Is Bharatanatyam relevant?
Bharatanatyam — today and beyond…
Bharatanatyam is a highly complex movement language that is an amalgamation of multiple layers of melody, rhythm, emotions, story, mime, philosophy, poetry, physical energy, tempo etc. And yet, beneath all these layers, lies the innermost core of the art — a merging of physical energy with spiritual ideals. It is very easy to simply appreciate the outer beauty and glamor of the form, but for the audience to experience a Rasa that goes beyond the physicality is the true test for an artiste. Bharatanatyam isn’t meant to merely entertain. Every performance is an experience, for both the artiste and the audience… a spiritual experience of sublime aesthetics.
Relevance
Over the last decade or more there have been huge concerns and questions raised by practitioners and connoisseurs of the art about the relevance of Bharatanatyam in today’s world. And in our attempt to make Bharatanatyam “relevant” and “contemporary” numerous experiments and improvisations have occurred in terms of the themes portrayed through the dance.
Why is it that we are trying so hard to make it “relevant”?
The core essence of Bharatanatyam is it’s inherent spirituality — in the movement language, in the philosophy portrayed and in the music used, which is its very backbone. Bharatanatyam shares an inextricable link to Carnatic music. The dance has always been guided by the music — both melody and lyrics. Abhinayam or the expressive element is a literal interpretation of the lyric making the dance visual moving poetry performed with grace, expression and beauty. Just as a Carnatic musician gets to improvise and elaborate within the melodic structure of the composition, the Bharatanatyam dancer elaborates and improvises within its lyrical structure. Performing Bharatanatyam to anything other than Indian Classical music, though definitely do-able, will always appear as a work of fusion. The recurring themes in Indian Classical music are that of philosophy, mythology, love and sensuality. Thus, improvising within this lyrical structure that has little room for creativity in terms of themes presented, requires a thinking mature artiste. To “contemporize” the traditional requires consummate artistry combined with contemporary thought.
Is philosophy outdated?
In today’s material world, philosophy is relevant, more than ever! We may need to use different metaphors to interpret the philosophy, however, conveying the core thought is still pertinent.
To quote my Guru’s (Sri. V.P Dhananjayan) masterpiece choreography, a varnam in praise of Lord Rama, where the poet says, “rAma, nEvE nA rakshakudavani namminAnu” (Oh, Rama, it is you who I believe is my savior). Although just a simple line that conveys a simple thought, it is so open to interpretation. Sri. Dhananjayan chooses to interpret this such — Man is constantly fighting the six enemies within himself — kAma (lust), krOdha (anger), lObha (greed), mOha (attachment), mada (pride), mAtsarya (envy), and is embroiled in these worldly emotions unable to break free. But by reciting rAma nAma he is able to conquer these enemies within and is able to attain salvation. How is this thought any less relevant than centuries ago?
Every human’s life quest is to understand the absolute, to attain peace, to experience the ethereal silence within. Times have changed; lifestyles have changed; yet the human quest to understand oneself and be free from suffering remains unchanged.
What about mythology?
Mythological stories are nothing but metaphorical analogies of complex and esoteric philosophies created to make the philosophical texts accessible to the lay man.
Numerous thinkers, philosophers (eg; Anand Coomaraswamy), marketing professionals (eg; Devdutt Pattnaik) and scientists (eg; Frijtof Capra) have drawn parallels with mythology.
To quote Frijtof Capra from his book, The Tao of Physics, “For the modern physicists, then, Shiva’s dance is the dance of subatomic matter. As in Hindu mythology, it is a continual dance of creation and destruction involving the whole cosmos. The metaphor of this cosmic dance thus unifying mythology, religious art and modern physics. It is indeed as Coomaraswamy said (in his book, The Dance of Shiva), “poetry, but none the less science””.
rasa-rAja shringAra
In Indian aesthetics, shringAra (love, devotion, sensuality) reigns as the supreme emotion experienced by a human. When performing lyrical compositions pertaining to such themes, the artiste aims to take the audience on a journey at the human level, with essential everyday human emotions being presented in their myriad hues!
Though most padams, jAvalis, ashtapadis are soaked in erotic and sensual poetry, the maturity of the artiste lies in their ability to transcend this corporeal erotica, making it an experience where the beauty of every emotion is seen and experienced for what it is — whether sensual love, infidelity, yearning for union, or remorse… all without being judgmental.
Sadly, as a society we are conditioned against feeling and accepting our own emotions. Every emotion that exists within us as is as true as our own existence. Then why shun them? As humans, we all experience the entire range of emotions — from the most negative to the sublime. For it is when this aspect of human life is understood with acceptance, awareness and humility, sans judgement, we take ourselves closer to union with the supreme.
Proliferation of mediocrity
At the surface level, most people are taken by the sheer beauty and the glamor of the art, making everyone want a piece of this pie. Often times, people with limited understanding of the art are teaching and practicing the art, thus bringing in mediocrity.
Traditionally taught in a Guru-Sishya paramparA, Bharatanatyam is a very complex art that takes years and years of sAdhanA (devoted practice and submission to the art) to master. However, as with everything else being commercialized in the 21st century so is the art! With the pressure of having to complete an arangEtram (solo performance debut) within 4–7 years of learning, without a consummate understanding of the art and it’s many layers, mediocrity is on the rise. Although on one side it is heartening to see so many young practitioners of the art, the flip side is that the quality suffers. In turn, the reputation of the art is corrupted as being archaic and irrelevant.
Going forward..
I feel that the 21st century is an exciting time for Bharatanatyam and it’s practitioners on a global scale. It is time to celebrate the versatility of Bharatanatyam in all its glory. Contemporizing one’s practice need not necessarily mean choosing contemporary themes, of abuse, drugs or war…
Contemporizing can be in approach, training or presentation, but most importantly, in thought.
Bharatanatyam, unlike Ballet or Contemporary dance, has a very literal approach as opposed to an abstract approach and yet can be used to portray just about any theme… from the loftiest of advaita philosophies to the most everyday human emotions, it’s range and grammar goes far beyond.
How Bharatanatyam goes forward is in the hands of its practitioners today. If we choose to highlight its outer layers and lose its core in the process, it is our making. For serious professionals to be understood and appreciated, the onus is entirely on them to make their art relevant and reach out. It is not only what you are saying, but also how you say it, that makes or breaks it for the audience.
Maturity and relevance in performance depends on the artiste’s depth of knowledge and a consummate understanding of the art, combined with a thought process that resonates in truth.
Bharatanatyam is and will always be about transcending the physicality of movement… of celebrating the dance within — a dance of eternity that is as relevant as space and time!
