Fusion of Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam

A mridangam player since childhood, and a Bharatanatyam dancer by profession, Kiran Subramanyam decide to bring two of his interests together. He designed a programme called the BHA RA THA PALLAVI, that aims at blending aspects of Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam.

“We wanted to explore the idea of Ragam Tanam Pallavi by bringing the best of both worlds together without compromising on either art form. This is the first time this is being done as a group choreography,” shares Mr Subramanyam.

Coming from a musically inclined family, he was always encouraged to delve into both, dance and music. “At the time I started, there were hardly any male dancers. Society didn’t really accept us. There was no respect or financial gain,” he adds. However, his love for dancing triumphed over the challenges, and now, it has now been 35 years since Subramanyam has started dancing professionally. “Now, things are very different. There are so many male dancers across the country that we are constantly pushed to learn and do better,” he shares.

The program that will take place on October 4, 6 pm, at Sevasadan is meant to also be an exploration of how mathematics and the sciences form an integral part of dance and music.

“Arts and the sciences are not separate. I wanted to show how complex scientific theories and mathematical equations could be incorporated into traditional dance and music,” he adds.