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ANITA SAYS..... PATHS ARE MADE BY WALKING - Franz Kafka, Czech author This is an important quote and a very important signifier for everyone.  It's August - a time between the Indian seasons of summer, GRISHMA and the upcoming monsoons, VARSHA. This is also when many in South India take to health resorts and Ayurvedic centres to strengthen their immune systems. It is believed that this is a very important time when the rays of the sun weakens and our bodies become most susceptible to infections and illness. So wherever you are, I hope you are well, in good health and taking the time to read my thoughts. #GUTS AND GLORY  Celine Dion  Lady Gaga  Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh The Indian contingent made headlines even before the sports events began. The teams' outfits, designed by Tarun Tahliani, came under heavy criticism for their lack of imagination and failure to showcase India's diverse and glorious textile traditions. The INDIA Pavilion was launched for the first time at the Olympic village and featured several folk performers and Bollywood singers. At the time of this writing, India has won its bronze Olympic medals for air pistol shooting - 2 by 22 year old Manu Bhaker and 1 by Sarabjot Singh. Dance made headlines even before the games began. Hundreds of dancers contracted for the opening event went on strike, complaining about poor living conditions and low wages. At the last minute an agreement was reached to send the dancers back onto the boats for the spectacular opening event. It seems that anywhere and everywhere in the world, dancers are made to work the hardest, for long hours, and are mostly taken for granted as puppets to be pushed around and rearranged. #THE PERFECT PATRON   Not all hope is lost for dancers if they are fortunate to have the ideal patron. On Guru Purnima day, July 21st, a privileged group of dancers were acknowledged, supported and applauded for their performance at the NMACC/Ambani Centre in Mumbai. On the specific request of cultural czarina Nita Ambani, Bharatanatyam choreographer Rama Vaidyanathan mounted a successful work called NIMAGNA (Immersion) with 25 students. Imagine being hosted for 5 days, given 3 days of tech support, sets created as per prior specification and a team that adheres to international standards. A house full show with a prolonged standing ovation was icing on the cake. The double bill with Odissi Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and dancers was an added bonus for the delighted audience. After film star Shobana who commanded a house full show at the Grand Theatre a few months ago, this is the second classical dance event at the 2000 seater space! #MEEOWW-CAT LADIES!  When Republican vice president nominee JD Vance made a misogynistic comment about US vice president Kamala Harris being a "childless cat lady" with no stake in the future of America, the internet exploded in fury. Even in our culture and other traditional societies, a woman's role is considered never complete unless she becomes a mother. I think about the numerous dancers, musicians and professional women who have focused on their careers and who have chosen either to remain single or, if in a relationship, have made a conscious decision not to become a parent. I know how much time parenting has taken away from my creative arc. I have been told numerous times that children are a "distraction" - that I would have progressed much further in my artistic career if I had been single without "encumbrances". While I can disagree vigorously with this observation, since I love my role as a mother, I feel that these are purely personal choices. To punish or slander women for their independent views and life decisions is totally unacceptable. So join me in applauding these brilliant cat ladies - Malavika, Yamini, Valli, Chitra, Sonal, Padma, Ananda, Sonali Skandan - and everyone who continue to make important personal choices that suit your individual journeys! We love you!  Bombay Jayashri, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Alarmel Valli And the always amazing Valli made a brief dance appearance during the book launch of her dear friend, poet Arundhathi Subramaniam's WILD WOMEN. The lovely morning event in Chennai was a departure from the usual boring book releases. An added treat was seeing a recovered Bombay Jayashri Ramnath - looking weak but well - receiving the first copy. Her fans will recall her harrowing illness in Liverpool, UK, 2 years ago and the long road back to recovery. Welcome back, Jayashri! #SAKHI AND THE CREATIVE CONCLAVE  Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon A two hour drive along the coast from Chennai brought me to the new dance and creative crucible of SAKHI, the dream project of dancers Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon. It is a serene and idyllic locale, still remote and inaccessible to city comforts, but with a great potential to become another ADISHAKTI-like space for dreaming and dancing. In a long conversation with young dancers from several countries, I tried to project a practical road map of how to navigate the enormous challenges that young artistes face. Money, opportunity, recognition - everyone in the session was clamouring for a piece of the pie. Everyone was conflicted about having a side hustle - a side job or vocation that could support their dance passion. Somehow, today's young students have been told that if their mind was diverted from the daily rigour of practice that they cannot be "pure" artists. This is misleading and can harm the young hopeful mind. Senior gurus and star mentors are doing a great disservice by drilling this outdated mantra to Gen Z. It's not rocket science. Dance needs money. I stressed that each young dancer- if they do not have the backing of a family, partner or patron - must find and develop a skill that brings in the "moolah" which can then support the dancing. It's that simple. Today, a young dancer needs to think of Dance & a job OR a job & Dance. It's a delicate tight rope