fine.The ones off the shelf may not suit your needs most of the time, is alright for beginners.”

Our cheeky rasika  narrates her woes-

“I am tired of hearing the same professional CD Natesa kavutuvam, I can even sing along with it now! Well many gurus where I live seem to have learnt the kavutuvam from the same VCD too, so all their students perform similarly to the same song. Nothing original about it, leave alone the surprise element! Thankfully the power never fails in our place!”

And dancer/teacher Anupriya Krishnan says “I will never be able to relate to a 2 hour recital if there is no live music. But if it is a 5 -10 min program, I guess I will survive ”

United we Stand a better Chance?

“Music is dance and dance is music. And the one without the other would never be complete.” (Rama Varma). Carnatic Music and Bharathanatyam are not mutually independent sets. If the quality of music in dance recitals is appreciable, probably more music rasikas would consider attending dance concerts.  Dance rasikas who begin to develop a taste for Carnatic Music aided by the good music that they get to hear from the dance orchestra, may actually consider attending music concerts!

Acknowledgements

I wish to express my gratitude to Aishwarya Anantha, Anupriya Krishnan, Bhanu Krishnan, Binal Vyas, Devi Ravi, Hamsa venkat, Jayakamala Pandian, Kavitha Ramu, Lakshmi Ramasamy, Madhana Raghavan, Manjari Rajendrakumar (nee Chandrasekar), Navia Natarajan Menon, Nrithya Pillai, Padma Balakumar, Rama Varma, R. Rajendrakumar, Santosh Kumar Menon, Shantha Somasundaram, S. Srinivasan,  Soumya Tilak, Suganthi.P, Sumi Krishnan, Umaa Sathyanarayanan and those who came up with interesting pseudonyms (Passionate dancer, Music of Hearts, Eternal student of the art of Bharatanatyam) and a few others who wished to remain anonymous who took the time to fill in their survey questionnaire and/or discuss their opinion on this topic with me. I am grateful to the 3 of you who proof read the questionnaire. I am also thankful to Sumi Krishnan of http://sydhwaney.com for helping me with the data collection. I also absolutely am indepted to Madhana Raghavan, Sowmya Tilak and Rajendra Kumar for graciously accepting to proof (and to have) read this mess!

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Carnatic Music, Dance, Dance Gurus, India, Performing Arts, Rasika, academics, artists, choreograhers, choreography, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, learning, students , Soumya Tilak

Music in and for Bharathanatyam- A Survey report (Part 1)

“Geetham vaadyam tathaa nrityam, trayam sangeetham uchyate” – Sangeetha Ratnakara

What’s the scene and perception today?-  A survey report

Introduction

Asha Ramesh, a carnatic vocalist trained under Sangeeta Kalanidhi D. K. Jayaraman was hosted on Jaya TV’s Kalaimalar, their morning talkshow. Now a part of Smt . Ranganayaki Jayaraman’s (saraswathi Gana Nilayam) family, she accompanies dance kutcheris in Chennai and in US where she currently resides. She described her experiences as a dance musician. She mentioned that her Guru wasn’t very happy when she mentioned to him that she was considering accompanying dancers! She believes dance music dosent deserve the step-child treatment it currently receives and believes singing for dance can be an intellectual challenge.

Sri. V.P. Dhananjayan in his book “Beyond Performing Art and Culture – Politico-Social aspects’ ” vehemently regrets the current compartmentalisation of dancers and musicians. He says,” I have a problem with Carnatic musicians who do not attend any Bharatanaatyam performances.  I do not know whether they have a superiority complex or whether they feel that they cannot enjoy a Bharatanaatyam performance. If a musician cannot understand or enjoy a Bharatanaatyam performance, I am sorry to say that they are not a “Sangeetagna”. He has also in a response to a comment on the article said “since publishing this article a couple of years ago, the situation has improved for better.” (As quoted in Narthaki.com)

Bombay Jayasri in her recent interview to Sruti recalls how her early dance training at Rajarajeswary Natyalaya at Bombay helped her accompany Leela Samson’s dance recital

Objectives of the Survey

Inspired by the above, we set about doing an article about Music in and for Bharathanatyam for BN & WWW. We planned to look at the general perceptions regarding music in and for dance among dancers, musicians, teachers and rasikas.

Methodology

A questionnaire was randomly emailed to few dancers, musicians, teachers and rasikas who had interacted with BN and WWW on previous occassions.Sydhwaney.com also hosted the questionnaire on their website and replies posted as comments on their website was also used for collecting data. It should be said at the outset, this study may at best be considered a pilot study since n (the number of respondents) is small and no systematic attempt was made to correlate the surveyed proportion of musicians/dancers/teachers/rasikas to what would be a general representative of people in attendance of a dance recital. But nevertheless this small survey would reflect existing expectations and perceptions in the group surveyed.

