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A question that often arises is how large or limited
were the earlier 'classy' audiences of ancient and medieval classical
dance. To find a possible answer, I managed to obtain the floor-space
measurements of the mandapas attached to the more important temples that
were under the care of the Chennai Circle of the Archaeological Survey
of India. This data revealed that the public halls of the temples were
usually quite small, relatively speaking. Except the two massive
Brihadeeshwarar temples at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram that
were endowed with very large public spaces, the rest had limited areas
for dance and music. The space for performances in the mandapas in the
latter category was in the range of 200 to 400 square feet, while some
went up to 650 square feet. They could, thus, accommodate only small
audiences of some 30 to 40 persons, or at best, seat a maximum of 80 or
so. Therefore, if these performing arts had not been liberated from the
confines of the temple or the palace or the kothi-haveli, they would
have never been democratised and thus viewed and appreciated by large
numbers, unprecedented in the history of India. (Jawahar Sircar in 'How Modern India reinvented classical dance,' NCPA's On Stage, Nov 2020) |
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The classical forms we see nowadays represent an unbroken continuity in
neither form nor substance - they have had to move a lot from the past
and undergo fundamental changes, to adjust with the times and
technology. Consequently, they have had to dispense with many aspects of
the glorious tradition that had been built up over several centuries.
The arrival of the Western proscenium stage in India and the setting up
of modern auditoria altered the landscape of the performing arts so
radically that all forms had to revamp their presentation protocols to
survive. The stone or tiled floor of temples and palaces was, for
instance, replaced by the wooden floor of the proscenium stage, and
those that had an element of cushioning gave an 'extra bounce', which
dancers learnt to utilise. Dancers also had to reorient their steps and
postures as their audience was no more seated all around them, as in
temples or palaces of the past, but in front, in much larger numbers
than ever before. Similarly, while microphones and better acoustics
management, coupled with new lighting technologies, did help classical
music and dance a lot, they also demanded reharmonisation with the new
paradigm. While classical forms transcended the limitations of
performing only before a small elite, the new democratic viewers brought
different tastes and preferences into the halls. (Jawahar Sircar in 'How Modern India reinvented classical dance,' NCPA's On Stage, Nov 2020) |
