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  August 2021 Dancers are athletes of the spirit. - Martha Graham, American modern dance icon And so, we have arrived at month #18 of our confined existence. April 2020 to August 2021. Do not believe the stories that the world has opened up and that people are running around the beaches without masks. It may be happening in the USA where rules rarely seem to matter when it comes to personal liberty, but everyone is steeling themselves for the Delta or Lambda variant and the Third Wave. Many eyes turned away from dance platforms to watch the stunning opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. And, of course to cheer the brave efforts of Manipuri weight lifter Mirabai Chanu who scored India's first silver medal. How many more honours will come our way is not the only question. Besides cricket, does our country actually care about any other sport? Dance gurus are exhilarated as so many of their students have shone brilliantly in their school final exams. What a double delight to have a good dance student who also excels in academics! The turning point arrives when girls turn 18, and leave for brighter financial horizons! The only hope is that the experience of 10 years in a dance environment has sensitized them as individuals and future rasikas. So, this editorial is about the lesser revealed and not so glamorous work that some dance advocates are immersed in. While thousands are rehearsing, filming, posting videos of themselves in warm up sessions and weight training, I am sidestepping this nonstop barrage of videos to write about what caught my eye and mind space. #EVERYONE CAN DANCE  Hrishikesh Pawar It's not just for the fit and healthy. Ask contemporary dancer Hrishikesh Pawar. For 11 years he has been sharing the joy of movement with individuals with Parkinsons. This affliction that hits the basal ganglia of the brain, affects the nervous system and impairs coordination of the muscles. The gradual degeneration is crippling - both psychologically and physically - for the individual. Watching on ZOOM on my iPad, with multiple right swipes to verify the large number of participants, I was moved to tears. Sitting, standing, even lying down - everyone was dancing. Hrishikesh had created a Playlist of Punjabi, Marathi, African and world beats to keep them going for a full hour. His energy never flagged and his choreographic moves were intelligently braided to create enough short rest periods while never actually stopping. What makes us dancers resist reaching out to the not so advantaged? The former term used was "handicapped" until it was rectified to "challenged". Is it because teaching or sharing with those not of "normal" capacities of body and mind are "too challenging" and "too difficult"? Or is it the lack of glamour that accompanies this kind of outreach? Today DMT (Dance Movement Therapy) is a separate discipline but it should not stop any of us from reaching out to any of our elders, especially those relegated to wheel chairs or their beds, and urging them to move in whatever capacity they can. When I visited an Elders home in Florida and Chennai, the experience brought smiles to the faces of the mostly female residents while humbling me with moist eyes. Yes, it is not easy to be reminded of one's privilege and good fortune but it is also crucial that we remember that we are but a cog in a giant wheel of life and fate. #GREY - The Elephant in the Room  Mallika Sarabhai Always the activist and dance advocate for change through her art, Mallika Sarabhai has been strangely very quiet on social media during this entire pandemic. Save her early foot tapping video DANCE UNLOCKED which released in early May 2020, this social and arts evangelist has now been reaching out to schools. The growing issue of mental health and depression among all demographics of our population has gone largely unnoticed. This extended and seemingly never ending pandemic has cast a strange lethargy on everyone. Mallika uses the French word ennui. And young school going children are also affected. Unable to socialize, stuck in small homes, many sharing one device for online classes and normal conversations, our kids are going through some challenging times. Mallika and tech whiz Yadavan Chandran have created a template to reach out to schools and sensitize children about mood changes and how to deal with the various challenges they may be experiencing. This model has become so successful that more and more schools have reached out to them for sessions. Again, for those with large homes and multi generations families, raising young children during the pandemic may not be as tough. Imagining what most of India is going through with students plodding through day after day, living in cramped spaces with no respite ahead, no date for reopening of schools and no clarity as to what lies ahead in the "new normal" must be crippling. #SHOW ME THE MONEY  Shreya Nagarajan Singh It is now quite the rage. Raising money for "the marginalised communities of artistes in India". Everyone is doing it. Through online festivals, digital films and special fund raising efforts. While India's diversity and sheer numbers are daunting, the relentless drive of so many must be applauded. Many dancers who live outside India have donated directly to those musicians and costume makers who were badly hit with no revenue to keep their home fires burning. One mridangist was actually contemplating delivering