The survey questionnaire included a total of 9 questions relating to:-

1. What qualities are expected of a musician accompanying a dance recital? (4 ques)
2. Dancers need for music knowledge/appreciation-(2 ques)
3. Does an appreciation of dance improve skill sets of a musician?(1 ques)
4. Do professional singers feel comfortable accompanying dancers? (1 ques)
5. CD as a substitute for live orchestra (1 ques)

Most of the answers needed the respondents to ascribe a numerical value in the space provided at the end of the question/statement.The respondents were asked to rate their responses to a question/statemenr on a scale of 0- 10 , with 0 meaning you strongly disagree and 10 meaning you strongly agree 

0________________________________________10

strongly disagree                                      strongly agree

 For eg, if they strongly felt that good music accompaniment was necessary for a dance program they would perform/attend they score it 10

 A few optional open ended questions were included and the respondents were also given an option to add related information as they deemed fit. The questionnaire was sent initially to a dancer, rasika and musician to verify the face and content value and aptness of the survey material. Modifications suggested were incorporated. The data collection was done between Oct 25th and Nov 8th, 2009.

Observations:

The  demographics of the responses

A total of responses from 26 respondents are used in this survey. Their classification as dancers, musicians, dance teachers and rasikas are based on their voluntary recommendation appropriate to their current situation. There are a few who definitely belong to 2 classes and we placed them in what we considered was the most appropriate. 54% of the respondents were either dancers or dance teachers, 34% rasikas and 12% were musicians, which is so because of the nature of visitors to this blog. Nevertheless it should be noted that this may not be very different from the actual attendees of a dance concert itself, where the audience consists mainly of dance students, dance teachers, rasikas (a major component being family and friends of students/dancers) and very few musicians. But we may never see 12% of the audience being comprised of musicians!  Again because of the viewership pattern of this blog 42% of the respondents are from India and the rest of the responses came from subjects in USA, UK, Malaysia and Australia. It was also noted that the categories of musicians, dancers, rasikas and teachers were equally distributed among participants of the survey from India and abroad.

Comparison of responses among dancers, musicians and rasikas

Click on the image to view an enlarged version.

Comparison of responses from within and outside India

Click on the Imarge to see an enlarged version

These pictures might just give you an idea with regards to the responses. I believe they will make more sense along with the discussion that I am currently working on using the remarks from the survey.

Part 2- Discussions

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Australia, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, CD, Carnatic Music, Chennai, Dance, India, KL, Kuala Lumpur, London, Madras, NRI, Performing Arts, Rasika, UK, USA, academics, artists, choreography, do's and don'ts for dancers, learning, leela samson, students , survey

Padams and Javali

Here are some explanations  by Carnatic musicians on what differentiates Padams and Javalis

S.Sowmya (In Tamil)

 

By Rama Varma (In Malayalam)

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Carnatic Music, Dance, Literature, Padam, Performing Arts, Prince Rama Varma, Rasika, Tamil, artists, choreograhers, choreography, learning, students , Javalis

Vaishnavism and related aspects in Bharathanatyam

A reader of this blog recently attended a dance program by Zakir Hussain titled “Narayanam”, that showcased his reasearch work in Vaishnavism.Zakir received training in dance under Chitra Visweswaran and learnt theory from Krishnaveni Lakshmanan of Kalakshetra. She told me that his work was based on Vaishnavism during 5th and 6th century and that he had learnt the Aagama mudras from the chief priest of Sri Parthsarathy Swamy Temple, Chennai. I recall that Ms. Anita Ratnam did a similar research with the Aryar Sevai and their revival. She incorporated her research into her production titled “Neelam”.

 At this point, my memories take me back to the small Thengalai Iyengar ” Kothanda Ramaswamy” Kovil in the colony that I grew up in. The mudras that the temple priest used in his everyday rituals were indeed mesmerising and narrative.

Here is an excerpt form the Aryar Sevai

” Arayar Sevai means : ” the service of offering of royal priests”.
They sang and danced before the Lord and intrepreted the individual paasurams of AzhwArs as a part of the temple ritual known as Arayar SEvai . This tradition continued at Temples such as Srirangam, SrivilliputthUr,  AlwAr Thirunagari. The Arayars had a distinct place of honor in the worship of the Lord at the above temples. Great AchAryAs like RaamAnujA , EmbAr, ParAsara Bhattar enjoyed these bhakthi-laden SamarpaNams of the ARayars before the Lord during major festivals like Pagal Patthu and Raa Patthu . Special programs were carried out during this important festival.

