|     |
|
| |
ANITA SAYS.....
No one leaves here alive. So please stop treating yourself as an afterthought Eat delicious food Walk in the sun Jump into the sea Speak the truth that you carry in your heart like a hidden treasure Be silly. Be good. Be weird There is no time for anything else - British film actor Anthony Hopkins Wise words. Very few of us have the courage to follow through on every one of his prompts but we can keep this mantra in our hearts as we breathe through our days and pursue our goals.  Rape case protest (Rupak De Chowdhuri / NurPhoto via AP) As I write this editorial, many cities in India are still protesting and holding candlelight vigils as a response to the horrific attack on the medical trainee at RG KAR hospital in Kolkata on August 9. The soul-numbing rape-murder occurred in the middle of the night when the 31 year old was resting in the hospital's seminar hall. The incident has since turned political and updates and revelations are emerging every day. The startling revelation of the Justice Hema Commission has exposed the rampant misogyny in the Kerala film industry. As more and more women film actors are coming out to speak of the #METOO exploitation, we are made aware of how the "casting couch" has morphed into a sinister metaphor to shame and threaten professional women. This brand of exploitation is as old as history itself and does not exclude women in the performing arts. In the creative industries, late night hours are almost the norm. Across campuses, theatres and studios, young women are studying, researching, rehearsing, choreographing, creating and writing projects into the wee hours of the night. How can they be safe and protect themselves? As women break glass ceilings every day, attacks on their bodies are on the rise. As stage performer I also realise that perhaps no other body has been more objectified and politicised than a dancer - across genres - to be gazed at, lusted for, commented upon and possessed. Every emotion has been projected upon her and every attempt made to silence, subjugate and trample upon her dreams and ambitions. And yet She has risen. As the definition of WOMAN (WOMYN, WOMXN) expands in alphabets and identities, her personal and physical safety is still at the forefront of social debate. #CRASH & BURN  Rachel Gunn (Image credit: Getty Images_DeFodi Images) We watched as Australian break dancer Rachel Gunn (Raygun) crashed and burned at the Paris Olympics, become a meme and the butt of hateful comments online. The underwhelming showing of this genre, which was a hard fought battle for the Break dancing federation as a sport, resulted in the Olympics committee deleting it from its roster for the next edition in 2028. Within the brief moment of glory, the spotlight did shine on Break dancing or "Breaking" as it is referred to. Queer breakers are now speaking out. Homophobic lyrics and an art form linked to hyper masculinity is being navigated on a tough terrain by the non-binary Break dancing community. However, the fall out of Raygun's performance turned meme, was that some behavioural experts analysed her facial expressions and, in particular, her chin movements. When the chin is projected out, they inferred that it reflected aggression which could also be masking self-doubt. This analysis, if taken onto the stage while watching a dancer in action, could tell us about the performer's own personality. The smile, the gait, the tilt of the head, the stance, the mode of abhinaya, the actions of pleading, pining, rejoicing, lamenting, raging - could perhaps indicate the personality and psychology of the artiste. That would surely make for interesting session. #TEMPERAMENT & TALENT  One is useless without the other. Brilliant potential can be ruined by a wayward temperament. A case in point was a recent film called CALL ME DANCER. Director and former dancer, Leslie Shampaine, screened her passion project in Chennai. Over five years she followed two under privileged and hugely talented dancers at choreographer Ashley Lobo's dance studio in Mumbai - 22 year old Manish and 12 year old Amir. Displaying natural talent, both were seized with a passion for dance. At Lobo's studio, they met ballet master Yehuda, a 75 year old former professional artiste from Israel. Under his keen tutelage, both boys blossomed. And here is a lesson about how a good teacher can transform into a mentor. Yehuda contacted international dance academies in Europe, UK and the USA to facilitate the professional training for the two young men. A decade apart, Manish and Amir's talents were immediately noticed by Artistic directors and choreographers who invited them to become