Thursday, 13 February 2025

Article - INDIAN BALLET (1975 -1989) - Achievements, problems and growth - Bharat Sharma

(Lecture delivered on 3rd September 1989 as the first Shanti Bardhan Memorial Lecture at Kala Parishad, Bhopal.)



To start with, this phenomenon of which I am going to talk about has so many names that I myself have got confused. I may mention here, very humbly, an instance from Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography 'The story of my experiments with Truth'. This was in South Africa where he was experimenting with his ideas on passive resistance. He had organized the local Indian population to fight for their rights and live with dignity. This campaign had gone for twelve years and yet this urge and idea did not get its name. After twelve years it was decided that the ideas practiced should have a name to make it easier for people to understand and thus, a competition was held to suggest a name. And that is how the word 'Satyagraha' was born. 

What I am suggesting here is that there is no point in discussing that this phenomenon should be named Indian Ballet or Modern Indian Dance or Dance-Drama or Contemporary Dance. The fact is that this phenomenon has come to stay, and the emphasis should be on its serious practice. An appropriate name will come to it once its parameters are more clearly defined, and the art form gains more strength. It is true that in the 20th century, all over the world, in remote areas and very ancient civilizations, there has been a tremendous urge to find a language of body that can relate to the excitement and turmoil of the present. Whether it is the contemporary dance scene in the traditional societies of China, Japan, Indonesia or the industrial societies of USA, France and Germany or the growth of Folk Ensembles in communist countries, the urge has been the same. It is from this point of view that the Indian Ballet has to be assessed.

If we have to talk about the history of Indian Ballet in the last five decades, then we have to bear in mind that it grew in the context of Indian Nationalism, as part of Indian Renaissance. Initial stimulation came through contacts with the West and in the course of time, it achieved a unique character of its own. The entire second generation of choreographers of Indian Ballet never traveled to the west and dancers were working towards the birth of a new nation. The concept of Nation-State and Democracy was being introduced over a sub-continent divided by small principalities and monarchies. Naturally there were several art forms that emerged to strengthen this idea of nationhood. Themes and forms emerged which were universal in character, produced by the collective, appealing to audiences cutting across regional barriers and talking of a common cultural heritage. Along with Indian Ballet, Indian orchestral works, chorus singing, protest plays and poetry emerged. Strangely, after Independence all these forms that were in their infancy and needed financial and organizational support were sidetracked. This was partly due to the changed political scenario.

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Tuesday, 11 February 2025

Basant Blooms! - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar



Manthan was the title of the 3-day gathering of assorted dance folks: the talkers, walkers and knockers! A mixed bag of events hosted by Kalpataru in its crystal year (15th anniversary is called so): two nights on two artistes from the USA and two dancers from Delhi on the concluding night. A launch of third edition of online South Asian-dance-pegged magazine - SADI - edited by senior dance observer, event manager, former TV anchor and a budding academician Dr. Arshiya Sethi. Rama Vaidyanathan, the happening Bharatanatyam star of Delhi today, did the honours as a trustee of Kri.

 

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Friday, 7 February 2025

Reflections on Art and Aesthetics: Special Lecture by Prof. Dr. Ashutosh - Mohan Ratikant Mohapatra Calling

On 6th February 2025, the Faculty of Arts, Communication, and Indic Studies (FACIS) at Sri Sri University had the privilege of hosting a special talk titled "Reflections on Arts and Aesthetics" by the distinguished scholar Prof. (Dr.) Ashutosh Mohan. Known for his erudition and insightful interpretations of English Literature and Aesthetics, Prof. Mohan is currently a professor at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi. With over two decades of teaching and research experience, his expertise encompasses Indian English Literature, Comparative Aesthetics, and Postcolonial Studies. 

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Saturday, 1 February 2025

Anita says...February 2025

 PEOPLE WHO SAY IT CANNOT BE DONE SHOULD NOT INTERRUPT THOSE WHO ARE DOING IT.

- George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and critic

IF YOU HATE A PERSON THEN YOU ARE DEFEATED BY THEM.
- Confucius, Chinese philosopher

Against the awe-inspiring backdrop of the MahaKumbh - a once every 144 year event - that witnessed the largest human congregation on earth at Prayagraj, millions of devotees congregated to pray and plunge into the meeting point of the sacred rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. This created a visual canvas that no scenographer could hope to emulate. A powerful and undeniable testament to the power of faith.

Dancers and musicians were part of the daily celebrations. The experience has been described by every artiste as "deeply moving", "extremely humbling", "life altering". Shovana Narayan and Geeta Chandran, whose dance ensemble were invited to perform last month shared their individual perspectives on the impact of being a part of this human tidal wave.

Shovana Narayan says, "The atmosphere was charged with a million hearts drenched in devotion. I felt a powerful current of energy as I dipped into the waters."
Geeta Chandran says, "The Kumbh makes you deeply aware of your own insignificance both on earth and in the cosmos. A moment that shakes one to the deepest core."

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Thursday, 23 January 2025

Moments of movement and melody from Music Academy's mega dance festival - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman


It was Madras Music Academy's 18th dance festival - a mega event featuring thirty two dancers over a week! One took in as much as a strained back, thanks to hours of couch potato sitting, would accommodate.
 

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Sunday, 19 January 2025

Solo projections of high quality and promise in Dance for Dance festival - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman


Curated by dancer Malavika Sarukkai, the fifth consecutive 
Dance for Dance festival (Dec 20-22, 2024) held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan with the co-sponsorship of Kartik Fine Arts, would seem to have carried further, Kalavahini’s principle aim of a platform where the best among established dancers, perform in tandem with the specially selected promising young talent. Really deserving dance aspirants struggling against slender resources, will surely benefit from Kalavahini’s programme comprising intensity of the Dance Immersion Classes with seed money provided for a new venture – to which is, now, an added heartening introduction of a scholarship. It is a welcome sign when senior dancers who have made the grade, exercising concern for the future of the art form and for preserving an unassailable adherence to quality, step forward to enlist support for genuinely deserving younger talent. 

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Interview - Divya Warier on cross-discipline mentorship - Shveta Arora

During the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns in 2020, dancer Divya Warier organized Pratiroop, an online cross-mentorship programme that put dancers and mentors from different dance forms together. The result was short solos that were extremely concept-rich and innovative, with the dancers pushing the boundaries of their creativity and form under a guru who brought the influences and perspective of another discipline to bear on the usual production process.


Pratiroop started as an online, video production platform for lack of choice, when lockdowns made it impossible to meet in person or perform on stage. However, the dancers used the opportunity to create well-produced videos and adapt to the medium. Some of dancers also exploited the video medium effectively, creating solos that were not one unbroken stage performance, but used angles, cuts and editing to create dance movies. Pratiroop has had four iterations so far, two during COVID in 2020 and 2021, and two after. Divya also organizes a cross-mentorship residency in Kerala.

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