For a dancer on the other hand, saahityakalpanas are more important. If she/he attends a concert (music/dance) they happen to concentrate on the manodharmam of presenting a set of lyrics or the meaning/bhava conveyed in creative ways. All sabdams are performed majorly in Kambodhi. But the presentation of sarasi jakshulu documenting krishna’s mischiefs warrants a very different treatment from say teh pallavi of tillai ambalam about Shiva where the heroine is pining for him. In a good dance concert, the focus is entirely on the visual poetry created by the dancer for the 4 lines of sahityam she is performing for or better, the sanchari for 20 minutes she performs for the same vaakhya or even just music. In a music concert, if i am an informed dancer, i would go into imagining the bhava the composer composed the lyrics for. Bhava without lyrics is very abstract. Lyrics give them a form. Interpretation of both the raaga and the saahitya are subjective but the latter is definitely much more definite than the former. Playing shankarabharam can conjure any number of images, but having sung manavi chekona evokes a central theme of pleading. Similarly nattai can be sung sober and vigourously but a mallari gives it a definite scenario of a procession of a deity. So a dancer can sit in a music concert and get lost in his imagination. But its harder for a musician to get lost in the repertoire of a dance concert given, they are not groomed to appreciate any saahitya kalpana. And most dance singers, for not being famous musicians, dont attract other famous musicians for their technical ability.

Another factor is the length of history in dance and music fields. Dance has become mainstream in barely a 100 years. The continuing of the art form in strictly devadasi families and temple dedications of the art form prevented several established musicians from getting themselves involved in it. The ego and traditions of musicians evolved far mroe longer than dancers who have sprung into sabha action at the least over the last 30 years will take a long long time to recognise the taste of sahityakalpana and to acknowledge and learn rasa and bhava in a composition giving due respect to vaageyakaras imaginations. Prince Rama Varma having learnt from BMK who happens to give enough consideration to lyrics and pronunciation, being a vaageyakara himself, is a marked exception to the 100s of musicians who still do not care about what they are singing about. As long as it involves some deities name and a handful terms they recognise with, they are completely clueless.

A dancer is by default listening to music. And thus is capable of appreciating it and in recent times, even learning and performing it. A musician is not by default seeing dance or even taught the intricacies of rasas and bhavabhivaykti. They are taught the intricacies of ragas which by their virtue of the swaras alone are supposed to invoke rasas. It takes a musician a lifetime to master swarakalpana of all the raagas. They are not going to dive into a new ocean of rasakalpana and sahityakalpana just because of dancers’ outcry.

Sangeetha: I so thoroughly enjoyed reading your discussion. Thanks

Commonly I hear many dancers swallow a pill or go for an injection to suppress the fever, and then dance. Later, the side effects will show up (cancer is typical)
Sangeetha: oh??? I have also heard that paracetamols stop acting (to reduce body temperature) during intense exercise.. something to do with the sweat mechanism.. Not absolutely sure

Thanks for all your effort. Can you add the following events to the schedule? Thanks,

- Aneal

Janaki Rangarajan’s Bharatanatyam recitals in Chennai:

Jan 3, 2010 – 6:30PM – Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha (Vani Mahal, T-Nagar)

Jan 6, 2010 – 6PM – Brahma Gana Sabha (Sivagami Petachi Auditorium, Mylapore)

Jan 8, 2010 – 6PM – Kartik Fine Arts (Dakshinamurthy Auditorium, Mylapore)

Jan 12, 2010 – 7:15PM – Mylapore Fine Arts (MFAC Auditorium, Mylapore)

Jan 18, 2010 – 7:15PM – Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha (RK Swamy Auditorium, Mylapore)

Hi Aneal,
Will sure do it! Thanks and best wishes- Sangeetha

Sharanya Balaji ( Disciple of Smt Guru Vishal Ramani)
Dec 29th 2009, 6PM – Vipanchee, RK Swamy Hall, Mylapore
Jan 2nd 2010 , 6:30PM – Mudhra Fine Arts, Infosys Hall, TNagar
Jan 3rd 2010, 6PM – Kapali Fine Arts ( Bharati Vidya Bhavan Main Hall)

Will add it up to our events.. Thanks and best wishes- Sangeetha

Sangeetha :Fever is an indicator of an underlying infection. The body’s thermostat is now not maintaining the 97-99 F. The increase in temp is thought to facilitate the immune reactions to the alien attack. The cause of fevers can be as varied as its severity and more often than not, appetite is supressed too.
The standard management suggested for fever is medical treatment of the underlying infection, Plenty of fluids, light food and rest. Light food since we dont want to overwhelm the systems that are already putting up extra work in fighting the infection. Thin/clear soups, diluted fruit juices, karaicha sadham etc are usually prescribed.

But if there are situations when the dancers might have to keep their commitments despite their illness it is safer to do so provided their pre- paracetamol temperatures are below 101 F. Mild to moderate fevers may allow them to carry on, spurred by their passion though it may be really hard to do their best. Hydration is the key. A spoon of sugar with a pinch of salt in a glass of water ensures hydration. the Na+ and Glucose ions facilitate water transport into the cells.

You have used your knowledge in biology for the sake of bnatyam artistes.. Nice

Hi MR,
Yep! A teenager who popped in to our house holding a popular sport drink (as I was chatting with you) triggered the post. It definitely seems to be very common. The sports drinks are now available in India too!
The “placebo effect” is something we can never account for. People may be helped by a product because they think the product will help. Unless randomized- blinded and controlled trials prove(or have proven) the efficacy of these drinks, one may as well keep away.
I am planning a few other posts on weight management for dancers too! When exactly that will happen depends on a lot of factors though!
Regards,
Sangeetha

It’s amusing that dancers (or rather, their gurus who may get kick-backs from the musicians!) are unwilling to do a bit more hunting for not-so-famous young musicians who play or sing even better than the “established” ones!