For the love of dance

Spread over three days, the first edition of the Natya Ballet Dance Festival will host performances, talks, along with presentations showcasing established artistes as well as ancient and little-known dance forms.

An initiative of the Natya Ballet Centre in association with Sangeet Natak Akademi, the festival aims to devise multiple ways of exploring and experiencing the varied dance vocabulary of the Indian subcontinent. In a conversation with Shweta Sharma, chairperson Radhika Hoon and creative director Nikita Maheshwary talk about the idea behind the event and the need for such a festival.
Excerpts:

What led to the festival?

Radhika: The festival was curated with the vision to explore and experience the varied dance vocabulary of the Indian subcontinent. While being attentive to the classical and contemporary dance forms, we also wished to give the traditional practices that have survived the test of time and continue to be our living heritage a platform. Thus to throw light on them, our conference ‘Dance Discourses’ will provide an opportunity to hear some of the best in-the-field discussions about choreography in Indian dances today, the history of dance in the Indian sub-continent, the evolution of dance in Hindi cinema and the life and works of the revolutionary choreographer, Chandralekha. Eminent academicians and dance historians such as Ashish Mohan Khokar, Anita Ratnam, Sadanand Menon, Ratnottama Sengupta, Gowri Ramnarayan, Mandeep Raikhy, and Lubna Marium from Bangladesh will lead the talks and discussions.

What is the idea behind the same?

Nikita: We felt that while there has been a discourse on classical and contemporary dance, we needed to catalyze a deeper discussion on the traditional and little known dance practices of the subcontinent.

Tell us about the artistes who will be a part of the festival.

Radhika: We have three performances, four talks and five lecture demonstrations. The festival opens with ‘Nirvana’ from the Natya Ballet Centre’s own repertory. Choreographed by Guru Aniruddha Das and Nibedita Mohapatra, the Odissi dance drama with English dialogues traces the life of Shakhyamuni Gautama Buddha. The next day, Aditi Mangaldas will premiere a solo performance called ‘Widening Circles’ based on the Buddhist principle of Pratityasamutpada or dependent origination. The last day will see contemporary Indian dance pioneer, Astad Deboo present Eternal Embrace based on the poem Maati by Sufi philosopher Bulleh Shah. Choreographed and performed by Astad Deboo in collaboration with Japanese music composer Yukio Tsuji, the show made its international debut at The Metropolitan Museum, New York in 2015. It premieres on the Indian stage at the festival. The three evening performances are curated with the vision to bring the best of Indian dance forms together, spanning from classical forms to contemporary performances that seeks inspiration from our native roots.

In what ways will the festival be different from other dance fests?

Nikita: The festival is conceptualised with the vision to initiate a step towards better understanding of our traditional dance practices; furthermore reflecting on the evolution of dance over the past century. With our conference focused on mapping the varied dance forms while understanding its socio-political relevance in today’s scenario, we are hoping to build a wider audience for classical and traditional dances of the subcontinent.

Which ‘little-known’ dance forms will be talked about in the fest?

Radhika: Each one is unique and fascinating. ‘Gotipua’ for instance, hails from Odisha, where boys, some as young as three years old are sent to a Gurukul to live with a guru and his wife. The tradition began in the 16th century and continues to this day. The boys live as a family, but are trained in this particular form of dance that is a precursor to Odissi. Their bodies are made supple to perform amazing acrobatic feats which they perform dressed as girls. Then, ‘Seraikella Chhau’ from Jharkhand was mostly performed by the male members of the region’s royal family. The ‘Tibetan Opera’ is also an ancient tradition from the 14th century from the Qinghai plateau in Tibet. ‘Ottan Thullal’ from down south was used to bring news to people as well take artistic license to lampoon the rich or people in power.

In terms of popularity and practice, where do you see Indian dance forms as compared to Western ones?

Nikita: The classical dance forms over the years may have been losing popularity with the youth who are more inclined towards contemporary, but the pattern suggests that we need to critically analyse it. With our year-long series of lecture demonstrations and talks at the Natya Ballet Centre, we are trying hard to engage the youth and the young practitioners to understand, explore and start a dialogue on the various Indian dance forms.

The festival is scheduled to be held from December 1 to December 3 at Kamani Auditorium and Sangeet Natak Akademi and LTG Auditorium.