Culture plus

Opera gets a new, dark twist

Asian Age — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:47:15 GMT

Ipsitaa Panigrahi

Operas have always had a sense of grandeur surrounding them. Huge tapestries, lavish settings, symphony like orchestra with the choir master, sopranos, violins et al are what we visualise of an opera. We imagine them to be set in eloquence and opulence which is only accessible to the elite.

What Jeet Thayil and Suman Sridhar have done is that they have executed a creation that is the exact opposite notion of the operas we relate to. They bring us Opera Noir, a conversation between a ghost and a soprano which is currently being showcased at the ongoing Prithvi Theatre festival. It is not like that they planned it in such a manner but are happy that the final product eventually turned out this way.

"It all started as a seven minute sequence of poetry and music," says Jeet who along with Suman came up with Opera Noir a year ago. They didn’t find the time to work on it then due to work and other commitments. Then presentation of the poem at the poetry festival at Prithvi triggered off the conceptualisation of the poem into play. "Sanjana Kapoor really liked the poem and she asked us to develop it into a play," says Jeet who was then convinced by Kapoor to expand it. "You can never so ‘no’ to Sanjana," says Jeet.

Jeet, a poet, guitarist and an author of four books met Suman towards the end of 2007 in Bengaluru. Sharing a lot in common, they built their music band under the banner of Sridhar/Thayil which is known as a brand of urban grime that concocts sweet jazz vocals with mean gravelly talk over wailing blues guitar and electronic back beats. Suman Sridhar is a singer, actor, and songwriter who grew up in Mumbai with Carnatic and Hindustani classical music and studied Western classical music in NJ, USA.

Opera Noir is set in the city of Bombay (Mumbai). The Indian twist is the choice of location and the dark aspect of it refers to the dialogue between the ghost and soprano. There are interesting conversations between the two on God, murder and showbiz.

Why choose these three as the base of a conversation? "In this case they have chosen me," says Jeet. The play begins with a scene which revolves the murder aspect where the partner is blamed for the death and accused of murder. Both the characters question God and demand an explanation for the turnout of the events happening. The play explores the possibilities on matters of love and deception.

The setting of the play is contemporary according to Thayil and Sridhar. "There was no budget, no orchestra, no live musicians and everything was done by the two people involved in it," says Jeet who along with Suman worked out on the minutest details involving all the aspects of a play.

Jeet calls it a "homemade production". He also opines about the fact that operas are restricted only to the rich and a privileged few. The concept of such a thing doesn’t even exist among the masses and this production got down to bringing opera to a common man’s psyche.

For now it is a forty five minute venture and Jeet plans to expand it into a bigger and fuller version exploring new possibilities. Jeet is very happy with this year’s ongoing festival at Prithvi.

"Prithvi has grown into a precious theatre resource and is open to new things. The core of Prithvi stands for the youth and novelty, which is extremely important for our generation," says Jeet.

He is particularly impressed with The Elephant Project a production from Kerala He is currently busy with the final draft of his novel which is again set in Mumbai and talks about the low life of drug addicts, prostitutes and people who always live on the darker side of this city.

He wants to create a sense of respect for them through his novel.

Indian dancing couple finds Vietnamese support

Asian Age — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:19:07 GMT

Amrita Jayakumar

Amazing" is the one word they would use to describe their experience. Both Dr Reesha Dhulap and her dance partner Diago Pereira, who represented India for the first time at the recently concluded Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam, didn’t imagine where their passion for dance would lead them. Reesha, the principal of a special needs school in Mumbai and Diago, a dance and sports instructor by profession, were participants in the DanceSport category at the 3rd edition of the biennial Games.

The duo was chosen to represent the country after winning first place at a national competition conducted by the All India DanceSports Federation. That was just the beginning of what would be a gruelling training regime for the actual event. As Diago explains, "It was a lot of hard work. We joined a ballet class and worked out at least three times a week at the gym, not to mention rehearsals every alternate day. This was all apart from trying to balance our day-jobs as well."

Says Reesha, "It was incredibly hectic, but also a lot of fun." Aside from physical training, there were many other aspects to be considered. "We had to watch a lot of videos of international dance competitions, just to perfect our body language and facial expressions. Dance, especially Latin dance, is not just about technique, but attitude too," she adds.

All the hard work seems to have been worth it, however. "The opening ceremony of the games was unforgettable. When we stepped out onto the floor, with the national anthem playing and our names being announced, I got goosebumps!", says Diago. "Dressing up in the country’s colours and just being in front of the cheering audience gives you a wonderful sense of pride," adds Reesha.

