In November 2013, I enrolled myself quite unexpectedly
for my first workshop for actors, at Adishakti Laboratory
for the Theatre Arts & Research, in Puducherry.
Amongst many luring subjects like the traditional martial
arts of Kalaripayattu, voice and breath work inside the
salt water swimming pool, exercises for the eyes,
traditional drumming lessons on native drums, etc., what
really caught my eye was the mention of experiential
studies on the Source of Performance Energy, involving a
2000 year old research based on the breath techniques used
by performers of Koodiattyam, an ancient classical dance
form, from Kerala.
As a Bharatanatyam dancer, I enrolled in this workshop
meant for actors, with much trepidation. And now looking
back, those ten long and intense days at Adishakti with
its extraordinary faculty and research work, leave me
transformed, inspired, rejuvenated, 'whole', in every cell
of my body, mind and spirit!
Read the article in the site
Organized by Mahagami Gurukul under the guidance of its
director, Kathak and Odissi exponent Parwati Dutta for the
past three years, Sarangadeva Samaroha and dance festival
have by now acquired an important academic benchmark.
Read the review in the site
For four days, I had the privilege to attend the master class conducted
by internationally renowned, revivalist fashion designer, Sonam Dubal,
entitled, ‘Clothes tell stories’ at Adishakti Laboratory for Theater
Arts & Research, in Puducherry.
My preoccupation with redesigning the Bharatanatyam costume began a
couple of years ago, when I began sharing my art as a soloist through
the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. Through this workshop, I felt
a kinship with Sonam’s rich cultural heritage and childhood. Watching
me work with the saree to help redesign my dance costume, during this
workshop, he astutely observed and told me, “As a first step, begin to
write in as much detail, all that restricts your dance in the present
costume.
Read the article in the site
Art expresses pain more poignantly than the reality staring in your face
does. It pinpoints suffering to the exclusion of the paraphernalia of
reality. In this unusual and telling multimedia production The Damned,
the concluding compact one-hour piece in Darpana Academy’s trilogy on
displacement at InterArt 2013-14, the 38th Vikram Sarabhai
International Arts Festival, demonstrates a modern process of rasanishpatti through an ensemble of choreography, videoscapes, music, sounds, silences, lights and even costumes.
Prompted by the disturbing sudden disappearance of groups of people
working on the riverside, turned into a riverfront now, and finding them
officially ‘resettled’ in an inhabitable area far away, The Damned seeks
to create empathy among those who have the voice in the ‘sanitized’
mainstream of life for those who have no voice and suffer silently. In
keeping with the concept of rasanishpatti in Indian aesthetics, the painful experience the piece creates becomes sadharanikrit
(universalized). With no text, which could tend to make the central
event specific, the experience comes across as one shared by those
displaced by war, riots, industrialization, natural calamities and the
like.
Naomi gets the performers of Darpana so infused with intensity that they
were seen hugging one another with tears at the end in something of an
inconsolable state of mind. Being a temporal art, unlike literature,
dance vanishes the moment it comes into being. Yadavan Chandran partly
makes up for this limitation. He gets moments of high emotional
intensity frozen in time with the camera charged with his own craft and
commitment. The focus of the performance remained on the cause.
Anonymity about its makers enhanced its impact. No names were announced
at the end. Someone was heard saying it was Naomi’s conscious decision.
(The trilogy of performances is scheduled to travel to the capital next month.)
The interview with Naomi Deira below seeks to unravel her approach and process:
Read the interview in the site
The Margazhi season in Chennai brings many visitors. Some friends, some
acquaintances, artists, writers, and a host of enthusiastic concert
goers. The visit of one friend is special because he is not only a great
artist and choreographer but also a witty observer of our arts scene.
Guiding Mark Morris through concerts and dance performances is a
pleasure. But what is more engaging is our discussions over dinner on
music and dance.
For those who do not know of him, Mark Morris is today the biggest name
in Modern Dance. He has a wonderful group, and a fabulous school in New
York. He is a genius. He has created something of a revolution in using
classical music for his modern dance choreography.
Read the article in the site
To project the various styles and innumerable efforts of choreography,
IDA has been an unbeatable forum. Bestowing care and affection, Leela
Sekhar has been a catalyst for this institution. No artist would have
the heart to say ‘no’ to her requests. Such were her powers of
persuasion. Ever the “girl guide,” Leela Sekhar believed in serving the
cause of dance.
Read the tribute in the site