milk packets to homes until timely help came via an arts organization. The snag in all this "large hearted bhava" is the Indian government. Foreign aid is now being closely scrutinized, and rightly so, with so much NGO funds having been misused in the past. So, even with reputed platforms who have the paperwork to receive foreign funds, the intense glare is causing delays. Individuals who donate for relief work in India are discouraged to giving the aid to individuals. And it is really difficult to find parallel cultural organizations outside cities who will undertake the responsibility to disburse the funds to the affected artistes and their families. Quite frankly, we in India are hit with compassion fatigue. Many have opened their hearts and purses and given. And given. And given more. Enough. Many are exhausted and drained when requests continue to pour in. Businesses are doing poorly. Revenues are down. Everyone is number crunching and tightening their belts. And artistes are continuing to starve in body and spirit. Some folk artistes are actually saying, "Don't give us money, Give us a chance to perform!" But where? When? The festival season is upon us but no temples are open. No public celebrations are happening. No weddings, engagements, child birth, cradle ceremonies - the only sound is a deafening silence all around us. And what about being transparent with the monies received and disbursed? When a national daily approached a few of these cultural organisations about how their relief funds were being disbursed, many of them hesitated to share details. This raises doubts about how the monies are being handled. In the USA or the UK, non-profit organizations must share their balance sheet and financial reports publicly every year since so much of their funds come from regional and state sources. In fact, CEOs of these organizations are avidly "hunted" from the corporate sector with attractive salaries up to $125,000 a year. An organized business mind is needed to create strategy and financial planning. To dispel the clouds of doubt and suspicion, SNS Arts Consultancy/Shreya Nagarajan Singh has created a detailed expense report for the recently concluded PRE LOVED SARI auction. Money received. Artistes supported in three states. Who? Where? When? All the major donors are given a report which is the professional way of completing the circle of trust and generosity. #AND THEN THERE WAS ONE  Madurai R Muralidharan  Muralidharan with MK Stalin Madurai R Muralidharan is considered an outlier to the Bharatanatyam community in India. But across the seas he is a phenomenon. Revered and adored by Bharatanatyam and music students the world over, his unusual style of composition, choreography and training has seen a steady rise up the ladder of success. Always someone who has defied the odds and ignored purists who have labelled his work "undanceable", "filmy", "loud" and "melodramatic", MRM (for short) has continued to walk his path without missing a step. Aided by his two "dwarapalas," daughter Kavya (a social media star and influencer) and wife Chitra, he has forged ahead breaking one record after the other. MRM is already in the Guinness Book of Records on two occasions. The first was in April 2018 in Chennai's Bharat Kalachar auditorium where over 300 Bharatanatyam dancers performed to the longest SANKEERNA DHRUVA TALA. The second successful entry was an online venture in April 2021. This time 140 dancers rose to the challenge of dancing 60 JATHIS nonstop. Whew! August 1 marks a double delight for this Chennai based composer dancer, mridangam player and choreographer. On the same day he will attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records for the THIRD TIME. 900 students across the world are performing his new Tamil varnam in praise of the TAMIL language imagined as a Goddess. All 900 will be performing this dance simultaneously in 7 countries. Also on August 1, MRM's choreography and digital designs will be seen in another avatar. Titled THE SEVEN SELFLESS SOVEREIGNS, it is a dance and multimedia presentation on some famous kings in Tamil history. The event is an online fund raiser for VISION AID, an organization that is focused on improving the lives of the visually impaired population. They are believed to have lived in the final chapter of the Tamil Sangam era and represent the pinnacle of philanthropy and generosity. These stories are well known to school children who study about these 7 kings and their acts of courage and empathy. It is believed that the very spirit of DHARMA or RIGHTEOUS RULE came to an end after their lives ended. One gave his cloak to a shivering peacock in the rain. Another gave his golden chariot to a creeper struggling to find a stable way of beginning the upward climb. A third gifted a gooseberry imbued with magical properties for immortality to poet Avvaiyar so that the beauty of Tamil could flourish. Now there is some fodder for the imagination so dancers can reach for newer examples during their "sancharis"! Madurai Muralidharan represents someone who has made Bharatanatyam accessible in every nook and corner of the globe. The Sri Lankan diaspora community adores him. His compositions are so easy to access for Arangetrams thereby avoiding the huge fees demanded by dance musicians. While his style of compositions, jaw breaking rhythms and flamboyant motifs may not be for everyone (I too have felt distinctly out of sync with his aesthetics), MRM is undeniably a strong