It was a learning experience for the couple too. "Seeing some of the other dancers, especially from China and Japan, was amazing. They train from a very young age, which is evident in the way they perform. One thing that some of them were quite surprised to learn is that India takes part in ballroom dance!" says Reesha.

"Our initial impression of the other participants was that they were extremely focused and maybe a little unfriendly. But after a few days of rehearsal and exchange of ceremonial gifts, we got to know them better," explains Diago.

Sometimes you learn things right on the competition floor. "We saw a good example of spontaneity," shares Diago. "In the Jive category, the music that was played took a while to pick up, which gives you less time to show off your moves. But the way the Vietnamese couple took to the floor wowed everyone. It reminded you that sometimes you have to feel the music and just let go, not only focus on choreography."

The spirit of the audience was also something they hadn’t encountered. "I never expected the home audience to be so supportive of us. There were very few Indians there, so to hear the Vietnamese cheering ‘Go India’ was special. That kind of response gives you an extra high."

But like any good dance movie, the duo’s journey to this point was not a smooth one. Neither had started out with the intention to learn dance professionally, much less compete on an international level. "It took me a while to get to this stage, because initially, I didn’t have much family support. There was also the consideration of my job, and having to cut down on medical time," explains Reesha. "I had just joined dance class as a hobby, to de-stress. But after a while, I found that dancing was my life. Now I’m happy and the people I know are proud of me."

Diago was also forced to consider practicalities. "I was also a student at the class and being a school dance teacher, I tried to keep myself updated. But when it came to participating in a national competition, I was reluctant. The costs involved in being a competitive dancer are quite high." It was thanks to Reesha’s persuasion that he finally considered it, though. "Now there’s no looking back for me. Once you learn to play, win and lose, you want to stay in the competition." And after the Games, it doesn’t hurt that his students think he’s the best, either.

They may not have won any medals this time, but their desire to go back and make the nation proud is in no way diminished. "We plan to work even harder starting from right now. So in two years’ time, who knows?" says Reesha.

Injury an integral part of a dancer’s life

Asian Age — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:15:27 GMT

Sandip Soparrkar

Dancers also have one complaint all the time — that of injuries they have had and how they are trying to heal all of them. Most often we hear that its taking long to heal because the dance does not have or does not get enough rest.

An injury happens most often unexpectedly, sometimes unnoticed, but is always devastating. "I can’t stretch my leg", "my toes are numb", "what happened to my arm?"

Yes, the pain and these nagging questions keep you up nights sweating and worrying. "Why, what did I do wrong for this to happen? I was well warmed up before I began my dance lesson. I did all the right things. I take class daily." And the pain, this endless agonising pain numbs rational thinking and transforms a person into ‘an unknown identity of sweat, tears and mangled thoughts…" I have gone through all this and even now many a time I experience it, so let me say that being there, I learned that it is necessary to create a dialogue with pain (I called it Miss P). It is important to understand its patterns and avoid undesirable moves which eventually allow it to go from hurricane force to a tropical storm. I also understood that the relationship with pain is private, almost intimate and best done alone.

I discovered pain is stubborn and has a powerful, relentless grip. Dealing with it is rough, humbling and a very, very tiring experience. I also realized it is our human habit to tighten-up around our pain, almost protecting or trying to own it. And to undo this tightness may require an aggressive approach, which often necessitates outside interference or assistance. In other words, it calls for help. I also learned weathering this time, rough as it is, brings you to a new shore and undiscovered terrain within yourself, which is extremely rewarding.

When relative calm finally descends, the mind begins to come to terms with reality, as if surveying the damage once the hurricane has passed: then evaluating rebuilding options. A new control panel establishes itself within the thinking apparatus pushing away sentimentality and self-pity. New patterns emerge and with them a plan, a design for the days to come. What amazed me the most in the healing process that followed the calm is the understanding that the process of healing is not only rebuilding control and strength but also a new perception of the body’s potentials and possibilities, as if seeing your own body from afar in a new light. Realising it is there for you with richness and wealth of untapped wisdom to learn and explore.

Injury, once inside, will always reside in your body in some form or another. It is more than the actual mishap, but a series of preliminary events and conditions, which brought it about. We can choose between dealing or burying these memories with the ensuing results.

For a dancer and all dance lovers one must takes one’s body as your friend, your buddy. It serves you whenever you need it to, but it is in its nature to change. Injured or not it is wise to be constantly listening to your friend and develop a gentle patience to the rises and falls of its performance. Your body has a silent wisdom untaught but always there for you to learn and grow.

Remember, healing is an on-going process. Use the task of maintaining your health wisely, for this exercise regularly, have a healthy diet.