walk, I know. But it cannot be dance, dance, dance, more dance. This will only lead to heartbreak and disillusionment. #MYTHS & STORIES There is an increasing pushback against traditional myths and ancient stories. Young students of dance are clashing with their teachers about the inappropriate or unsuitable nature of some familiar tales. Greek, Indian, Indonesian, Mayan, Celtic, and other ancient societies are replete with numerous narratives that carry messages of cultural, environmental, identity and other issues that do not fit snugly on contemporary society. Let me give you some examples. Princess SITA, who curses the Tulsi Bush for not speaking the truth, and thereby denying it of all fragrance. Upper caste oppression Lord Krishna and Arjuna, who burn the KHANDAVA forest to help the fire god Agni, thereby displacing the indigenous peoples of the land. Corporate greed? Prince Arjuna, who assumes the disguise of the female dance teacher, Brihannala. Identity appropriation? Lord Zeus in Greek mythology who is accused of every horrific misdemeanour like rape, incest, war mongering. A perfect candidate for Cancel Culture. And handsome Lord Murugan disguised as an old man and teasing the indigenous mountain princess Valli. Unacceptable Eve teasing. One young student in the USA complained about Lord Murugan's behaviour in the lyrics of a Bharatanatyam Sabdam. "It's eve teasing, ma'am", she stated. The guru was feeling very pressured since this was the time honoured tale of how Murugan married Princess Valli. While posing this dilemma to me, she asked me what her response should be. My advice to her was to tell all students about these traditional tales. Sometimes these stories can be tweaked and subverted by making princess Valli turn the tables on Lord Muruga and tease him instead. To have Lord Muruga taken by surprise, and finally giving in to her spirit and courage. As a last resort, this item can be avoided if it makes both Guru and student uncomfortable. Teach them something else. There are growing cases of doubts and questions for today's generation of classical dance students in India and among the diaspora. In the end, the teaching and learning of dance must be joyous, mutually productive, and a positive experience. Speaking of classrooms and dance teachers, scholar Aadya Kaktikar has done an extensive study about the social position of dance teachers in India's educational system. In contrast to the respect given to sports coaches and other staff in the extra-curricular activity sector, she feels that the dance teacher is placed at the lowest rung of the ladder. Unless one heads an independent Dance Academy, there is little respect or social standing for dance teachers in Indian schools and colleges. Time honoured myths and legends are still very popular among Indian politicians. In Parliament, leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi compared the Congress party to the inclusive procession of Lord Siva who invited humans, animals and creatures of all shapes and sizes into his "cabinet". The ruling government, meanwhile, was compared to the exclusive CHAKRAVYUH circle that was the death knell for Arjuna's son Abhimanyu - a circle of fear that must be broken, Mr. Gandhi declared. These stories, images and narratives have been so deeply embedded into every day parlance in India as the Gods become human and their imperfections exposed. There lies the magic and the mystery! #IFTR IN MANILA  I ended my month in Manila, Philippines, with the IFTR Theatre conference. This Theatre conclave is held in several cities across the world, mainly on university campuses during the annual summer break. I consider myself an IFTR veteran, having attended five previous conferences in many interesting cities across the globe. This year's theme was titled OUR STATES OF EMERGENCY. My joint presentation was with Dr Ketu Katrak from the University of California, Irvine. I presented the experiences of the Chennai floods in 2015 and 2023, and how the artistic community rallied to support their colleagues in distress. Ketu spoke about the dire lack of sanitation and access to clean water in the South African projects and the slums of Dharavi in Mumbai.  Amritha Sruthi At the same conference, emerging scholar-dancer Amritha Sruthi Radhakrishnan presented her thoughts on 'ECOLOGIES OF PRESENTING DANCE FESTIVALS IN TIMES OF CLIMATE INSTABILITY.' Amritha focused on the Serendipity Festival in Goa as her centre point. A bright and engaging mind, who has the advantage of being a Bharatanatyam performer and now segueing smoothly into scholarship, Dr. Amritha Sruthi is a welcome voice and a discerning mind to the fractured dance landscape. What Indian dance needs today are more bright and questioning minds like Amritha and Aadya who are both affiliated to the SHIV NADAR UNIVERSITY in Delhi-NCR. Students and scholars who are willing to stay engaged while debating, disagreeing, arguing, and yet staying in the conversation. Even seniors like myself need these frequent checkpoints to stay alert to privileges and tightly held opinions. Intergenerational connections and discussions are the need of the hour. Meanwhile, enjoy the spectacle of the Paris Olympics. Cheer the amazing spirit, tenacity, and grit of the athletes. As break dancing and hip-hop make their premiere in Paris as a dance-sport, we look forward to more barriers crumbling between performance and athleticism, and the growing exhilaration at the wonders and possibilities of the human body. Like the opening quote by Czech author, Franz Kafka PATHS ARE MADE BY WALKING. One has to DO. Dance, play, compete - in order to create the path. It cannot happen by thinking, dreaming, talking, arguing and procrastinating. With best wishes for continuing good health, I wish you all a wonderful August. Until we meet again, thank you so much for reading.  Tune in and subscribe to the ANITA SAYS Podcast on Spotify. Tell your friends and tell us what you think. Anita R Ratnam Chennai / NYC anitaratnam.com Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook    Post your comments |