presence in 21st century Bharatanatyam that cannot be ignored. #HALF AND HALF At first it was learning from one guru (Adyar K Lakshman and Guru SK Rajaratnam) and ABHINAYA from another guru (Kalanidhi Narayan). That itself raised many an eyebrow in the 1970s. Then it became special "jathis" composed by a mridangist and inserted into a traditional varnam. Now it is learn half a varnam from one teacher and the second half from another! I wonder where this is going… Maybe that is also a way for online students and the organisers to get more enrolment since ITEM LEARNING is quite the current rage! Methinks that very soon dancers must also credit WARM UP GURUS to their credit list. After all, I am seeing 24/7 exercises. Lifting Krishna statues for bicep curls, leaning against a large Rama image for core strengthening. Trying to get a perfect 180 degree spread for a better araimandi, sweeping the floor for better squats. All these REELS and STORIES on INSTAGRAM are eyebrow raising and quite entertaining to watch. That is the only way to process this current tsunami of ludicrous overflow of instant content. On the other hand, what is happening to the revenue model? Initiatives like NATYARAMBHA's TAMRAPATRA based on 15th century Telugu poet Annamacharya are over-subscribed as we speak and will show a healthy bottom line at the end of 12 months. But when established digital platforms who boast of 40k and 50k followers dump free content from morning to night and then have a token demonstration of professionalism by asking to register without payment. HOW DOES IT BENEFIT THE DANCE FIELD? Is it building real audiences? Is it supporting or nurturing the form or the tradition? Is it encouraging a new generation of youth to practice with the same dedication that earlier gurus were demanding from their students? I have written earlier about the 20 somethings who have all started teaching online. This is inevitable since many are supporting themselves solely through dance. No point in their gurus getting hot under the collar about this. But the RAMEN NOODLE NATYAM model is actually HURTING THE FIELD. # PRODUCT NOT PROCESS  This distracted generation is actually getting more depressed because of social media pressures. Those chasing followers and "likes" are less likely to commit to or enroll in a long term course like NATYA's one year choreography diploma. I was able to travel to Bengaluru to be on the jury for the final leg of the year long course. The responsibilities were to watch the 12 candidates who had gone through an entire year under the aegis of NATYA INSTITUTE curriculum which is affiliated to JAIN UNIVERSITY. While the talent on display was uneven, what impressed me was the systematic way in which the syllabus was laid out for optimum understanding of the art of choreography. Madhu Nataraj pointed out in her introduction that the often used term DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY is actually repetitive. CHOREO means "dance". GRAPHIE means "writing". So the Greek word actually means "writing dance". In the sense that dancers "write" their own language in space and time. Art History, Dance History, Natya Sastra, Lighting Design, Costume Design, Research Methodology, Art & Craft of Choreography, Textual Traditions, Music composition are some of the lectures delivered during the 12 month duration. For the final submission, students were expected to deliver comprehensive written presentations on traditional choreography on a Jataka tale (ABHISAAR), followed by a historical or mythological source and finally, a contemporary issue. Concept, Choreography, File work/Research, Production Design were the columns under which we were asked to read, watch and grade. Topics ranged from HELICOPTER PARENTING, ECO AWARENESS, DEPRESSION, SOCIAL MEDIA FALLOUT, FEMALE LITERACY, EATING DISORDERS and GENDER FLUIDITY. It was clear that the majority of students were most uncomfortable with current topics and were seen floundering and wavering in the embodiment of the initial idea. However, it was the background preparation that was most impressive. If only these courses were available to us 25 or 30 years earlier. Many from my generation have learned the art and skill of choreography by watching, doing, failing and attempting again and again. #BOOK ALERTS  Dancers are always on the lookout for a new story to embed their imagination with. Well, here is a book that delivers just that. SARASVATI'S GIFT is the latest offering of myth re-teller Kavita Kane of Pune. In this gentle and thoughtful book, she has recast the river Goddess as fiercely independent, intelligent and impatient of mediocrity. Sarasvati refuses to be co-opted either as TRIVENI or TRIDEVI - choosing to walk and flow in silence on her own. The book smashes all patriarchal notions of women bickering and cursing one another. Here you see Parvati, Lakshmi and Sarasvati engaged in discussions about family and value systems. When sage Viswamithra tries to "pollute" Her pristine clear water by turning it into blood, Sarasvati calmly appropriates a male curse as the healthy and life giving force of a woman's menstrual cycle. When Ravana appears in Heaven with his two brothers, Sarasvati demands to know where their younger sister Surpanakha is. And why she, a girl, is left out of receiving boons from the male gods. It is such a charming read - the Goddess of the Arts, of wisdom, learning, intelligence, acumen and wit. Ideas and possibilities rose to the surface of my mind screen and I will be sure to incorporate them in my future work. TAKITATOM  NATYA DANCE THEATRE in Chicago is now on the TIK TOK platform! PICKLE FACTORY, Kolkata, turns 4. RHYTHMOSAIC Kolkata turns 11. PRIYA MURLE's student Lekha Prasad won 2nd place and the group presentation got a special prize in the Dance of India @ 75 conducted by Centre For Indian Classical Dance (CICD).  