The beauty of healing is in discovery, understand your body and listen to it.

Take the time to search for a true healer; meditation helps to relax a heavy worked out dancer’s body.

Trust yourself and keep going in spite of highs and lows. Do not cry over the injury — try to heal it in all possible ways, remember the faster it heals the faster you can get back to dance

Allow bad energy to flow out. Do not hold unto pain, let it dissipate, cleanse and find newness in your own body.

Believe in a positive solution and do not dwell on the past.

Injury can turn to a stumbling stone, or a corner stone. It’s up to you to chose the later and see a quick change in your life. So just keep all the worries aside, be positive and work to heal the injury and bury issues related to it for a quick fix of the injury.

‘Diverse expressions of a wasted ideology’

Asian Age — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:40:18 GMT

Hassan M. Kamal

Having grown up in a city where marching red flags were a common sight, and where long before a child learnt who Lenin is, he sees him as graffiti on walls, I’ve always been fascinated by the marks and symbols of Communism," says artist Ajay De.

The fascination, however, didn’t end with observing them. It turned him into a graffiti artist who painted West Bengal’s streets red with Communist messages throughout his college days, and later into a devoted Communist. But soon the red on the streets turned black. The artist sought reality and creative freedom via the medium of charcoal paintings.

With his current show "The Last Communist", which opens at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai on November 16, De, makes red an important element of his canvas, the messages however, are not pro-Communist/Communism.

The artwork on display is very close to the artist, as it chronicles the evolution of his thought process as an individual and as an artist — it is a journey of how the devoted Communist turned into a disbeliever of the ideology at the age of 24. "I realised what the Communists have been telling is a lie. It is the most unnatural ideology that constantly fights against the human nature. Every man and woman can’t be equal. My creativity, intelligence and my skills are mine, they give me an identity, and distinguish me from others. If everyone becomes equal then they won’t have any expectations," he says.

"The Communists say they will distribute wealth equally. But look at them, do you see any of these Communist leaders sharing their wealth? No! They are not the real Communists," says De.

Then who are the real communists? De replies, "It’s you, me, the homeless beggar and anyone else who suffers at the hands of those who drunk on power and those who overlook the ordinary pain and the anguish of the common man. The poor are the only communists alive — they are the last Communists."

With the "Last Communist", the artist has broadened his creative expression to another dimension. There are charcoal drawings presenting the harsh realities of the last communist who blindly shows his solidarity to the ideology in rallies and marches juxtaposed against the photographs of the communist symbols — graffiti on walls, statues, red flags, red condom vending machines — which are constantly fed to the people, emphasise why the ideology has such a large following. The paradox lies on the composition and the elements that constitute these symbols and the fact that the poor makes up the largest part. "Communism is the politics of poverty. And I am not surprised because there biggest followers are the downtrodden, poor and uneducated humans like the tribals in Orissa, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal," says De.

To highlight the strong Communist ideology imbibed in the lives of the people of West Bengal and the region surrounding it, De has moved out of the limitations of charcoal drawings and presents ten works done in Japanese ink, here too the red is in dominance. In one of the paintings he portrays a child standing on top of a globe dreaming of red dominance. "He dreams of a red sky, and a red sea. He thinks the world will be a better place if it turns red. Their belief in communism is very strong. People think the red flag is their only hope out of their miserable life, but it’s not. The truth is — there’s no hope at all."

The emotions are strengthened further in a series of bronze sculptures, which are repulsive and generate hatred towards an unknown cause. You later realise it’s the flesh-like colour of these sculptures that is making you uncomfortable. Violence, hatred and destruction — what else can represent it better than human beings in their bare flesh?

De says that for a long time he tried to keep his work non-political, but not this time. "I wondered for a long time, keeping my artwork non-political, but no matter how much I try, I realise, there’s no escaping," he adds.

The artist however, warns that "The Last Communist" had no aim to attack any party or any ideology. "My art simply asks why no politician or any ‘selfless’ ideology has been able to deliver justice, equality, true freedom or even two square meals a day to millions across the globe. Wasn’t this the reason why politics and state came into being?" says the artist.

"It just happens to clear the confusion that the self-proclaimed Communists have been creating in the state (West Bengal) and the surrounding region for a long time," says De.

Unlike what the Communists propagate, the artist says, they don’t want development. He mentions that the survival of the Communist ideology is completely dependent on the poor. "They are its fuel. They don’t want development, because once people are developed and educated, they won’t buy their lies. The people will start questioning what the Communists have been preaching so far."

After its first show in Mumbai, "The collection’s next stop will be Pune, and from there it will travel across the country. The show continues till November 22.

