JOIN USAs a performer when Swarnamalya Ganesh finished her doctoral research on dance, she was left with a huge volume of visual material to share. She also had engaging stories, histories and anecdotes to share. So she decided to reconstructed the lost dance forms(between 16th - 19th centuries) of Tamil Nadu in a Bharatanatyam performance that would help people understand the multicultural influences the dance form has. This is how the show ‘From the Attic’ was conceived.
It is divided into three parts: One is ‘Stories from the Attic’ where Ganesh will narrate stories to set the context for the era; second is an exhibition ‘Beholding the Attic’ that features visual materials like original costumes, manuscripts, temples sculptures that helped in reconstruction of the dances, rare photos of ‘devadasis’ and video footage. These two sessions lead up to the actual performance ‘From the Attic’ which is an evening of dance of various repertories.
The idea, according to Ganesh, is to trace the journey of Bharatanatyam through the show and show the contribution of multicultural influences in this classical dance form that is hailed as the “cultural badge of Tamil Nadu”.
“Bharatanatyam is understood as a form of dance that aligns itself to a particular culture, faith and consequentially hailed as the cultural badge of Tamil Nadu. It is true that Bharatanatyam has been nurtured as a dance form in this state, but actually it was known as ‘sadir’ and that form of dance was preserved and nurtured, ”she tells Metrolife.
“It was during my research I realised that sadir during that time this was a far more inclusive dance form. Inclusive in the sense of catering to various strata of people in the society, having something for everyone as opposed to how it’s now mostly perceived as a high art meant for the consumption of a certain class of people, ”she adds.
The process of finding these lost connections to various cultures that we hitherto think of as so far away from the ethos of Bharatanatyam has been a fascinating journey for her. “Can we believe how much the Dutch, English and French cultures have directly contributed to some of the gestures, songs and movements used even today in Bharatanatyam?”
Ganesh’s research work has been claimed as path-breaking in the world of dance and she was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship to come to UCLA and teach courses on it.Classical dances are usually difficult to comprehend for the uninitiated, and hence there is a gradual decline in the audience and interest weans away. “Be it Bharatanatyam or for that matter any classical dance, any form of art requires certain level of comprehension.
When artistes step out of the country they make an effort to make elaborate introductory explanations. But within India we often close the doors on most sections of the society when it comes to initiating them,” she points out.
She hopes her performance will place Bharatanatyam in a new light of being cosmopolitan and inclusive. “By doing this we are trying to let the world know that it’s people’s art. There is no need for any special initiation. The artistes are supposed to cater to all sections of the society through this form,” she says.
“Of course this is not to negate its grammar. But the grammar is not the form... it’s merely a tool to create dances that are relevant to the world,” she adds.
From the Attic will be performed at IIC on April 30 at 7:15 pm.