I love when I write in detail about a performance shortly after the show! The emotions are fresh, and so many details that we slowly forget are still crystal clear.In April 2023, we performed Chandalika, which was an exceptional experience. Even though I wrote about it in detail, I didn't mention twisted ankles, work schedules, and all the last-minute re-choreography we were forced to do. Perhaps we will perform it again; perhaps we won't. But a show on this scale is always a precious memory.Shortly after the show, we also staged a performance for the children of the Academy. Bharatanatyam is a performing art, and unless children have the opportunity to perform, they lose interest. Pressed for time, unsure of how we would pull it off, we still managed a full performance for the students of the Academy of Indian Dances!And then, in December, we performed in Bengaluru too.If … [Read more...]
Dashami – Version 2020
Dashami is special. Each year, we have a small performance for all the children at dance class. They wear nice clothes and jewellery. Their faces glow with the anticipation of a dance programme. It's the one day in the year that parents are allowed to come for class and watch them dance! Dressed in their best, adjusting their bangles and dupattas, they are the stars of the show.Plus, there's food. It's like a party because our teacher, Mythili Mami, makes sundal for all of us. When I say 'all of us', I do really mean that. There are about 50 students in all, plus parents. There are workers in the society, who clean the hall and collect the garbage. There's the watchman and his family and other people who happen to be around. All morning, my teacher works towards making our Dashami special.Apart from sundal, we have chips and pedas. We dance and have a small ritual where we go … [Read more...]
World Dance Day 2019
What did you do on World Dance Day? We put up two performances!To be completely honest, we did not plan the performances keeping World Dance Day in mind; things just fell into place that way. We were scheduled to perform in Udupi on the 28th of April, and one of the dancers in our troupe was keen on seeing whether we could perform at Murdeshwar Temple and Chitrapur Math too. It was just her determination that made it possible!At Murdeshwar, we didn't have a fixed audience. Of course, dressed as we were in Bharatanatyam costumes, we drew curious looks. Starting a performance, however, is something altogether different. Yet, we marked out our space and we began - and the response was heart-warming.Slowly, a group of people gathered together and settled to watch. We overheard a member of the audience saying to someone else that she would stay for just one more piece. She … [Read more...]
Experiences on Stage – Udupi
Performances, performances.So often, the joy of dancing on stage comes from the story it creates, which can be told and retold ad infinitum. I've written about this before, so many times.My first performance with the 'big girls', when we got so immersed in the drama that we ignored the recorded musicThe time when we staged the Ramayana: Ravana did not come in time for the swayamvara, and we were on stage trying to buy timeOur performance in Chidambaram, when the music suddenly looped backThe time Nisha and I entered from the wrong sides of the stageWhen the stage dimensions weren't exactly what we were told they would be - in the craziest way imaginable(There are a hundred other stories to tell; perhaps I've blogged about those too. But these came to mind, so I linked them here. If you explore the Dance category, I'm sure you'll find … [Read more...]
Performances Ahead
Why do we dance? And why do people suspend their lives for a couple of hours to watch?Performing arts seem to exist in a world of their own, with their own rules and rigorous demands. What other field has a saying like 'The show must go on'?I think the joy of a performance is that it feels like a huge secret that the artistes share. A secret is special. It creates oneness, like being part of an inside joke. What unfolds on stage is just a tiny part of everything that goes into a performance - hours of rehearsal, chatter and choreography; rising tempers, annoyance and laughter; work, play and food; balancing family, professional lives and dance.Where we perform is often secondary, for me. What I, as an individual dancer, "get to do" is also secondary. It's dancing together that unfailingly gives me a high.Knowing another dancer so well that I can predict what she will do … [Read more...]
Reading, Writing, Dancing
Two weeks ago, I asked the children at my Writers' Club whether they would like to make readers laugh or cry. Three girls said they wanted to make readers laugh. 12 said they wanted to make readers cry. When a few said they would like to do both, those who had already raised their hands dithered.Finally, though, most agreed that making readers cry was more important. This was both surprising and not.Funny books that sparkle with humour are wonderful. Yet, I do know that the books that stay with me are books that make me cry. The best ones do both. I then asked the children what makes them cry in books.These were difficult conversations, by the way, and I was warmed by how much the girls opened up. A 12-year-old is not always comfortable talking about crying in front of a 9-year-old. The fact that they did - and passionately - was lovely.They spoke of happy moments … [Read more...]
Performing in Varanasi
The last time I visited Varanasi, I was nearly run down by a charging bull. Not surprisingly, when the planning began for a dance trip to Varanasi, I was not overly excited. Varanasi, for me, was a place where religion was elaborately performed, as if every day was a festival. I was also utterly put off by a sign outside Kashi Vishwanath temple that said that non-Hindus were to remain outside. They could go see the temple from a nearby library. I was there with two French guests - how could I ask them to stay outside? It seemed more than a little unwelcoming, in a country that is famed for its hospitality.But this time was different. This time, Varanasi welcomed us in ways I would not have thought possible.Visiting BHU was a whole new experience. The campus is absolutely charming and feels steeped in history and culture. Yet, the campus was all very well - how would … [Read more...]
Why Performances are Fun
Anyone who has ever performed knows about the adrenalin rush, the energy, the feeling of having achieved something. But more than all of these, I think performances are fun because they're full of stories.Some are dramatic stories that we tell and retell, like when we performed in Chidambaram, and the time when Nisha and I entered from the wrong side when we performed in Aix. Sometimes, though, they're small stories that we store somewhere inside us, and share when we finish the programme, but slowly forget.Last Friday, we performed for Dignity Foundation with my teacher. It was not dramatic, and I'm thankful for that. It did promise to be, though - more than once.The lights kept going during the previous performances, and my teacher prayed right through, the way she does when we're performing Pinnal Kolattam! Narasimha forgot to come on stage. I was Hiranyakashipu, … [Read more...]
Urja – A Classical Dance Festival
Maharashtra Cultural Centre has invited the Academy of Indian Dances to perform for Urja, a classical dance festival. For this performance, we've taken an old theme, one that we presented in 2012, Naaritva: Exploring Womanhood. The performance explores the journey of a woman through traditional pieces, both classical and folk.We begin with girlhood, associated with fun and play. Young girls performing a kolattam will represent this stage of life.What is growing up without friendship and bonding? And when there's exciting gossip to share, friendship becomes even more spicy! The journey of a woman would be incomplete without friendship!And then comes love, the beautiful shringara rasa. The intimacy of young love goes with playfulness, teasing, love and longing.Next, we depict motherhood, exploring the special bond between a mother and her child.Perhaps the … [Read more...]
Our Performance Last Week
Many things went wrong. Too many things went wrong.Mahatma Phule Sanskrutik Bhavan informed us on the 5th of December that the mayor required the hall on the 18th, so all performances scheduled for that day had been cancelled. And yes, our performance was scheduled for the 18th. 59 children were to perform. We had musicians coming in from Mumbai.And just like that, our world fell apart.Unlike at halls like Tilak Smarak Mandir, rehearsals are charged at the full rate too. We had a rehearsal booked for the 8th of December - and had paid Rs 17,250 for it already. And if we cancelled, we stood to lose 15%, at the very least."What dates are available?" we asked. "8 in the morning on the 17th." We found out - our vocalist was unavailable. "What else?" we asked. "8 in the morning on the 11th." And we agreed.Take a moment to think about this: a performance at 8 in … [Read more...]