Sublime insight into artistic lingua franca

Asian Age — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:32:52 GMT

Uma Nair

At the heart of Indian art, lies the fragility of human experience, the understanding of myriad hues and the essence of artistic response in the light of the diversity of intensity. At the Patna museum Lalit Kala Akademi’s women artists’ show becomes the thread that establishes a link, between a set of established names in the art mart and those who are finding their own positions on the curve of graphic gains.

While each artist works within the personal paradigms of her own individual sensibility, it is indeed an experience to behold when you look at works that can afford a painterly and sublime insight into the underlying themes of artistic lingua franca. Begin from whatever catches your ruminating fancy and you will be able to able to engage in a novel sensation, of possessing an immediacy of execution that mirrors the unpredictability and delicacy of existence.

Souren Melikian said more than a decade ago: "The art market mirrors cultural trends long before the academic world acknowledges them in its art exhibitions and books."

Arpita Singh, the high priestess of Indian art, works today with the human figure. Her early works began with possibilities in abstraction. Often compared by critics to the surreal style of Marc Chagall, this work, Flags looks more like a tapestry made — not just a curiosity or a mechanical means of documentation, but done so by stealing a march on the aesthetes of the period, demonstrating that a painting could be as elegant as a Whistlerian tone poem; as moody as a symbolist reverie; as delicate in construction as a Japanese print; as atmospheric as a Monet impression; as serpentine as an Art Nouveau poster, a powerful interlocutor.

Then there is Arpana Caur — in her work the absolute consciousness evolves in the subtle suggestion of nirvana even as she places her deep-seated eyes in two figures that have more feminine intonations. Perhaps academically intellectual in the manner of weaving in the thought of the enlightenment being so tensile and tactile like a thread Arpana’s work has this magic of mysticism and limpid lyricism in the compositional content

Arpana Caur’s work was much more gestural. Against an infinity of stormy, indigo sky and a white speckled red foreground the figure of an aged women, ghostly in her white shroud-like sari, faces a saucer-eyed child. Old age and youth mirror each other; the viewer was confronted by an allegory on the theme of immutability and mortality that was quite terrifying.

Although allegorical, it was also modern and it was confident. And in its modernism and confidence, it seemed to breathe a different glowing life into the surrounding works. It not only brought their richness even more to the fore, but it also further particularised them.

For Anupam Sud, the guru and the artist, it has been a summation of all.

There is a preponderance of diligent, colourful and often funny graphic

work. Her early works resort to a naive, childlike drawing style to

beguile the viewer. But all is so wholesome. There is a sensual-erotic streak to quite a bit of the imagery, but there are

dynamic drawings of figures with multiple heads, arms and orifices.

But the greatest work of all time was that of Devyani Krishna. At the beginning itself Devayani’s work speaks of a strong sense of design with colour harmony and broad compositional aspect. She works with public themes and maneuvers it with subtle but powerful lines. The human face of the monk-like man is a rehearsal of a pure spirit in its essential form. The spirit is revealed through the signs and symbols.

Her prints and paintings resist temporal erosion. The line of her work is forceful yet simple and has a primitive character. The patterns and the ochre toned colourations have a glow that seems to be coming out from within. Devyani Krishna speaks in the universal language. She reflects the mundane reality from the point of creative imagination. There are so many whispers in this work, so many resonant implications in the relation between the monk like visage and the bleak windows of the modern world.

To begin with, this is not a random study: The abyss-like ochre toned colour of the face mirrors, loosely, the progression of severe and sombre windows of thought. A brilliant sense of contour — enhances our sensation of movement and establishes a no-man’s-land between the spiritual and the abstract.

What is the nature of the conversation between humanity and this meditative study?

We may consider the picture a critique of spiritual fervour, but the work transcends any such interpretation.

In many ways, this show opens into possibilities in passion.

Classic Hamlet gets modern Indian avatar

Asian Age — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:55:56 GMT

By Ipsitaa Panigrahi

Shakespeare’s wo-rks have always fascinated every generation and continue to do so. His works have been tried and tested by different groups in unique styles and substance without altering their core. Amitesh Grover, a Delhi-based director, is at the Prithvi Theatre festival with his latest offering The Hamlet Quartet.

"It all started as an NSD venture for an international theatre convention in China where the focus was to relook at Shakespeare in one’s country," says Amitesh. By relooking and revisiting he meant that one was looking at the contemporary setting of Shakespeare’s works. But why Hamlet amongst other masterpieces? "I realised that Hamlet was one of his least performed works in our country," says Amitesh who finds Hamlet one of the most interesting and influential Shakespearean plots set .

