Often, invitation cards say that 'Arangetram' means 'ascending the stage'. Theoretically, all of us know that it is our first stage programme. Then why is it supposed to be so perfect? It is a beginning, an entrance.We often widen our eyes and raise our eyebrows at students who perform their Arangetram 'too early'. At age seven? How ridiculous! After learning dance for just two years? Tut tut. Nonsense.Where do these ideas come from?A book I'm reading tells me about many of the last devadasis. Kumbakonam Bhanumathi (who described dance as 'the sweeter unheard melody of our music system') did her Arangetram at age eleven. Pandanallur Jayalakshmi (whom Rukmini Devi allegedly tried unsuccessfully to imitate) completed hers when she was eight. Thanjavur Balasaraswathi (about whom Satyajit Ray made a film) was seven when she did hers.These are just examples. The … [Read more...]
Baby Krishna
Finally, here are a few photographs of the baby that everyone loved so much. It's a doll, yes, a doll, made by my French mother. It's not a real baby, no. We dressed it (her) as Baby Krishna for our performance in December - here are a few pictures! … [Read more...]
PMC Award!
When we introduce my teacher, we always talk about the prestigious Iyal Isai Nadagam award that she received. We have so many things to say about her, about countries she's toured and things she has achieved.This time, we had the privilege of being present when Guru Mythili Raghavan received an award from the Pune Municipal Corporation - the Pandita Rohini Bhate Puraskar.Hindi poet Ashok Vajpeyi was the chief guest, felicitating first Guru Prabhatai Marathe and then five other recipients of the award. Pune's mayor Chanchala Kodre came in late for the function and faced poet Ashok Vajpeyi's brilliant sarcasm with respect to the role of the government in promoting classical Indian dance and music.Proud to be Guru Mythili Raghavan's student! … [Read more...]
Performed Yesterday!
There's nothing in the world like the thrill of performing. Even if it's just a tiny performance at my teacher's place.Nothing much went wrong.There were no black-outs, but that was okay.I was to sit on a small wooden stool for one scene, but no one but I seemed to know where the stool was and I was already on stage. So I got a rickety blue stool instead and I sat on it rather shakily. A few scenes later, when Radha needed the wooden stool, she had to bring it herself. But that was okay too. Everything went remarkably smoothly, despite the fact that we were using the kitchen and the balcony as wings for our stage.My video camera was with a parent in the audience, but there's not a single video on it.But finally, it's not the video that matters. It's what my teacher says. And she hasn't said anything yet. … [Read more...]
Performing on Tuesday
The thrill of performing is here again! A little performance, a private performance this time - not on a stage, and for barely twenty people."We'll do it in a very simple way," said my teacher. "Those who are playing boys will dress in salwar-kameez. The girls will wear practice saris."Doing it at my teacher's house, we began to play with the lights. Black-outs, yellow light, white light - we could do that much."Krishna at least should wear Krishna costume," my teacher amended. "And Radha, of course."We used a stool as a cradle for baby Krishna as we practised, and we spoke about how we could decorate it. I brought a beautiful doll that looks like a real baby. Another dancer brought a lovely cradle."Even the others, like Yashoda and Kamsa..." my teacher said, thoughtfully. "It will be better if you wear costumes, I think."The kitchen and balcony were our wings; the music … [Read more...]
Swarada Datar
Where does the beauty of dance lie? When it comes to Bharatanatyam, particularly the Pandanallur style, surely it's in the lines, the perfect geometry and the crisp, precise body movements. Whatever else may have been lacking, the geometry in Swarada's dance was certainly perfect.Her performance was excellent. It's rare for me to use a word like that for art, but there's nothing else I can find to describe it. I had problems with it. In some places, I found it rather too sharp. In quite a few places, I found that she spent more time looking at the backdrop than the audience. Somewhere, I felt that the flowing laasya I expect in dance was missing.Despite that, though, it was an aesthetic treat.When anything classical is a little too heavy or a little too long, I find myself overwhelmed and more than a little tired. Yesterday, I did not feel that fatigue at all. And that, I feel, is … [Read more...]
Yesterday
Yesterday, we performed again.We were early. The audience was late. We started half an hour late, after our lovely organiser called out on the mike to the society and large, "Green Acres, come on, wake up! Get up and come to the clubhouse!"We took our own music system - a largish one that was actually audible. We also performed indoors, making the sound that much clearer.We were close, close, close to the audience, almost as if ready to break the fourth wall. I actually wondered whether to break the fourth wall and involve the audience. I wonder if classical dance would accept that.It was good fun, but so ordinary that it almost didn't happen. The pink alta stains on my feet really seem to be the only evidence that we did actually perform yesterday! … [Read more...]
Performing today!
When we performed on Ganesh Chaturti for our society, despite all the hitches, we were asked to repeat our performance. We're not quite repeating it; we've chosen different pieces this time.Our encore will be performed today; I hope it's better than the last one! … [Read more...]
Last Evening’s Performance
I have no pictures yet, but I can't resist sharing yet another performance story.First of all, we were 'late'. Apparently we were expected there by 7:30. Except that we were told we would begin at 8. Being the children of the society (well, we were children when we performed 13 years ago!), we were scolded as soon as we reached.And then, there was no music system. Everybody apologised to everybody else. We were told to sing while everyone waited for a music system. "Sorry," we said, uncomfortably, "we don't sing."Finally, my mother brought a music system from home. But the plug points around the makeshift stage did not work.My father gave us his laptop. We could hear nothing.We set up the music system at some point far away. And then we imagined the music and danced.My father said that coordination was a little lacking this time. Perhaps we could blame that on the fact that … [Read more...]
Performing this evening!
It's been ages since my sister and I performed together at a programme organised by our society. I remember the time, ages ago, when the two of us practised on the little round stage in the lawn. It was in 97 or 98. How far we've come since then! We played our music on audio cassettes, rewinding and fast-forwarding, working on our synchronisation.Now, we probably practise as much or more, but differently. Synchronisation must be taken that many notches higher. Quality cannot possibly be compromised. I look forward to it! … [Read more...]