May 1, 2012
The seismic aftershock from my hometown is being felt throughout the
artistic world. It is not the five minute tremors Chennai felt on April
10th which was a fallout from the Indonesia earthquake, but the
‘frisson’ on the very same day from a committee meeting in
Thiruvanmiyur on a major decision taken by an international dancer
and arts administrator.
Days after the meeting was held at Kalakshetra, director Leela Samson
resigned her post citing several reasons. The main one being a PIL filed
against her for continuing after age 60. (Sabha secretaries,
ABHAI and other cultural bodies please note. If THAT is the criterion
then there will be nobody left to head our cultural organizations. Not
to mention our Cricket boards and governments). Within minutes of
the news breaking in mainstream media, the cyber waves, BBM, Iphones,
social network sites and phone calls flew around the world and
cyberspace.
The fact that I open with this news is because the future of India’s
cultural institutions is poised at a precarious state. Years of
bungling, interference, mismanagement and misplaced egos have ruined so
many of our top cultural spaces like Kerala Kalamandalam and
Santiniketan. To bring them back from the brink of chaos and steer them
again on the path of which the visionary founders imagined them is a
herculean task. Kalakshetra too has had its share of muddied waters,
controversies, legal issues and falling standards. Leela Samson took
over at a time of great uncertainty and has resurrected my glorious Alma
Mater to a vibrant and forward-thinking cultural institution, dance
academy, music conservatory, publication and weaving centre and
ecological haven. Classical, contemporary, modern dance and
music are now coursing through the veins and pathways of the
expanse in Thiruvanmiyur and there is a new dynamism whenever I have
visited the premises. And now this.
As someone who has always steered clear of any state institutions, I
have been fortunate to observe how Leela Samson handles delicate issues
and situations up close as Chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Always calm and firm, she is informal in her conducting of meetings and
very determined to stay the course of what the state departments and
ministries require. To have someone who is a dancer, respected by the
artistic community as well as the government machinery is very rare.
Leela Samson contains in her slim frame all the qualities of a leader
and a thinker. It is imperative for all of us who care about the
arts, about dance, about the future of India’s cultural bodies to urge
her to reconsider her decision and to ask her to return to her Alma
Mater with philosopher/thinker Gopalkrishna Gandhi as the dream Chairman
of her board.
A separate column in ROSES and THORNS features the recent media coverage
on this story and also invites all of you to share your views. Write in
and speak up.
I write this from the crisp spring of a London morning after ten days in
the USA. Having watched dancer Preeti Vasudevan’s showing of SAVITRI,
listened to musician Philip Glass in conversation on his 75th birthday
celebrations and seen a variety of contemporary dance and art (in
between tending to my fledgling filmmaker son’s immediate needs in his
NYC apartment) has filled me with many observations and trends that are
quite confusing. US based dancers universally feel that they are always
marginalized when featured in multiple bills alongside a dancer from
India. The media and the presenters always tend to emphasise the
“original”, “authentic” component of the visiting performer and as such
relegate the local artistes to second place. Media ignores them and the
“other” is valorized. This is unfortunate and unless the Indian
community supports the contemporary dimensions of the US based dancers,
it is always going to be struggle for their visibility and acceptance.
Classical dancers are also not living up to the hype of the media and
audiences are catching on quickly with the repetition of dance items and
the needless pandering to the “other-non brown” audience. Well. C’est
la vie, my dears. Nobody said that the contemporary road is easy. It is a
road less travelled but wait for the next five to ten years. Already
the contemporary dancers are smarter, working much harder and networking
more furiously about issues and subjects OUTSIDE dance to create a real
critical mass of support for their works. Just wait. Persist and
persevere. Your time is coming soon. In India and around the
world.
The ART OF CRITICAL WRITING sessions at London’s Southbank proved very
illuminating for me. Writer Sanjoy Roy of THE GUARDIAN laid out his
systematic plan of how to approach dance reviews. Music critic Jameela
Siddiqui suggested that if you hated something you just saw or heard,
you should just put it all down with all the expletives and then leave
it for 24 hours before returning to the page and rewriting it from a
less passionate perspective. (A good point for me, who reacts
emotionally and then spurts it out on my blogs). My own narrative about
the colourful story of this site and the many ups and downs we have
faced in our 12 year presence on the www was very well received since I
peppered my presentation with humorous incidents including attempts to
take down this site by enraged hackers. The politics of dance arts in
India was an eye-opener to many and my bird’s eye view on the dance
trends as organizer, performer, writer and commentator proved very
useful as an alternative to the serious presentations of the other
talented speakers. Kudos to Sanjeevini/PULSE for the initiative to
create a critical group of commentators who care about the dance arts to
watch and write about the craft.
What is interesting to note about the South Asian (Indian) dance scene
in the UK is that there is no hegemony of the classical over the
contemporary. In fact, there is more excitement about Akram Khan and
Shobana Jeyasingh than classical dancers. Other than summer dance camps
that attract students to learn more ITEMS to add to their menu palate,
it is EXCELLENCE and PROFESSIONALISM that counts alongside good arts
management. In that area, the USA is yet to catch up to the vibrancy
seen in the area of contemporary Indian dance versus classical dance.
And that is why artistes like Leela Samson and a handful of classical
dance colleagues have to be applauded for holding onto high standards of
quality and aesthetics. I have always maintained that Leela and
Malavika are aesthetic inspirations for the Bharatanatyam world that is
increasingly becoming ‘Bollywoodized’ and garish.
As Priyadarsini concludes her USA tour and Valli, Rama and Malavika
prepare to land on Obama’s shores in the fall, organizers are busy
trying to drum up support and sell tickets. The recent sell out shows of
Silappadikaram by Muralidharan and Uma were successful BECAUSE of the
involvement of local dance schools, students and teachers. Tamil Sangam
events are always a sellout due to comedy dramas and free dinner. And
why not? These high net worth professionals slog all week and
expect to relax and commune with friends, show off their new clothes
bought on a recent India trip and swap stories of their kids during
these cultural events. They do NOT want to be educated, enlightened or
uplifted. Without the support of the local dance schools and teachers,
there will not be enough BUMS ON SEATS any more. Theatre, film
music and food are more powerful magnets than classical divas
touring. Malavika is at the Lincoln Centre’s WHITE LIGHT festival
and will continue her lone campaign to showcase the dynamism of
Bharatanatyam to mainstream audiences around the world.
It is also time to applaud the untiring efforts of women like Rajika
Puri in New York City and Chitra Sundaram in London who have single
handedly (almost) prodded, hand held and coaxed writers and presenters
to attend, watch, comment and support excellent classical dance from
India. Rajika and Chitra - We are putting our hands together through
cyberspace for you and your generosity. May you continue your splendid
work on and off the stage!
As International Dance Day passes by us and celebrations conclude around
the world, let us remind ourselves about WHY we are so passionate about
an art that so little care about. Why do we dance and why do we love
the world of dance? Ask the question and discover the answers. If you
truly love dance, then you will love it even though it is NOT YOU on
stage.
And so it goes…
Until next time
Anita R Ratnam
London/ Brussels/ Chennai/ Coonoor and DOWN UNDER
Twitter: @aratnam
Facebook: Anita R Ratnam
Instagram: @anitaratnam
Blog: THE A LIST / anita-ratnam.blogspot.in
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