Amitesh believes that culture evolves all the time and is a persistent process. Shakespeare’s works have time and again been experimented with by various institutions, professional and amateur artists with respect to specific context. With the writing inspired by Hamletmachine by Heiner Muller and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, the former mainly focuses on mapping the explosive political crisis that the world grappled with post-World War and post-Holocaust. It places the subject in the international arena along with several other identities from various parts of the world. The latter ridicules the existential dilemmas of the same man with warmth, wit and deliberation. The writing here is fresh and although it has been inspired by these texts it manages to bring a lot of novelty to the subject.

Keshav Kumar Paroch, who is the writer, was asked by Amitesh to write a few scenes. He went on to write them in a manner that was extremely fresh and distinctive.

The main focus of the show revolves and investigates around two areas of conflicts — the relationship between the right thought and correct consequences; and the big conflict between two generations of people and the dilemmas they face while making choices about nationhood, duty, family and love. It looks into the take on love for the family coming first or a prevailing sense of duty.

Having worked with both the mediums of theatre and TV, Amitesh has made use of multimedia as a general trajectory and tried to explore the interoperability between the two media. The TV box entered the premises of this play with the idea of disconnect that would help put forth the idea of certain scenes in an effective manner. For instance, there is a live scene where Hamlet is watching his father through the television. A lot of imagery too has been employed which is open to one’s interpretation and understanding. Ophelia’s death is a matter of perception here where one is compelled to treat it as an accidental event or a deliberate one.

Hindi cinema by far has a lot of parallels drawn with Shakespearean plots. Amitesh points out to one of the most famous scenes of Hindi cinema where Rishi Kapoor in the song Ek Haseena Thi from Karz, invokes a sense of guilt in his former lover played by Simi Grewal is actually a ripoff from Hamlet. Likewise there have been numerous cases where plots have been lifted directly from various Shakespeare plays. "I feel intrigued by the amazing complexity of Shakespeare’s writing and and its transformations," says Amitesh.

One of interesting features of the play is that the actors involved come from different parts of India. Hamlet played by Vipin Bharadwaj hails from Kashmir while Savitha Rani who essays Ophelia comes from Haryana. Laxmi Rawat who plays Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother) is from Himachal Pradesh and Nitin Bhajjan who plays Polonious and Claudius is from Maharashtra. Amitesh finds beauty in the diversity of their different thick and thin accents of Hindi, which add another dimension to the play.

"It is a sort of hybrid transformation," says Amitesh.

Amitesh, a freelance artist, is an NSD graduate who went on to study in London.

Put on your dancing shoes

Asian Age — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:18:39 GMT

Sandip Soparrkar

When you see an elegant dancer on the dance floor spinning and twirling around swiftly have you ever wondered from where does that smoothness come? Graceful dancers swinging to the beat of Cha Cha Cha and salsa keep you glued to their silky movements. Dancing to the rhythm with an elegance of movement is more than just talent. This could also have something to do with the shoes you’re wearing. If you ever cared to look beneath a dancer you will realise that most of the grace and energy comes from the correct footwear.

There are a lot of shoes to choose from in the market. That is why it is wise to compare each of them and closely examine their bottoms, toe boxes, etc. You must not also forget the kind of floor you often dance on, to make it a point that the shoe design makes foot movement easier. This way you’d know better whether your shoes fit with what you’re stepping on and with what you’re doing.

Indian classical dance demands no footwear — the "ghungroo" is the only footwear. On the other hand international dances need shoes and footwear is to a Western dancer what ghungroos are for Indian classical dancers. We too pray and respect our dance shoes just like the ghungroo.

Our flooring is often made of wood or cement. Thus, it is good to wear dancing shoes that support just enough friction between the floor and the soles. However, regular rubber or leather sole shoe may cling or slip extra on the dance floors. Thus, it is better to purchase or custom-make dancing shoes with soles made of only suede.

Generally soft flexible suede sole dance shoes body as well as the heel is made of pure leather and the ankle support is longer than that of the normal shoes. This helps maintain the balance between the slip and the grip techniques that let the dance move swiftly on the smooth dance floor. It’s difficult to find good suede shoes in India, but Mr Jameel Shah, director of Shah Shoes the only Indian dance shoe company that has copied the art of making typical dance shoes from abroad and sells the replicas in various colours and styles, says, "You can fold the dance shoe anyway you want to, it takes the shape of your foot unlike normal shoes, this is the essence of the dancing shoes. They are comfortable and do not restrict the movement of your feet, whether you are on your heels or on your toes, it supports you throughout and the cushioning supports the knees and the ankle avoiding injuries." Shah Shoes has his main outlet in Mumbai but supplies to most of the dance schools in India. They regularly work with schools in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderbad, Jaipur, Calcutta, Chennai, Surat, Ahmdabad and even in Pune. The other option is to buy these shoes online from websites like supadance.com, showtimedanceshoes.com and danceshoesonline.com but the international order can range from $50-120 per pair plus the courier charges.