Aruna Mohanty ARUNA MOHANTY has taken over as the President of the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi. AKRAM KHAN produced and presented a collaborative film TRESPASSING HUMANITY to raise funds for marginalised artistes in India. The highlights of the film were the musical sections performed by sitarist Anoushka Shankar, guitarist Nitin Sawhney and vocalist T M Krishna. Priya Murle and SNS Arts have launched PARIVARTAN, a Research Initiative for the Performing Arts. #AUDIO APPS, VIDEO PLATFORMS & REAL LIFE Having completed 50 talks on Instagram over the past two months and many more scheduled in the coming weeks, I have finally become excited and engaged about my day to day routine. Having always believed that, my various loves and interests feed into my dance and that Dance cannot not define who I truly am, I find myself excited and eager to listen to my guests during each interaction. The CHUTNEY MAMI club on CLUBHOUSE has also become alive with some very good content. We had a great audience for the historic NATYA ICONS OF NORTH AMERICA where six divas shared their early years of establishing their dance institutions. Dance students listened in rapt attention as some very personal moments poured out from the speakers - Hema Rajagopalan, Rathna Kumar, Lata Pada, Viji Prakash, Ramya Harishankar and Mythili Kumar. The back story of how I convinced everyone to join CLUBHOUSE and the childlike excitement of these remarkable women grappling with the App, their laughter and delight when they were able to register and connect was a performance in itself! Audio is a comfortable and non invasive way of connecting and the rapid rise of this Audio App only proves that people are getting tired of constant digital viewing and are flocking to a more gentle way of connecting with topics and individuals. On August 9 at 9 pm IST we have an important topic about THE RESPONSIBILITY OF INDIVIDUAL ARTS ORGANISATIONS-THE UNCLEAR PATH AHEAD. Do join CLUBHOUSE, follow me and join the club CHUTNEY MAMI - about Life's delightful mashups. This past month also got me more interested in how the algorithms of YOU TUBE, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK and TWITTER work. It is only by the constant and incessant posting that one can grab the eyeballs. How often? As often as possible. What content? It seems just about anything and everything. While all my talks have reached a minimum of 750 views with some crossing the 3000 mark, I am most surprised at the large number of Instagrammers who are actually watching. Finally, it is up to each one of us to engage with every platform in a way that we are comfortable. Many have handed over their pages to spouses, children and professionals. I am being bombarded with more and more professionals who promise to grow my numbers by creating Reels. But do they know who I am? What makes me tick? Can a 20 or a 30 something actually understand my 50 year immersion in Dance, Media and Life? It all boils down to how much of myself is ready to be shared. Meanwhile, I am enjoying sorting my old photos, discovering gems from the past and digitising some precious images. With my children peeling off in very different directions, it is even more important to understand where I stand in this large rubric we call the Arts and in particular - Dance. And that there is a full life outside these social media platforms that cause joy and grief in equal measure. To realize its purpose and to use it for growth and learning is a decision we can all make. #REBRANDING You may have noticed some small changes to the NARTHAKI family. NEO NARTHAKI completes a year of its online presence. Our YOU TUBE and FACEBOOK names have been changed to NARTHAKI OFFICIAL. My own professional page is getting a reboot and there is much activity afoot about curation, composition, camera work, content writing and the final avatars. We have launched a call for a global audition for the second season of DEVI DIARIES. Submissions are pouring in, but frankly, the quality of dance leaves much to be desired. Over the past year, dancers have become so camera savvy that they are actually dancing less and editing with greater cuts and close ups thereby marring the flow of technique and style. Bharatanatyam in particular has mostly suffered due to this REELS mania and is probably as much a malaise as the fake WOKE crowd! And so, as we hurtle towards the last few months of 2021, we are looking at GREY. A colour that refuses to change, Grey has smudged our minds and hearts. Our thoughts are equally unclear. 2021 started on a hopeful note but now - who really knows? Amidst all these question marks, there are those dancers who soldier on. So keep that energy going whoever and wherever you are! At least we have the onset of the festival season to look forward to! Even if we celebrate from the safety of our homes. Take care. Stay safe. Mask up and stay hopeful. - Anita R Ratnam Chennai and an occasional lunch with my BFFs. Twitter: @aratnam Facebook: Anita R Ratnam Instagram: @anitaratnam Blog: THE A LIST / anita-ratnam.blogspot.in Post your comments |