The Arayars always performed inside the temple and in front of the Lord alone. They developed a repertoire of paasurams of the AzhwArs in general and those of Swamy NammAzhwAr in particular dealing with the dasAvathArams of the Lord and those pasurams , where KuruhUr SatakOpan looses Himself in the role of  ParAnkusa Naayaki seeking the aasrayaNam of the Sacred feet of the Lord and the unparalleled joy of union with her Naayakan , the Sarva Swami , Sriman NaarAyaNan.

The Arayars were trained by their own forefathers to follow the Arayar Sevai in the strictest sampradhAyic manner going back to Swamy Naatha Muni. The Arayars wear the DhOti in panchakaccham style, adorn a silk upper garment and have a conical cap(VishNu’s cap) during their service(sEvai) to the Lord . They wear the garlands used by the PerumAL and hold the brass cymbals in their hands to beat time to the vocal music and perform SaathvIkAbhinayam to the passages of the AzhwAr Paasurams.Unlike the dance that emphasizes Nruttham techniques requiring the wearing of ankle bells , the Arayars engage in the performance of Nruttham-free Naatyam , where facial and body movements (abhinayams) are most important. The basic Thatta-Adavu of Nruttham is occcasionally used. Whenever the Paasurams dealt with SringAram , even the Thatta- adavu is eschewed. The Arayars of Each temple have their own particular rasAnubhavams during the performance of the Arayar sEvai. For instance , at SrivilliputthUr and AzhwAr Thirunagari ,  the Arayars walk back and forward in a delectably sweet way that is a treasure to behold.

So for those of you who want to look into more information on these lines, please check the links below.

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/sep2001/0012.html (Info on Satvika Abhinaya of Aryars fro Andal Pasurams)

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/apr99/0069.html ( Anitha’s Aryar Sevai and Kaisiki Natakam)

http://www.narthaki.com/info/rev07/rev433.html  (Review on Neelam) 

http://www.thehindu.com/fr/2008/11/21/stories/2008112151220300.htm ( Review of Zakir Hussain’s Narayanam)

Unfortunately  Arangham’s link on the research no longer is active.!

Srimathi KaLLapirAN RanganAyaki AmmAL , a devout  Bhakthai of VaanamAmalai Matam has written extensively about Arayar Sevai at Srirangam temple in her book: “Acharya PrabhAvam”..

Bharata Natyam artist , Srimathi Lakshmi VisvanAthan has a small chapter on Arayar sevai in her book , Bharatha Naatyam: The Tamil Heritage .

Will keep this post updated when I find more details.

Filed under: Abhinaya, Anita Ratnam, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Carnatic Music, Chennai, Chitra Visweswaran, Dance Gurus, History of Bharathanatyam, India, Literature, Madras, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, Sudharani raghupathy, Tamil, adavus, artists, books, choreograhers, choreography, experiences, program, review, upcoming artist , ritual, Vaishnavism, Zakir Hussain

Silly laments- redundant and repetitive!

Here are a few of my own ponderings on certain recent and not so recent observations with inputs from fellow rasikas. Isnt it a blessing to be surrounded by a few kindred souls? Well, I am not the kind with “the coin has only one side and that is mine” attitude. We are just thinking loudly and  I am pressing it into words as we think….

What happens when …

• 1. You have to present a program to an audience, with concentration spans  of a pre-schooler during a Bharathanatyam recital ? (Come on I am exaggerating… it cannot be clinically filed under ADD yet). 
• 2. The artists have to cater to audience who aren’t interested in watching slow abhinya oriented padams/krithis ec? (OMG 2 halves of a Varnam is an ancient practice J). They are oK with short nritta pieces like Pushpanjalis, Kavutuvams, Thillanas, and very appreciative of some props on the stage like a pot/ some peacock feathers/or a snake’s hood in the costume… A dancer with a pot is good.. a dancer on a pot is excellent.. you get the point?
• As an answer to the above questions if the artistic directors of various companies decide to:-
• a. Heat up the tempo where all adavus merge to become one and the same .(This is the most prevalent approach).This in turn can lead to a multitude of dire consequences..
• i. All (well Ok Most) ardhis and theermanams are lost to both the audience and the dancers? Especially when these are student recitals, the Guru’s arduous samams and usis as well as the changes in nadai become one large mess.
• ii. The Sthayi Bhava is successfully lost..(Well who even cares any more)
• iii. The abhinaya becomes quick mime. Hey no time for the three levels of understanding in appreciating poetry(Padam-Words,Vaakyaartha- Sentence, Dhwani-Inherent tone (hidden meaning)…Don’t get the reason for our lament? Ok here I try to lay my case on your table with an example. Imagine the dancer was miming out lyrics that implied ” Devi the creator of the Omkara , vanquishes the “I” pride in mankind”… all she now does is write up the Om in 2 different fonts( one looked like Gautami, what was the other?) and throw out the hands forcefully in a oblique fashion to simulate a monstrous bulldozer razing out the ego in Man(that kind of force would demolish the man, his ego and the condo he lived in). That’s as much as you get in padartham.. Fine. No allusions to Creation theory, Devi being the Divine Mother, no spiritual awakening as a result of conquering one’s self. Devi is now a fearsome Wall-E ! ..
• b. Bring in Karanas and charis (some resembling Noopuram, Garudaplutha, dolapada,and vrischikarechita.. the common ones you get to see), and myriad “sculpturesque” poses (or the dance itself brought in between sculpturesque poses)?
• c. Introduce slokas anywhere and everywhere with the bells resounding to elevate the cursed rasikas to a spiritual plane?
• d. Jazz up the costume a little bit?
• e. Bring in other art forms to provide a variety?