Every dance form needs different kinds of shoes; I recommend standard heel shoes — small and thin for ballroom dances like the Waltz, Quickstep, Tango and the Foxtrot. Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Samba and Salsa are best complemented with feet gear that have broader and bigger heels as broad big heels enhances the hip movement of Latin dancers and helps them make swift twirls and graceful footwork.

Then we have Jazz shoes for Jazz and contemporary dancers, Ballet Shoes or character shoes for other western dances

Choice of colours are also an important aspect while buying dance shoes, for example the Tango is a dramatic dance form hence a combination of black and white shoes add to the effect. The standard black shoe for men is most common in leather or patent leather and dainty silver, golden and skin shoes for women are the common colours for Latin American dances.

Ladies nowadays are experimenting with colours like red, shimmer, pink and even yellow and green, but such experiment is mostly done by performers and not students.

Speaking the language of colours

Asian Age — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:55:38 GMT

Pooja Sharma

The strokes come like speech. —Van Gogh

Shubhra Chatu-rvedi’s work has a language of its own. A language that is both intriguing and relaxing. Her work is soaked in moods she wants to portray, "an expression of what’s inside the head and heart", as she puts it.

Inspired by Van Gogh, her compositions are abstract and set in the expressionist tradition. She attempts to capture vivid emotions or moments through powerful colour compositions. Shubhra is an inspiration for all those who wish to follow their passion. Leaving behind a promising 12-year-old career as an HR professional, she has moved into the field of her choice. She explains with delight that she never thought she could paint.

On an impulse, inspired by a beautiful evening in Pune, she attempted her first painting in poster colours. Her debut exhibition held in Delhi from October 30, 2009 to September 7, 2009 drew enthusiastic response and was consequently extended by five days. Shubhra gives due credit to her guides Rajesh Sharma and Vasundhara Tewari Baroota who encouraged her to experiment with medium, themes and motifs.

What has emerged is a collection rich in ideas and experiences. Shubhra, who has pursued photography as well, clearly has a camera eye and sensitivity to colours. The Top View is one such creation. A combination of five segments, it gives an enthralling bird’s eye view. The titles, Shubhra explains, are not premeditated.

Once her expression in the form of a painting is complete, she gives it a title to direct and enhance meaning. The language of colours, for her, precedes the words. Most of her works carry a dynamic feel. There is a sense of movement, growth or change in the paintings. For instance, using Van Gogh style picture pointillism, Abundance depicts a lush field, which is vibrant with colours. One can almost sense the wind swaying the abundant green. Use of spatula strokes recurs in her work, giving it a geometric feel.

In the abstract works it imbues a sense of secure finite as also of whirling infinite at the same time. It also helps to create a variation of depths in the canvas. Shubhra does not shy away from using a cheerful variety of colours and is able to use them to highlight her subjects. One of the most complimented woks, Wow, captures an emotion of surprise and delight. Set in blue, she uses strokes of white to bring out the elation. The undeniable polarities of life come to light in The Other Side. However, the artist gives space to fluid "in-betweens" that belong to both poles, in the same work. Whatever the theme, a strong sense of positivity lurks in all her work. While in Shanti this is obvious, in works like Chakraview this positivity reappears in a stoic fashion. She experiments freely with themes and colours working mostly with oil or acrylic on

canvas.

Shubhra aims to take her next step with water colours and charcoal pencil. While for the artist, her work is an expression of her mind and heart, the success of her art is in the effect it generates on the viewer.

Shubhra’s work generates a variety of responses which one is compelled to pause and analyse, bringing one close to ones own self.

Act: 31, Scene 1,Venue: Prithvi Theatre

Asian Age — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:31 GMT

Lakshmi Govindrajan

There are two strains of the Indian theatrical tradition, which in my opinion, are indispensable for imparting the right kind of acting discipline to any serious group of actors. They come from the folk theatre and the Sanskrit drama. Indeed they complement one another. It is through this blend that I am seeking to get a modern theatre – how successfully, the audience alone will know."

