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 Narrating visual images - Anita Vallabh e-mail: aniaeka@gmail.com Photos: Jodi Hilton November 18, 2024 On November 9th at the Calderwood Courtyard of Harvard Art Museums, five dancers of Anubhava Dance Company - Shriya Srinivasan, Founder and Artistic Director, Associate professor and Neuroscientist at Harvard; Joshua George, Founder and Artistic Director, medical student at Wisconsin; Shriya Srinivas, Principal dancer, graphic designer at Boston; Swathi Jaishankar, Principal dancer, product analyst at Boston; Sita Vakkalanka, Principal dancer, studying finance at Wisconsin - came together after months of practicing virtually to present 'Dancing brushstrokes: Exploring Art through movement.' The site of the grand courtyard with elegant stone archways and natural lighting offers a unique opportunity for artists to connect with their audience intimately. By its very centrality and continual engagement with the larger community, the museum on any given day invites a largely heterogeneous population of multi-generational spectators, receptive and cognizant of the dynamics of art, artist, community and well-being. And so it was on the day that the five second generation Indian American dancers imaginatively engaged with another visual medium, painting, to retell stories of yore.  When their program was announced, I was curious. Here is why: Bharatanatyam and the chosen 16th to 18th century paintings are traditional to a particular time and place. Both the arts unfold the imbed dynamic force of change in particular ways. We gaze upon a painting, soaking in the composition and design elements, sometimes standing close, sometimes seated afar. Dance does not accord this privilege to its spectator, particularly a vibrant form like Bharatanatyam. To form a bond between performer and spectator - of bhava expressed and rasa experienced - to a largely heterogeneous audience whose expectations and impulses are shaped by the social history and culture of their respective countries of origin, within an hour, is quite a challenge. So, I invited my Mexican friend and her daughter who had never been to any classical Indian dance recital, to the performance. I wanted to understand how they would 'read' the performance. Program notes had been left on the chairs for the audience to familiarize themselves with the painting and its imagined emotion as interpreted by the dancers. The program opened to an introduction by Janet O'Brien, an art historian specializing in paintings from Iran and India from the 17th to 19th century. The program began with a Nrittanjali in Bahudari. The five dancers, attired in pleasing colors, simple adornments performed with ease and sophistication. The patterned nritta sequences showcased the dancers' virtuosity and embodied agency. It offered a "primer" for the audience to let go of their personal emotions of the morning, take in the visual grandeur of well executed movements, costume, and jewelry and settle into the performance. It flowed next to one of my personal favorites - Theruvil varano. This is an imagined emotion conveyed by a 19th century Kangra painting where a woman is captured applying kohl to her eyes. In this song rendered in Khamas ragam, Shriya Srinivasan articulated feelings of love and longing of a Vasakasajja Nayika. The deliberately imagined glance of her Lord Siva as he walks by her and her eager anticipation for more than just a passing glance was conveyed with understated elegance by Shriya. I have performed this piece and watched its performance innumerable times. Yet the unfolding beguiling beauty, innocence and vulnerability of a woman in love never ceases to inspire awe.  A traditional song, an ancient dance form within the hallowed walls of a century old building, performed by an associate professor of Harvard university and neuroscientist; how magnificent is that for a traditional dancer who nurtured the arts against all odds so that the world may today gaze upon it with profound reverence! Following the padam, two paintings from the 18th century were displayed. One depicts Krishna dancing with Gopis from Gita Govinda and the other of him quelling the serpent Kaliya. The two timeless legends came to life in the performance of verses taken from the traditional Sri Krishna Ashtoththarashathanama Stotram - Sri Krishna kamala natho, by the five dancers. A special mention is necessary of the tranquil quality that Joshua George brought in his portrayal of Krishna. He gently enveloped the audience with his personality which seemed to blend with his characterization of Krishna. Swathi Jaishankar, Shriya Srinivas and Sita Vakkalanka worked well together to offer the audience a glimpse of the legendary story. The performance concluded with an Ardhanareeswara stotram by Shriya Srinivasan and Joshua George. Emotional clarity was the hallmark of their performance. However, I would love to see them switch their roles in their next performance to highlight the Siva in every Shakti and vice versa. After the performance I asked my friends their impression of the performance. To my surprise my young friend detailed aspects of love and longing, and duality of energies. They were effusively enraptured by the continual synergy of rhythmic movements, and intrigued by the synchrony between gestures of the eyes and hand and myriad expressions flashing across every dancer's face. They wanted to see and know more. Aesthetic delight, Rasa is thus served. Bravo!  Anita Vallabh Ph.D, is a dancer, scholar, critic and author. She lives in Boston, USA. |