 3. You want to impress the audience with geometric excellence , drawing perfect lines and angles  (sometimes at the cost of lasya)?

• 4. The Gurus are learning/getting inspired from the commercial CD’s. What happens if two of your pieces are in Vazhuvur style and 2 others in Kalakshetra and has elements of PS’s Bharathanrithyam woven into it for that extra pep… And at times it also borrows from the Bollywood, Kollywood and Hollywood (That one for the expressions)
• 5. And most important of all if audience shower their ooooo’s , aaas and resonating applause for each pose, and each jathi completed by the dancer? Are they expressing their gratitude at the completion of the torment?

The Answer for all these What Happens when or if questions may by and large fall into the  following  wide categories …

• a. Under the right circumstances, and with God’s blessings, creative juices flow and some excellent productions shape up. At times it may be in the form of exciting group choreographies giving us, the delinquent rasikas more than a reasonable amount of stimuli to hold our response…At others it may come out as an excellent innovative approach or at its worst an experimental piece that can be tinkered to be a wholesome production
• b. But more often than not… slightly initiated rasikas can’t help feeling that “ignorance could have been bliss”. On the positive side, you will witness the best stand up comedians you will ever get to see..

Well, what if after a seemingly bad show the Artistic Director/Guru walks with his/her head held high, with a pervading sense of accomplishment?  But one probably has to remember that  the good and bad , the right and the wrong are in one’s own perspective, very subjective.. That production may have touched a section of the audience…

For those who didnt like it: Make sure to make a mental note of not attending the programs by the artiste/group again,  to save yourself from experiencing the chill down your spine yet another time.

PS: Does  the Lion mount of Chamundeshwari look magnificient or wicked? Should the expression mimic Aslan from Narnia or the Cruella Deville from 101 Dalmations?  Well, got it who cares ! Its just that its hard to let go at times…

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Dance, Dance Gurus, Performing Arts, Rasika, artists, choreograhers, choreography, contemporary, experiences, review, students, talent , do's and don'ts for dancers

“Natyadarshan Seminar”- Sensuality In Indian Dance

Here is an excerpt from the Lec-Dem by T. M. Krishna on the first (out of 3 days) of the Natyadarshan conference organized by Kartik fine Arts…

Mr. Ram, who attended the conference sums up the lec dem in his blog

The following is an excerpt from his report published with his consent.

“Vidwan T.M. Krishna (TMK) presented a lec dem on “Sensuality in (Indian) Music”, accompanied by Vid. Amritha Murali on the violin and Vid K. Arun Prakash on the mrudangam.”

General observations:

• Music being an abstract and ‘non-physical’ form, putting experiences into words and conveying them through music is much harder than conveying the same through dance where you are actually watching the emotion(s) being conveyed

• Whether it is dance or music, what is aesthetic and what is not is completely dependent on the individual performer. It is so very subjective. It depends on the background of the individual, what he/she has been exposed to, where he/she lives etc. What is sensual and what is vulgar is again a subjective thing

Difference between singing for music and singing for dance:

• When a person sings for dance, the sensuality in the voice is interwoven with the sensuality of the dancer. Both have to draw from each other. The musician has to see what the dancer is doing and the dancer has to be sensitive musically and not just lyrically to bring in the sensuality.
• Whereas at a vocal concert is a totally different ball game. The experience here is not drawn from the audience. The singer has to first experience the sensuality and only then does the transfer happen to the audience. Only then does the audience feel it. How much a singer internalizes his music and how much skill he/she has also matters

Sensuality in lyrics:

• Lyrics can drive sensuality (ex. kaNNanE en kaNavan, padams, javaLis). But it’s not necessary that for a song to be sensual, the sensuality must be driven from the lyrics alone

• There is sensuality in pure music itself, sans lyrics

• When you sing with an approach of gay abandon, you are bound to move to a state where you experience a high level of sensuality yourself and eventually end up transferring that experience to the audience too.