part of their companies. With little money and the timely support of Chennai business woman Miriam Ram, Manish and Amir travelled abroad to move further towards their dream. Yehuda was watching their progress and keeping in touch with their social adjustment problems through Skype and Face Time. As the evocative film ended, we saw a more confident Manish walking to his dance studio in Brooklyn as a member of a contemporary dance company. Amir, who was more naturally talented, fell off the grid and disappeared while enroute from New York to Chicago to join the Joffrey Ballet. Yes, disappeared. Nobody knows where he is. Did his very modest upbringing, early years of malnutrition and lack of language and behavioural skills finally thwart his dream? Did he sabotage his own success? From a teacher to a guru to a mentor, Yehuda was by the side of both dancers for more than 5 years of their training, travels and travails. Watching Manish at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC perform a short solo, eyes tearing up at the challenging journey they had made together, Yehuda shines as an example of a true mentor. Here is someone who not just trains in technique and drills geometric perfection. Yehuda encouraged discussion, stimulated curiosity, urged the student / mentee to collaborate and opened up opportunities for further learning and growth. He watched proudly as the mentees developed, matured and took flight - closer to their dreams. #NEGATIVE ECONOMY You cannot afford to be a professional performing dancer in India today. The cost of a performance, including rehearsals has become crushing. The recently concluded and well attended NATYARANGAM festival in Chennai is a clear case in point for young dancers and the dismal state of the dance economy in India. This 28 year old festival is well established and the organisers could have easily ticketed this eagerly awaited annual event since it features themes illuminated by well-known dancers. Why should it be free when the organisers pay barely 25,000 rupees to an artiste? Imagine that amount placed against the vocalist alone demanding 25,000 for one show. How much and for how long can the dancers dig into their own pockets to pay the other orchestra members? Another 25k? Where does it end? Are the organisers turning a blind eye to this "looting"? What is the purpose of such skewed economics that is growing only in favour of the dance accompanists? What is the answer? Will any one of the singers, percussionists, flautists, violinists and others who live off these dancers agree to reduce their fee? Why should they when prices in India are now being quoted in US dollars? The double standards of the Carnatic music community when it comes to accompanying dance should be explored. The training is the same but, when it comes to professional opportunities, those musicians who play for Carnatic vocalists are considered more worthy of respect within the fraternity when compared to the artistes who accompany a dancer. In terms of economics, dance accompanists earn far more than their colleagues who play for vocal concerts. So on one hand, there is a lot more money to be made playing for Dance. Yet the respect in the field does not match up. Dance musicians rarely get solo performing opportunities in any Sabhas. Some musicians have confessed that the preparation and training for a solo music concert is much more difficult than accompanying dance. Others disagree, stating that singing for dance takes a great deal of patience and stamina! Music gurus actively discourage their students from entering the dance field and playing for dance. However, when some musicians actually begin their collaboration with Dance, they do not miss any opportunity to extract the maximum from every performance and rehearsal - building a very comfortable lifestyle - all at the expense of the hapless, helpless dancer.  Uma Sathyanarayanan  Ramya Suresh Coming back to the NATYARANGAM festival, it was the unanimous opinion that Uma Sathyanarayanan took top honours for her exploration of the HEMANT / early winter. Singing live and having composed the music by herself, Uma looked confident and danced with a fluid ease reflecting the essence of her guru Chitra Visweswaran's style. Vaibhav Arekar ended his theatrical presentation of VARSHA / Monsoon with the current day climatic changes of erratic rains and drought that is affecting farmers across India. Relatively unknown in the programming roster was Ramya Suresh, daughter-in-law of acharya Indira Kadambi. Props, lighting design and several other "affects" were at play for her presentation of SHARAD RITU / Autumn season. Her brave experiments