—Habib Tanvir

Prithvi Theatre does what it does best — bring the best of theatre in a unified platform called the Prithvi Theatre Festival. And this year, they’ve looked homewards to showcase India’s beautiful and rich plurality. Three groups with decades of experience and fascinating theatre practice will be offering some of their best works — Adishakti, Ninasam and Nirman Kala Manch. To give them company are four new productions by younger directors. If that’s not all, Prithvi this year pays a tribute to the legendary Habib Tanvir who passed away this year. "Nothing but the best, no? We’re opening the festival with his signature play Charandas Chor. The Horniman Circle will have an exhibition on him and his theatre, something we had done earlier in 2004. As a mark of our gratitude towards senior actors of the Naya Theatre, we’ll also be raising funds for them," said an excited Sanjana Kapoor, director of the festival and Prithvi Theatre itself. The festival will be on from November 7 to 20.

With a country that speaks of such cultural diversity like ours, there is no doubt that showcasing the best of Indian theatre would see productions in various languages. The festival will see plays in English, Kannada, Hindi, Chhatisgarhi, Bhojpuri, Malayalam and even Japanese with English subtitles! Adishakti’s Veenapani Chawla says: "I see Adishakti trying to achieve an aesthetic pluralism through its work – a reflection of the pluralism of the contemporary world, it’s multiple sightedness. The contemporary mind can take in more viewpoints than one — even contemporary ones – at the same time."

And if you think that Indianness is all that will rule at the festival, think again. Adhishakti intends to give its unique twist to Absurdist writer Eugene Ionesco’s classic Rhinoceros, when the play headlines the festival. The play explores themes of conformity, culture, philosophy and morality – increasingly relevant issues in today’s changing socio-political landscape. Sridhar/Thayil will also bring a dark Indian twist to the highly Western opera with Opera Noir — a lyrical conversation between a ghost and a soprano abot God, murder and showbiz.

"The operatic elements of love, betrayal and murder are elements of noir too. But we also mean ‘noir’ in the sense of ‘black’. Opera has become a white, upper class form of entertainment, of excluding much of the world. This is the opposite. It’s for everyone," says Jeet Thayil of Sridhar/Thayil.

Heiner Muller’s Hamletmachine and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern act as the springboard from which young actors revisit William Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Amitesh Grover’s The Hamlet Quarter. Grover adds, "I am not a video artist, I merely build upon my scant understanding of media and media/video art to create multiple media performances."

While international classics may get Indian twists, absolutely nothing matches a thorough-bred Indian performance. And that quotient is added by Ninasam’s Yakshagana: Vidyunmati Kalyaana. The performance is based on a traditional prasanga by Halasinahalli Narasimha Shetty. Ninasam’s K.V. Subbanna sums up the festival’s endeavour best by citing his own company’s attitude towards Indian theatre.

He says, "Ninasam is a civilisation, a struggle of a community to find a new way... a cultural alternative, a democratic decentralisation."

Dealing with pre-performance jitters

Asian Age — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:10:08 GMT

Sandip Soparrkar

I have asked most of the international celebrities whom I taught dance, how they manage to fight "backstage jitters" just before a performance. Madonna, Shakira, Beyonce and even Kenny G have the same fears.

My student actress Kajol once told me due to stage fright she can never do live performances. It is natural for any dancer to feel nervous right before going on stage. Often this nervousness can hinder a dancer’s performance. As we become seasoned performers, we learn how to use this nervousness to our advantage.

This tension comes from the adrenaline that naturally will release in the body. It is hard to feel calm once this happens. This will happen when a person embarks on a venture that requires a great deal of courage. Dancing on stage can be downright scary at times. One way to better perform is to have been on stage enough times… to just naturally feel comfortable! This unfortunately isn’t an option for less experienced dancers.

But there are a few things a dancer can do to lessen this tension and use it ahead of the scheduled performance.

Be Ready

Before you get called to the wings by the stagehands, practise breathing and stretching. Make sure you are completely warmed up, stretched and calm. Taking deep breaths is very important so you have a great surplus of oxygen flowing through your lungs and muscles. By the time you get to the wings, you should be calm enough to handle last minute nerves.

Never go on a stage without practising the piece at least twice. Being physically warmed up will assure a better performance and that should ease a little tension right there.

Make sure you have enough time the night before, to sleep at least nine hours that night. This will help your performance and your tension.

Do stay hydrated and have some protein in your pre-performance meal. Don’t eat heavy but try to eat enough so that you feel energetic. Eat three to four hours before your performance so that it is digested for energy stores at the time you’ll need it. Do not eat sugar or drink caffeine. And absolutely no smoking or alcohol.

Make sure your dance bag, costumes, accessories and makeup are all packed and checked the night before.

Arrive at the venue at least an hour before you’re required to be there. This will give you time to practise on the stage area and will lesson your chances of any late arrival, which will in turn cause increased tension.