Mr Ram has also captured T.M. Krishna’s views on:

• Sensuality and the composer:
• Sensuality of ragas
• Sensuality and the system of music
• Sensuality and pace
• Sensuality and percussion
• Sensuality and vulgarity

He infers that “Sensuality in music and the way it is portrayed is completely a reflection of the individual who is singing.”

To read the complete post please click here

Here is a previous post in this blog that relates to the conference.

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Carnatic Music, Chennai, Conference, Dance, December season., Kalanidhi Narayanan, Kartik Fine Arts, Madras, Madras Music Season, Madras dance Festival, Natyadarshan, Padam, Performing Arts, South Asian Dance, Workshops, artists, choreograhers, choreography, dance festival, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, javali, students

Natyarangam’s Bharathanatyam Competition

Natyarangam (the dance wing of the Narada Gana Sabha) is organising dance competitions in three categories for Bharatanatyam dancers in June, at the Narada Gana Sabha mini hall.

Categories

8-12 years- Jathiswaram- June 14

13-18- excerpts from a varnam.-June 15

19-30- Abhinaya Competition- June 22

Applications are available at the sabha office. For details, contact Ph: 24993201.

For more info see this link from The Hindu

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Chennai, Dance, Madras, Performing Arts, artists, choreography, competitions, contest, experiences, learning, students, talent, upcoming artist , June 2008, Narada Gana sabha, Natyarangam, NGS

Questioning the quality of dance groups travelling to US

I have been wondering whether I should  even be bringing this into this blog… But “freedom of speech got the better of me today”. I am afraid someone might mail me and ask me to explain as to what exactly I mean by this … But ..

Without further ado, here is the crux of the matter

Mukundagiri Sadagopan of Illinois, USA, discusses this issue in this article he e-mailed to KutcheriBuzz.com

“As the 2008 music and dance season starts in North America (USA and Canada) I have a personal peeve regarding the visiting classical dance troupes coming from India. I suspect that a large percent of lay-audiences in North America share this complaint.

In recent years India-Based Dance Troupes- with a few notable exceptions – leave much to be desired. To state briefly, every troupe is anchored by a main dancer who is past his / her prime and is physically unable to move rapidly on the stage. Because of this the programs they offer are slow and boring.

These India-based troupes are mostly anchored by a senior artist who exceptional in her Abhinaya (hand gestures) and Nrityha (expressional or narrative dance) – but is lacking in Nrutta which is pure dance. “Pure dance” – the rapid-fire stepping and dynamic footwork is what differentiates a dance from a “Katha Kalakshepam” – a musical, often a tear-jerker.

There is intense competition among highly talented troupes to win trips to America. Out of these only those with the most economic power and political clout get the contracts. However, it takes decades to build the required combination of talent, money and influence. By that time the Anchor Dancer, who by now is also the owner of her own dance school and its artistic director, has almost completely lost the physical strength to prance and leap forcefully as Nrutta – true dancing requires.

Invariably, there are fabulously athletic dancers touring with each of the teams, but they are junior members under the control of the Anchor. When the curtain opens, like most normal humans would do, the Anchor hogs the stage, not giving scarcely a chance to the stronger dancers.

So what should the buyers – Classical Program Organizers in North America do?” Read the complete article at http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/news/20080320/indiandance.asp

Here are some interesting discussions on this topic at rasikas.org

http://www.rasikas.org/viewtopic.php?id=5199

Here are some points that caught my eye for those lazy/busy ones who cant bear going throught the whole thread…

” I have always been pleased that the dance audience does not reject a performer on the basis of a few extra years or a few extra pounds or a little less agility on the feet.” -Nick H

“many of the senior dancers certainly do not have the physical appearance to make this essentially visual art-form appealing (not ALL, thankfully! There are notable exceptions). Certainly, fast-paced nritta is wisely eschewed by some of these, but even in the abhinaya segment, I have some issues: I for one (and maybe that is just the shallowness in me) am not able to appreciate some of these dancers trying to convince me that he/she is a nubile gOpI, or a sinuous kALIya, or a mischievous krishNa. They carry more weight (literally as well as figuratively) when they are enacting the lamenting mother who has lost her son on the battlefield or something like that! Even aTTamIs are tough to discern, and more importantly, lack grace, when a gazelle-like neck becomes hidden in a cephalo-thoracic body!”- R shankar