gave rise to the dire need for classically trained dancers to pay more attention to the collaborative presence of how lighting, set design and props become co-performers and not just add ons. #SCALING UP THE SPACES As more dance teachers and performers are building impressive dance studios in India, perhaps they should also plan on equipping these new spaces with the right lights and audio so that tech rehearsals for these ambitious performances can be tried and tweaked before the final presentation. Trying everything on stage without proper tech time and a full run through may not be the norm in India. This current style of "get on stage just perform" cannot work any longer if Gen Z and the millennials want to develop a global presence beyond the diaspora network. Dance gurus must bring in other experts to help navigate these aspects that may not have been part of their core training. Using voice also takes training. As the theatrical and spectacular aspect of dance increases, the dance teacher must first realise that they may not have the expertise or the answers for everything. Students also must be prepared to train seriously in other aspects of performance and not slap on these aspects carelessly. #ALWAYS IN FASHION - MYTHS   Gigenis The retelling of myths and ancient tales is often considered "old fashioned" and out of date by the contemporary dance world. However, Akram Khan returns to this genre with unfailing regularity. His latest production GIGENIS -THE GENERATION OF THE EARTH features Mavin Khoo, Renjith & Vijna, Mythili Prakash, Kapila Venu and others, and draws from Greek mythology and personal diary. This is the potent alchemy that I have used since 1998 in DAUGHTERS OF THE OCEAN. At that time, when I wove the stories of my female ancestors through the myths of the Goddesses, I was told that nobody spoke their own stories. On stage erased personal identity for channeling the divine which was the larger purpose of our dance. Yet, there was not a dry eye in the house whenever I performed this highly experimental dance theatre work. Today, Akram has made it his personal idiom- taking his Bangladeshi heritage and his UK PoC (person of colour) presence into a global brand. In one of his latest Instagram posts, he says that his work is not political. Instead, he states, it is HUMANICAL. Filled with the possibility of a humanity that lives in each of us. GIGENIS premiered in Provence, France, and will start touring Europe, UK and the USA. Akram Khan is also performing in this highly anticipated new production. #FROM OZ TO NYC  After sweeping every award in the Australian theatre circuit, the acclaimed play COUNTING AND CRACKING arrives in NYC for a 3 week run at NYU's Skirball theatre. Written by Shaktidharan, son of Australian Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi icon Anandavalli, this play is about the post civil war Sri Lankan immigrant experience. All reviews and responses have been nothing short of adulatory and ecstatic. I hope New Yorkers will catch this show to see how successfully personal experiences can be mined into rich narratives.  Harinie Jeevitha  Meera Sreenarayanan ERASING BORDERS returns to NYC and other companies are readying new works to be shared. #NYC FOREVER There is always something to do, see, visit and explore in my former home town. On this visit, I watched the exciting physicality of PILOBOLUS, the energetic dance company at the JOYCE theatre. Seeing strong, supple female bodies surging across the stage with confidence alongside their male colleagues was so affirming. The relentless physicality of this company's mantra has kept them as a popular seat filler in every venue they inhabit.  Laura Simms in Central Park A rare opportunity to share space with wonderful storytellers was presented to me by Laura Simms, one of America's most soulful storytellers. The annual outdoor festival at Central Park's Hans Christian Andersen's statue is a crowd puller. Set against the pond where children steer their tiny boats and ducks are fed with bread crumbs, this oasis in the heart of the bustling Big Apple was the scene for a variety of stories from Indonesia, Africa, Jamaica, South America and India. I fused the themes of the giant turtle that the Vietnamese revere as the guardian of their waters with the myth of Lord Vishnu assuming that form to help the churning of the mighty ocean for the nectar of immortality. Speaking, moving and addressing multiple generations is always challenging. I invited the children to be a part of the snake Vasuki that churns the waters with mountain Mandara. Storytelling is a precious art. We use it every time we perform but the