M.A.D - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

While many learn dance as an art form, practice it for long to become adept or skilful - even famous - a very few are mad about it. Some are born to it, others often cajoled by their mothers or others around to acquire some art. Some with means and money even make a career out of it. Some succeed big time, others don't. Some talk of dance being a passion (when they were young) but when passion runs out, then what's left? No one talks of that. It is only when madness remains that it remains for long and good. Mad About Dance = M.A.D.

For long (and good measures), I've been observing dance from childhood. That's like 60 years now! I have seen 5 generation of dancers first hand. A generation is 12 years. Not twenty as we used to think forty years ago! I've seen arangetrams and antims. Start of careers and end of careers. Awards and awards wapsi (return). Padma Shris and Shrimatis! The struggle and the surrender. Joy and sorrow. Sparkle and stars and their downfall too, like star dust. So when I see possessed people, who carry on regardless and have this keedda (bug) of dance in their being, then even I sit up from my Bangalore boredom and take notice. I grit my teeth for the first mad about dance (M.A.D) is a dentist.

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Promising young talents in double-bill concert - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

Battling against surging traffic on roads battered by Delhi's unexpected rain deluge, to arrive finally at India International Centre's Deshmukh auditorium was well worth the effort, to watch a couple of promising youngsters representing Kathak and Kuchipudi respectively, featured in the Centre's Double Bill Concert.

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Article - Why Naatya, not Dance? - VP Dhananjayan

Many of our performing artistes wonder and ask me why I keep harping on the word 'Naatya' to be used for our kind of performing arts like Bharatanaatyam and other classical performing arts. I have tried to explain umpteen times during my lecture demonstrations and Naatya conferences, not only in Bhaaratam but also abroad. Earlier, this article has appeared in art publications. Readers' memory is short lived. Therefore once again I am obliged to repeat my contentions and intensions on the usage of 'Naatya' in place of 'dance'.

In this context, I would like people to understand that periodical changes have taken place in every field and the present Bharatanaatyam repertoire names got in vogue only during and after Ponnayya, Chinnayya, Vadivelu, Sivanandam (Tanjavur Brothers who codified the Sadir Margam). Before them there were some other names in vogue. Also, people should remember that the name Bharatanaatyam itself was reintroduced in late 1930s. While Madras Music academy passed the resolution, Kalakshetra took it up more seriously to popularise the new name.

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Article - Elegance, aesthetic density and beyond - V. Kaladharan

It's now a little over three decades I've been watching legends in the highly evolved performing arts of Kerala on and off stage. It is saddening to note that all of them except Kalamandalam Gopi, the marvel of Kathakali stage, are no more. This vast experience plus my inescapable fixations might have created in me a deep impression that our aesthetically refurbished art forms are inextricably linked to their nativity so much so that it is nigh impossible for non-natives to imbibe the aesthetic intricacies of the artform they have chosen to delve deep into. I can never imagine a non-Malayalee perfectly identifying with the chaturavidhaybhinaya of Kutiyattam or Kathakali despite his/her intensive training in and fierce devotion to these complex art traditions. Am I becoming a cultural fundamentalist?

I thought the same is true when it comes to the stylized performing arts of other States too. For instance, Bharatanatyam, performed nowadays by every Tom, Dick and Harry, is the prerogative of those born and brought up and groomed in Chennai. Although nothing prevents aspirants from Karnataka, Kerala or Andhra Pradesh from undergoing training in and conducting recitals of Bharatanatyam, the quintessence of the dance form concerned, I had a pre-conceived notion, is impeccably safeguarded by the exceptionally talented dancers hailing from Chennai. Just recently Shweta Prachande, the young dancer from Pune, disabused me or to be more precise, shattered my conviction. She, in fact, inflicted a deep wound on my pride.

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Poem by Nandadas - Translated by Kiran Java

(Dance themed poem from the Braj Bhasha poetry attributed to the 16th-century poet Nandadas. Translated by Kiran Java)

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Bharat Prem Katha: Love stories of 8 epic women - Dancing on Air: Column by Kathakali Jana

Building upon the three pillars of dance, process, practice and performance, Odissi dancer-choreographer Sharmila Biswas has devised a series of online classes on Bharat Prem Katha to be taught over one year.

"Getting into the skin of 8 women from the epics, and understanding their love stories have been possible because of the intense online study we did last year, on Nayika Bhed - some of my favourite dancers and I. They have motivated me to choreograph" Bharat Prem Katha
- Sharmila Biswas

Choreographed by Sharmila Biswas, the music composition and vocals are by Srijan Chatterjee.

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Book Review - Mudra-The Language of Kutiyattam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattam - Tapati Chowdhurie

(Printing of Mudra is by Ebenezer Print Pack and published by Natanakairali.

Price: Rs.3000)

My salutations to my guru, Guru Gopinath, whose blessings I seek before embarking on expressing my views about the mammoth work of G. Venu, my gurubhai.

MUDRA -THE LANGUAGE OF KUTIYATTAM, KATHAKALI AND MOHINIYATTAM - The Classical Theatre and Dances of Kerala, with notations of 1341 hand gestures is the life time work of G. Venu of Natanakairali (Research and Performing Centre for Traditional Arts, Kerala). This is my humble attempt to present in a nutshell, G.Venu's journey that was instrumental in writing the book Mudra, which will stand the test of time. It is a compendium, which even in the absence of transmission of art through oral tradition and the tradition of Guru-Shishya will survive for eternity.

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Anita says...July 2023

 We are children of our age,

It's a political age.
All day long, all through the night,
All affairs - yours, ours, theirs -
Are political affairs.
Whether you like it or not,
Your genes have a political past,
Your skin, a political cast,
Your eyes, a political slant.
Whatever you say reverberates,
Whatever you don't say speaks for itself.
So either way, you're talking politics.
Even when you take to the woods,
You're taking political steps
On political grounds...

An excerpt from CHILDREN OF THE AGE
By Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska

To say "goodbye" with the flamboyance of a magician
To bid "adieu" with the flair of a showman
To wave "farewell" with the bravado of a warrior

........the stars have to align for that final moment. No matter what your vision board might contain or how many motivational messages you have stuck all over your rooms and your car.
The stars did align and shine - for Akram Khan... for 25 years without a break.

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