“Maya Plisetskaya is 83 but is still dancing and is still even now in a far better shape than the 60-year-old Dame Margot was”-Kanchanad

“Natya Shastra plainly states that the quality of the narthaki is agility, etc.
Abhinaya Darpanam says that the dancer must be youthful and slender, and plainly states that natya is a visual art form and has to do with the beauty of the physical body, and therefore any other “dancing” is a parody. Do you think we are blind and do not see that the senior dancers’ (except, perhaps, for Alarmel Valli’s) “natya” is a parody?”- Chitra Shankar

“It seems to me that dancers from India have a condescending attitude towards rasikas in the USA. Which is sad, because a true professional would be true to his/her art, irrespective of the stage/audience.”- Manavatara

(All names quoted are the usernames used in rasikas website)

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Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Chennai, Dance, Dance Gurus, Madras, NRI, Performing Arts, Rasika, USA, artists, choreograhers, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, review

Rediscovering the Spirit at Tennangur

Text and Photos by Mr. Rajendra Kumar.

Said the Guru to the student-‘Breathe from your lower abdomen. Feel your breath’.

The student took a breath..

Guru said ‘Deeper .. deeper’.

The student tried hard.

The Guru banged the student’s lower abdomen with his fist and the student was flabbergasted

But there……… the miracle happened.

The student felt very different right from that moment.

The Guru was a German and the student is better known by the name the name Aruna Sairam .

Her journey as a musician is quite interesting.

Gifted with a great voice and with an intellect that could grasp all intricate details with ease, she did succeed in becoming a musician. But what was lacking was that ‘feel’. When she sang ‘sa pa Sa’ she was not feeling free. That is when she decided to take the help of the Guru.

Now she is able to transcend all barriers and feel the music as she sings.

This ‘feel’ is what is needed by an artiste-be it a musician or a dancer.

Smt.Aruna Sairam narrated this to the group of dancers at the Dance Camp in Tennangur.

Could there have been a better place or forum to narrate this journey?

Tennangur, a small and beautiful village near Vandawasi in Tiruvannamalai district in Tamizh Nadu has a magnetic aura.

The first thing that strikes us as soon as we step onto the village is the serenity. We feel relaxed, and the mind is uncluttered.

That is why Natyarangam, the Dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai has been conducting this camp for the last 9 years in this village.

This Camp is different from the other camps/workshops. The participants are not taught anything. They undergo an experience that goes a long way in learning about the finer elements in life.

Art is nothing but the use of imagination to express ideas and feelings in an aesthetic way. The classical art forms of India have a structure but there is lot of scope for creativity and imagination within this structure. This creativity or imagination cannot be taught. It is an experience by itself. This is what is the aim of the camp.

The participants undergo an experience during the camp that finally gets reflected in their works and in their life as well.

Let us take the Aangika sessions for example. Prof.Chandrasekhar- the Convenor of the camp for 9 years now-asked the participants to stand still and express themselves only through their eyes to Questions/Statements like ‘Hello’ ‘How Are you?’ ’Why didn’t you come yesterday?’ etc.

The participants were then asked to perform Allaarippu using only the eyes..

This experience made the dancers feel the importance of eyes in dance.

The ‘Thatti Namaskaram’ that is done before and after any practice session/performance has almost become a ritual and it is a fact that many dancers do this mechanically.

Participants realized this fact only when they did the Namaskaram in the camp.

Balancing ourselves has become an integral part of our fast paced life.

In an art form like Bharathanatyam , balancing plays a very important role. After all, is art not a reflection of life?

Dancers were asked to stand in a single legged posture. It was a revelation for many dancers since they could not hold on to this posture for a long time.

Uddhatha and Sukumara prayogas can be applied to any adavu.But how and where these are applied? The participants danced to the same jathis for both the prayogas..

This way they experienced the difference.

Jathis have emotions. Not just by the way they are rendered…but by the way the syllables are composed.

For example, in Prof.Chandrasekhar’s production ‘Aparajita’ when Devi gets the Astras from Devas, she shows the ‘Attahasam’ and the jathis go like this: Ha Ha Ha Ha…

Innovation within the parameters..

In a similar vein, the seventh thatadavu that is usually performed in Chathushram was performed in Khanda jaathi Dhruva talam.

The participants understood the rhythm better..

While composing a Teermanam, one of the devices that could be used is the stress on one particular adavu. The Kambodi varnam –Naadanai Azhaithu vaadi- composed by Prof.Chandrasekhar has one teermanam that has 23 ‘Talaangus’.When one of the participants performed this, others watched this with awe and admiration.