art has now become more important since Covid and the way to connect with one another in all aspects of our lives. #IN SEPIA TONES  Aniruddha Knight Returning from a quick trip to NYC, I watched a private concert of Aniruddha Knight at his ancestral home in Chennai. Flanked by giant portraits of his mother Lakshmi Knight and his iconic grandmother Balasaraswati, Aniruddha performed with ease, accompanied by his cousin, the wonderfully talented Tiruvarur Girish and mridangist Adyar Gopinath. This private concert gave me a perspective of the grand salons Bala held in the 1950's, 60's and 70's at this home. She was a wonderful cook and would feed 75 people with her cuisine after a performance. The beautiful space held centuries and generations of dance history and the imprint of so many great visiting artistes. This kind of legacy could crush a timid soul. Aniruddha has taken it forward confidently through his own interventions, choreographies and excellently trained students. #A SPLENDID DEBUT  Lei Mu Zi  Lei Mu Zi with guru Isha I was invited to the arangetram of a 13 year old Chinese student from Beijing. Lei Mu Zi, student of Isha, who in turn was a student of Leela Samson. This teenager, accompanied by her proud parents and grandparents, performed with sweetness and agility and reflected her training in the Kalakshetra style. The items chosen were the traditional gems like the Tisra Alarippu, Sarasi Jakshulu sabdam, Manavi Chekona varnam in Sankarabharanam (with the gestures being choreographed by the famous hereditary artiste Mylapore Gowri Amma). I was seated next to chief guest Bragha Bessel and we were both joyously singing along, mouthing the varnam jathis and enjoying young Lei's excellent performance. Discipline shone through Lei's performance - her leaps and finishing flourish displaying beautiful control. Leela Samson conducted the evening with her measured calm. The large crowd of young dancers at the Bhavan auditorium in Mylapore left beaming and content. #AN ANNIVERSARY   Kassiyet Adilkhankyzy As the producer of the podcast since its debut 12 months ago, Kassiyet has brought her generation's lens onto my mind screen. I have also learned that simply recording a podcast or a reel or a story is not enough. The cross posting between other platforms, creating video excerpts of the audio takes planning, consistency, diligence and patience. Naturally tech savvy dancers like Kassiyet find this medium so easy, natural and fulfilling. She is among the few Bharatanatyam dancers in her generation who understands the dynamics of algorithms of social media and navigates them with ease. Her signature dance style, honed in New Delhi, fused with her ability to grasp new concepts and choreography make her a very unusual artiste who seeks to bridge performance, wellness, technology and entrepreneurship. I write this monthly editorial wherever I find the time - in the car, on a flight, at all hours of the day at home - the writing is open ended and fluid. Waiting for my notes, to arrange the copy with the relevant photos, is Lalitha Venkat, who is now sitting in the USA. She is more connected with the younger generation dance world than I am, being familiar with names and places after so many years of dealing with the e-mails, messages and phone calls. With varying time zones, and our irregular schedules, we have brought this monthly newsletter to you on time - every month, for 14 years! The podcast, from the November 2023 edition of ANITA SAYS, has been recorded at the Digi Sound Studios, owned and managed by L Baba Prasad, the son of my guru Adyar K Lakshman. The new digital world gives us the freedom to sit in a Chennai studio while producer Kassiyet fine tunes it from NYC. This IS the new world order! I look forward to hearing from you about the issues you care about and topics you would like me to write and explore. Please do subscribe to our NARTHAKI newsletters and the podcast on Spotify. We need to hear your thoughts about what is important and impactful in your dance life. I remain constantly grateful for the space and the voice, write and share my views. It has been and will continue to be a huge privilege to have a presence on these platforms - both in the written word and on audio - and to have some of your valuable time and attention. As free speech and sharp opinions are being curtailed with severe punishments and even incarcerations, I continue to cherish the value of spaces like these. Thank you.  Krishna Jayanthi  Ganesh Chaturthi Stay well, safe and joyous, even though the world is snapping at our heels. Until next time - Anita R Ratnam  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 |
