Message in a blossom

classical steps

They came, they performed, they conquered.’ This is an apt description of the Singapore-based dance company Apsara Arts, which recently toured South India with Alapadma, their production. They impressed not only the audience, but also the connoisseurs of Indian classical dance forms. The troupe was elegant and professional, and didn’t strike a single note of discord throughout the performance.

“As such all the dancers have had many years of training. Apart of their individual training background, they are selected to perform for the company through a strict audition. They are professional bharatanatyam artistes and perform either as soloists or as part of an ensemble, like the one which performed Alapadma,” explained Aravinth Kumarasamy, the creative and managing director of the dance company.

Flower power

Alapadma presents the unfolding of a lotus and explores a few aspects of the flower such as Srishti Sarasija (signifying creation), Pada Pankaja (mythology), Leela Kamala (romance), Alankaara Ambuja (iconography) and Sahasrara Padmam (human wisdom). The aspects are choreographed to the lyrics chosen from Alwar Pasuram, Kamba Ramayanam and Abhinaya Darpana slokas; verses from the Bhagavatam; and the poetry of Bharathiyaar and contemporary poets.

The intriguing bit about the dance is that lotus is presented not just as the flower that Indians perceive, but as seen in other countries like Egypt, Singapore, China, Iran etc, in their religions and civilisations.

The performance began with the exploration of an ancient Egyptian belief. It showed the beginning where the waters of chaos were covered by darkness until the primeval blue water-lotus rose from the abyss and opened its petals to reveal the sun god seated in its resplendent golden heart. As the lotus closed its petals at the end of each day, chaos reigned throughout the night until the god within returned.

In the Puranas, Vishnu and Brahma are considered the ideal creator and the practical creator, respectively. The lotus is believed to be the centre of the universe, arising from the navel of Vishnu, and at the centre of the flower sits Brahma, the creator of the world. So in the next segment of Alapadma, the choreography illustrated this bit of mythology through selected verses from the Pasurams by the revered 6th-century Vaishnava saint, Periyalvar. 

This story about lotus was researched for a couple of years before the selection of appropriate raga and dancers to represent each aspect of the story. Of course, the professionalism of the dancers helped.  All the performers aren’t necessarily trained by Guru Neila Satyalingam, the founder of the dance academy. Though the dancers are residents of Singapore, their place of birth or dance training could be elsewhere. But they all congregate at Apsara Arts for a decided performance.

“Singapore is a hub of Indian classical dances and dancers. Every prestigious school and college has classical dance classes and well-trained dance teachers. When I, along with my husband, late S Sathyalingam, a musician, founded Apsara Arts way back in 1977, we had 20 students to begin with. Over the years, we have trained many students, who are now in different parts of the world teaching and performing. Today, Apsara Arts has become a professional company, focussing on creating new works at both national and international festivals, corporate events and seasonal performances,” explained the 78-year-old.

Neila Satyalingam is a Sri Lankan Tamilian by birth. She perfected her dance techniques when she trained under the late Rukmini Devi Arundale, known as the revivalist of bharatnatyam and who founded Chennai-based Kalakhestra, an academy of dance and music, built on the principles of Indian gurukula system.

Neila later married Sathyalingam, son of a Sri Lankan politician, who was a teacher of music at Kalakshetra.Elaborating on her academy, she said, “Thanks to our Kalakshetra pedigree, Apsara Arts is now seen as a leading dance institution known for innovative bharatanatyam productions. We have collaborated dance forms of India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and China. We have also started to present experimental work based on kathak from the Lucknow gharana.”

Past in a performance

In fact, one of their productions of 2013, Angkor, which recreated the story of Khmer (Cambodia) of the 12th century, was a mammoth production that cost millions. The audience was completely mesmerised, and those who watched it still talk about it. “To restage that performance, we would need many big sponsors. That was really impressive, gorgeous and absolutely fascinating. Everyone including us was left speechless after the performance!” recalled the founder.

Both Neila and Aravinthan are not at all apprehensive of the invasion of satellite television and escalating popularity of Indian film music on classical dance forms. They feel that all art makers have an obligation to ensure the continuity of the chosen art from.

The bharatnatyam dance maestro said, “Bharatanatyam artistes must make efforts to build audience by reaching out to newer members and to take bharatanatyam to younger generations. It’s important to focus on innovating performances with newer thoughts and ideas to provide a learning experience for the audience. Alapadma, like our other productions, attempts to create curiosity in the audience about Asian cultures, while also letting them enjoy bharatnatyam and Carnatic music.”