Aahaarya -–make up and costumes-is important not just during a performance but also when one goes to class/practice. The importance of wearing practice costumes and be presentable was stressed during the session conducted by Prof.Chandrasekhar.

During a performance, dancers must choose the costume as per their body structures.

A short person must not wear costumes with broad borders. Heavily built dancers must not wear stripes. And a strict ‘no’ for stitched costumes for men.

Vaachika-

What is Poetry?

Anything that is beautiful and graceful..

There is poetry in a beautiful dance performance.

Dancers must have the sensitivity to appreciate poetry. This helps them understand and appreciate the dance more.

Dr.Sudha Seshaiyyan made the participants realise this.

There are essentially three levels of understanding in appreciating poetry:

1.Padam-Words

2.Vaakyaartha- Sentence

3.Dhwani-Inherent tone (hidden meaning)

Though the first two are important, one must concentrate on the third part to experience and feel the poetry.

Poetry must be interpreted like how a painting is interpreted.

Some of the participants danced to pieces like ‘Kakkai Chiraginile’ and ’Maitreem Bhajatha’ and the interpretations of each dancer were different.

Is it not true that what one experiences is totally different from that of the other’s?

Music and dance are inseparable.

Smt.Aruna Sairam brought out the Musical aspects in dance wonderfully

An expert in Abhangs, she sang in a voice soaked in devotion and the participants responded..

The Morning sessions of yoga by Anil Kumar and the one session lecture by Dr.Kannan Pugazhendi made the participants realise the importance of the harmony between the mind and the body.

Finally, the spontaneous dancing by the participants during the Dolotsavam and the Garuda Sevai in the Panduranga temple said it all..

What makes an artiste?

Creativity, imagination, expression, communication, passion, aesthetics, spontaneity…

But an artiste is incomplete without the internalization and the ‘feel’…

And this what the German Guru made Aruna Sairam realise..

And this is what the Tennangur camp makes us realise…

About the Author :

Mr. Rajendra Kumar describes himself as a “Fine Arts Enthusiast”. Passionate about Music, Dance and Literature, he regularly attends the Tennangur Camp organized by the Natyarangam wing of the Narada Gana Sabha. An articulate writer himself, he shares his appreciation of music in his blog, http://rajamanjari.blogspot.com/. He resides with his wife Manjari, a Bharathanatyam danseuse, and kids in Chennai.

Filed under: Abhang, Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Chennai, Conference, Dance, Dance Gurus, Madras, Performing Arts, South Asian Dance, Workshops, adavus, artists, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, learning, students, talent, upcoming artist , Costume, Narada Gana sabha, Natyarangam, tennangur

The Tennagur dance camp for dance teachers

This is an article by Mr. Rajendra Kumar. An edited version of this article was published in The Hindu in the year 2005.

‘The only true voyage of discovery is not to go to new places but to have the other eye’said Marcel Proust in Remembrance Of Things Past.

One realised how true this is during the recently held Camp for Dance Teachers by Natyarangam-the dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha at Thennangur. Thennangur- a small village nestled snugly at about 110 kms from Chennai is special for many reasons.

For this writer, this is the third consecutive visit and it is amazing to discover how one is attracted to the camp. It is like the metal and the magnet.

What makes the camp at Thennangur so special ?

Is it the serene, tranquil atmosphere engulfed by the spirit of Swami Haridas Giri taking us from the ephemeral to the ethereal?

Is it the repertoire of the Resource Persons ?

Is it the tantalisingly alluring Lord Panduranga ?

Or is it the convivial attitude of the Natyarangam comittee members led by Shri.Krishnaswamy?

Appreciation of beauty, developing and fine-tuning aesthetic qualities is what makes this camp unique and a cut above the rest.

The camp is not for those who expect a crash-course on Bharathanatyam nor is it for people who want mind- boggling lectures and homilies taxing the intellect. The sessions at the camp look at the intrinsic dimensions of fine arts making the dancers first appreciate the beauty of the art.

After all, what is art? Is it not the expression of human creative talent? And there comes a time when the art and the artiste become inseparable. Such an experience is impossible if the artistes are not connoisseurs.

The typical day in the camp begins with the participants understanding and appreciating their own physical body.The yoga sessions elevate the participants to new heights .The sessions conducted by Guru Shri.Gopalakrishnan in the past(who unfortunately could not make it this time) make one realise the importance of enjoying the postures(sthiram sukham) and the vedic chants.This year the sessions were conducted by the young and energetic Shri.Gomatheeswaran.
Dance is visual poetry. However, how does a dancer understand and appreciate the beauty of Sangam Literature- which has withstood the ravages of time and the very many onslaughts- and the new forms of poetry like Pudukkavithai and Haiku and use these in performances?

