Grace and art redefined

Dance is the hidden language of the soul. Each movement of the body is enhanced by merely playing it to the rhythm and one can almost hear unspoken words with each movement. Passion, perseverance and technique differentiate a great dancer.

This cannot be emphasised enough when we talk about Archana Kumar, an exponent of Kathak, Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance. She spent 10 years in the US where she founded the Mansarovar Kathak, co-directed Seattle’s largest South Asian cultural festival, UTSAV, and was the dance wing lead for Pratidhwani, an organisation promoting Indian Arts in Seattle.

In India, Archana has spent several years learning and teaching Kathak, and is a regular performer in the contemporary dance circuit. She is also the recipient of Karnataka’s Spandana Award in 2011 for her contribution to the field of performing arts.

She was initiated into Bharatanatyam by her encouraging parents at a very early age. Learning this dance form helped her understand the way her body responded to music, proving to be the stepping stone to experimenting with other dance forms in later years.

“As a teen, I used to stretch my hamstrings every day after school till I could do the ‘Full Split’ after six months,” she says.

Watching a Kathak performance by her friend sowed the seed of interest in Kathak for her. The sheer flexibility of her body, self-training and perseverance took her to the podium of success in Kathak as well. Between studying, working and teaching dance in Mansarovar Kathak in the US, Archana experimented at fusing Kathak with contemporary dance, giving Kathak a whole new dimension.

She is quick to give her past teachers due credit for shaping her. Her meeting with Astad Deboo, the ‘father’ of contemporary dance, resulted in a collaboration with him in Seattle. Such collaborations with various artistes across the world (Canada, China, Japan, US) widened her horizons as an artiste and performer. Besides the self-motivated demeanour that she displays, she credits her success to her partner and friend, Pervez.

Archana has been teaching children Kathak in Bangalore, besides performing experimental dance pieces. She has also experimented fusing Kathak with its cousin, Flamenco, which originated in Spain. A true East meets West! Her latest stint in one of the theatres in Bangalore was ‘Monkey C Monkey Do’ that questioned homogeneity, mob mentality and mimicking and drew similarities between us and our cousins, the monkeys, in various aspects. It only reiterates what Bill Irwin said — “The physical language of the body is so much more powerful than words.” She is also premiering her first full length dance-theatre production, ‘When Bubbles Collide’, in June.

Her love for teaching can be related to her stints as an adjunct faculty member at two prestigious American Universities — Cornish College of Arts, Seattle and North Western University, Chicago — apart from lectures and demos in various school and universities. Known as didi among her students, she adds that teaching always challenges her creativity.

Stressing on the need to connect with her students, Archana says, “The method used to teach children 30 years ago, unfortunately, does not work with today’s generation. It’s a huge challenge, but not impossible.” She believes strongly in tailoring the course to the age group and has seen success by constantly re-working and researching newer ways of conducting sessions in tune with today’s contemporary world.

Saddened by the fact of dance being labelled as ‘entertainment’, she voices her concern saying, “Branding dance as entertainment not only narrows the borders of the mind but also equates it to commercial dances performed for the sake of publicity.” She believes that dance is therapeutic, and with every movement, the mind automatically cleanses itself of all thoughts and thus unconsciously the body is in a semi-meditative state. Every move in her dance exhibits her inner voice with grace and dignity and takes the dance to a different plane while enthralling the audience.

In an infectious tone, she says, “Challenging the body beyond its realms and giving in to the rhythm and beat takes you into a trance. The feeling is inexplicable. It needs to be experienced. Apart from the holistic healing that happens through learning dance, there is a positive physical improvement in the body. You will live longer and feel younger.”

She emphasises on the fact that performance, fame and immediate gratifications shape one’s career but the future lies in little children. “I feel there’s an oil lamp burning inside me at all times. I’m thrilled about challenging my physical body in relation to everything around me,” she says. The softer side of her is seen when she directs and performs ballets to raise money for causes like CRY.
“I’m only a small fish in the pond, but I will continue teaching this traditional form and experimenting in various ways as I share my knowledge with the little ones to the best of my ability,” she says.