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'Fusion dance needs experience'

Dhwani Festival
Last Updated 08 November 2016, 19:37 IST

On the second day of Dhwani Festival, organised by Lok Kala Manch, Kathak dancer Raksha Singh performed her favourite ‘Krishna Raas’ in ‘Teental’ and ‘Raag Maru Vihaar’, composed and written by her guru Pt Birju Maharaj. Her second performance was ‘Meera Bhajan’ in ‘Deepchandi Taal’ and ‘Raag Pahadi.’

Explaining her choice of compositions for the event, she says, “Both these ragas are my favourite, which is why I chose to perform these at the festival. A very interesting aspect about the first composition by my guru is that it focuses on expression and explores  pure technicalities of kathak.” Her other performance focused primarily on expressions.

Hailing from Bihar, Singh’s artistic journey began when she was very young. She started learning kathak at the Bokaro Institute and now has been training under the guidance of Pt Birju Maharaj for almost 12 years. She also teaches classical dance to students at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra and Aurobindo Ashram.

Talking about contemporary take on dance and fusion, she says, “I have a group of disciples who come together many times for group choreographies. But we stick to traditional dances. I have learnt from my guru that in our own tradition of Kathak, there is a lot left to be explored. It is a vast subject and we have to explore the depths of this dance in its pure sense.”

Even though not a big fan of fusion, Singh has explored fusion dance forms within the classical dances by combining dance forms like Kathak, Bharatanatyam and Odissi. “Sometimes the performances demand some additions of contemporary elements like costumes or a certain instrument. It is ok to explore that too but it shouldn’t become a style. It is important to keep the tradition of dance and I work towards that.”

“If one starts a dance career with fusion, what style will they be left with? Fusion also suits someone who has at least devoted 15 to 20 years to this field. Fusion dance needs experience. A dancer who has followed the tradition is familiar with the details and fusion that will come out of such knowledge will also be worth watching,” she adds.

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(Published 08 November 2016, 14:21 IST)

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