JOIN USPopular Mumbai-based contemporary dancer Sumeet Nagdev can as easily talk sexual abuse and the Ravana in us through his dance performances ‘Trishna’ and ‘Dashanan’, as he can about the over-masculinising of Bollywood dance or our failure to listen to our heart.
Trained in jazz, ballet, folk, modern dance, and rooted in the Graham technique, Sumeet trains over 165 students at his Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts company, which recently completed 10 years. He also coaches children in schools all over the country, choreographs and performs regularly the world over, has judged a dance reality show on TV, and runs a special dance programme for underprivileged children.
He was recently in Bengaluru for a ‘Rhythmic Movement and Self Expression’ workshop. Excerpts from an interview:
You have done so much in the world of dance. What inspires you?
The human mind and body can adapt so fast, and the more we adapt, the more we want to create. It’s the same for any human being. Discovery is the most exciting thing. I start feeling empty too fast. I am in a space where you have to give your best, there is no other choice. The most satisfying thing is discovery. I always believe that I cannot teach, I can only help people discover.
What do you think of men who dance and the way the world sees them?
Men and women have different body structures, but I don’t see any difference when they are in the same emotional zone. In dance, the barrier of gender is crossed; you are touching something deeper inside. I only feel sad that most men don’t pick performance as an option; they tend to stick to choreography. Women choose otherwise. But the most exceptional performers in dance have been men. TV dance shows are ruining the image of the male dancer by giving them an overt masculinity.
I believe you should not set aside roles for men and women in dance. I recently saw a sattriya performance by two men and it was mind blowing. Bollywood is also doing what TV is doing — they are masculinising men, giving them a swag, with women drooling over them. Songs are giving them a pseudo power of masculinity. It’s sad that we are struggling with gender balance in this century when we need to be dealing with gender emotional equality.
Popular dance is high on colours, lights, and especially marketing. But it doesn’t do justice to the human mind. As artistes, we have a responsibility to shape minds and emotions. Dance can accentuate your personality. We need to be careful about what we present in our dance and take that responsibility seriously.
What are Indians obsessed with right now in the world of dance?
Indians actually need to be obsessed with Indian dance. I take inspiration from kathak, kalarippayattu, western sensibilities of physicality, and recently even yakshagana. My teacher Tripura Kashyap said her daughter was learning yakshagana. One of my own students from Karnataka got me a lot of research material and helped out. I was inspired by the make-up and minimal gestures used in it and used it in my performance ‘Dashanan’.
How is dance as a profession emerging?
A recent report I read said that the performing arts industry has grown by 500 to 600% in the last decade, which is huge. Deep down, everyone wants to study some kind of art. What has stopped them is society and the pressure of bank balance. Now, with the economy growing, people are discovering newer things. But you need smart people to handle the business of performance arts. I studied business management, so I was lucky. Dance alone can’t do anything. You need the right platform. Akram Khan, one of the most famous dancers in the contemporary world, wouldn’t have been what he is if his producer Farooq Chaudhry had not put his trust in him, mortgaged his house and put him up on the right platform.
Indians are obsessed with anything that comes across as cool and ‘massy’. Our country is still in the game of playing with the crowd. They don’t listen to their inner voice. In classical dance festivals, you will only see other classical dancers watching them perform, unfortunately. In Bollywood, you are enjoying spectacle; you are not watching a dance. In shows like IIFA, what they are doing on stage is zumba, not dance!
Your most moving experience in the world of dance...
My most moving experience in my life has been the birth of my son. In the world of dance, when I recently performed ‘Dashanan’, my solo after a gap of three years, the audience gave me a standing ovation. I looked into the eyes of some people then. They didn’t seem to get what the contemporary piece was trying to say — contemporary dance tends to get lost a bit on people usually — but they were applauding because they were personally moved.
Why such a long break of three years?
Choreography has taken up a lot of my life and right now I’m romancing it. Creating with my body satisfied my soul earlier. Now teaching others dance satisfies me. I want to get into film-making next and make films as ‘moving’ as they could be.
I’m also choreographing for two Bollywood movies — I’m directing music videos for Brij Mohan Amar Rahe, produced by Saregama, and for another contemporary artistic film. I can’t do TV, I can’t think TRPs. Beyond a point when it affects my conscience, it’s time to give it a miss.