Subject experts like Prof.Va.Ve.Subramaniyam and Prof.Raghuraman have the answers. If Prof.Subramaniyam -who was the resource person two years back-spoke on the beauty of Kamban’s and Bharathi’s prompting the participants to dance to the verses immediately without much of a preparation, Prof.Raghuraman’s sessions this year clearly established links between the Sangam poetry and the Natyashastra.One not only enjoyed the poems but also the beauty of appreciating the poems.

The beauty of adavus were brought out during the work-out session. Though the nuances were touched, some basics were also covered .One is more than amazed at the way the sessions were conducted by Prof.Chandrasekhar,the oldest performing Guru performed with dexterity and clarity that this became contagious and some of the hobbling participants shed their indolence and danced. The whole session was a visual beauty with all participants and the Guru dancing in tandem and the hall reverberating with the sound of the feet.

Music is the language of the Universe. When senior musician Smt.Rama Ravi sang some of the padams and javalis during her sessions in her mellifluous voice, it was a treat for the ear. The session by Ravi Kiran , Resource Person last year was also very informative in terms of appreciation of Music. Some of the participants danced spontaneously to the Aalapanai which took us to a different world altogether.

In Bharathanatyam, can one forget the beauty of Rasa?The finer points of Saatvika Abhinaya clearly brought out by stalwarts like Shri.Dhananjayan and Prof.Chandrasekhar was a treat for the eyes. Looking at Shri.Dhananjayan explain the intricacies, and in the process getting transformed, one was reminded of the spell-bound audience at Narada Gana Sabha in Dec’2001 when he performed as Thyagaraja and how the audience cried with him when Thyagaraja discovers that his most beloved Rama idol is lost.

The beauty of colours……well, can a Bharathanatyam recital be complete without proper costumes, make-up and props?Shri.Nagarajan-a well known painter with lot of works including abstract to his credit- explained the importance and significance of each colour.

Smt. Shanta Dhananjayan taught stringing of the bells (salangai) and stringing of the flowers and the participants enjoyed this appreciating the beauty of the act in the process.A mention also must be made of Smt.Pushkala Gopal who conducted the Aaharya sessions last year which reminded one of Management Workshops. After all, beauty can also be managed. Right?

The core of all these is the person without whom nothing moves and in fact exists. Lord Panduranga who displays infinite dimensions of beauty!

It is impossible to believe that the Lord who is in the form of Panduranga with Rukmayi on Thursdays gets transformed into Lord Venkatewara with Padmavathi Thayar on Saturdays .The beauty element aside, can one afford to miss the philosophy in this?

Apart from this pristine beauty, the Garudaservai performed on one of the evenings is an experience of a lifetime. It is impossible to talk about the expression of the hypnotically still Garuda with hands extended and the Lord on his shoulders. The expression can be interpreted in N number of ways.

The dancers dance on the Praakaram to the tunes played on the Nagaswaram and this is spontaneity and beauty going hand in hand.Expressions on the faces of the dancers say it all.

Apart from the Garudaservai, Dolothsawam and Kalyana Urchavam are also performed on different days.

The camp is not complete without the culinary beauty(delight!).Shri.Jeyaraman and his entourage treat us with a rich and nutritious diet and with a very special hospitality which makes one wonder if they are in a Wedding Dining Hall.

The guiding spirit behind all these beauties is Shri.Krishnaswamy, Secretary, Narada Gana Sabha who takes utmost care of each and every participant and is so punctilious that one cannot fail to appreciate the beauty of his organisational and managerial skills.

The quality of the camp conducted every year during the last 5 years has improved to a very great extent. However, it will be nice if the duration of the camp is extended by a couple of days so that the sessions are not crammed.

Going back to Marcel Proust again, year after year the camp succeeds in opening the other eye of the participants to discover beauty…

What more can one ask for?

About The Author:

Mr. Rajendra Kumar is a great rasika of Music and Dance. His illustrious family includes his Father-in-law- Prof. CV. Chandrasekhar and his wife Manjari is a great dancer too. He regularly attends this camp. Please visit his blog to relish his writing and his love for music at http://rajamanjari.blogspot.com/

PS:This year the camp will be organized from Feb.29 to March 2, 2008. (refer to our earlier post)

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Chennai, Conference, Dance, Dance Gurus, Introduction, Madras, Performing Arts, Workshops, artists, choreograhers, choreography, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, learning, students, talent, upcoming artist