Try your shoes on the floor when it’s rolled out. Make any last minute adjustments according to the floor.

Be Focused

Make sure you listen to your music and visualise the performance before you go onstage. Visualisation is a very powerful tool and can relax the mind and body.

Don’t let a chatty friend take all your crucial last moments before a performance! Try to centre yourself and stay in a very focused state of mind.

Try to use whatever mood you’re feeling that day towards your performance. Any energy is good energy. This is the difference between a good dancer and a phenomenal performer.

Be positive

Backstage nervousness is also a twist of anticipation and excitement. Remember these other factors and keep your mindset positive. Anticipate your best performance yet, and enjoy the excitement of your finally getting to perform this piece after all the hard work you’ve done! Enjoy it, instead of dreading it. Be pro-active.

Dancers need to come together as a group in a positive light before a performance. It always helps to pray together, massage each other’s shoulders or do a pep cheer. This pep cheer can be a team ritual that gets every one in the mode and into the spirit. It brings positive energy to the group that translates on stage.

Have confidence in yourself. You have worked hard and know the choreography. You were chosen for this part because you earned it. Have pride in your part no matter how large or small it may be. This humble and thankful mindset will give off an inner happiness that will shine for your fellow dancers, your choreographer and your audience.

A dancer without jitters is a bird without wings. Use this energy towards your movement and know that it is normal.

Enjoy this excitement and relish every time you’re in the position to be coming out of those wings. We can’t be dancers forever. So enjoy these moments, and soar on that stage.

Not just how quickly you rise to fame, it’s about fun as well

Asian Age — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:40:33 GMT

Sandip Soparrkar

When I was just a pup in the dancing scene, I thought as soon as I lapped up a few more moves and took a few more classes, I would be a pretty good dancer. I tried to go to every class possible, thinking I was just a few classes away from being the best dancer.

Well here’s the good, bad and the ugly: You can have fun dancing in the first four to 12 weeks, plus or minus 6-18 months, depending on your personality and previous dance experience. If you want to be an elite dancer, the average person is a three- to five-year work in progress to get to the upper 20 per cent, then another three to five years to get into the top few per cent bracket. By the way, with my personal experience, these are exact time lines, with no room for variations.

It has taken me almost 15 years to be recognised as a good dancer. When I was new I thought dancing was easy and in a few months I would achieve stardom. I would watch hundreds and hundreds of dancers and dances. And I would think to myself, "Look at all those other guys doing it." Some were much heavier, smarter, dumb, less coordinated, uglier, older, younger, less athletic, less coordinated, unable to rub their tummy and pat their head at the same time, and a few looked like they needed medication to calm down a bit. It seemed if they could do it, so could I and today I know the new guys on the dance floor look at me that way.

If you can already dance anything, including the Kajrare, or the Macarena, a little Michael Jackson moon-walking, jazz, ballet and/or pole, river or country line dancing, and you would do it in front of a group of people, you will probably be having fun in the weeks range. If you did gymnastics, martial arts, cheerleading or other sports requiring balance and body control, your time line will be significantly shorter than some others. If you are like me, someone who never danced in their lives, it may be a little towards the longer end of that scale. Remember fun doesn’t take long but real competence does take some time.

Here’s the funny thing: It really doesn’t matter except to you! Nobody looks at me and says: "What a loser, he took two years to do things others were doing in six months." In some areas I started much slower than others, but I’ve also blown past many of my peers who started with me because I worked on fundamentals longer than most, which allowed me to accelerate my learning after a certain tipping point. But there are always a bunch of new people starting to dance and they don’t know I was a slow starter.

I remember my teachers telling me, "Sandip just have fun, enjoy the music and the company of your partner." Well guess what? I’m that type of person who doesn’t find my personal incompetence fun. For me, I needed a baseline of skills and it is then that I started to have fun with it. I see other guys having fun the first few weeks that they are dancing. But I hated asking someone to dance with this type of line: "Would you like to dance? Oh... by the way, I only know about two or three moves, and I’m not sure how they really fit together yet, so be patient with me.."

There are some people who have looked like me during their start-up period, but their personality is such that they didn’t care. I wish I were that type of personality sometimes, but that is just not within my comfort zone. But I always knew once I passed a certain point, I would also be having fun and I wanted to be in that above average group.

Today, most of the time I have a great time, but I always look forward to being a stronger dancer. It’s certainly like all the other arts, you never truly master dancing, you simply learn how to enjoy the ride and look forward to the next step in the journey.

Now, even as a more mature pup, I still drool sometimes, watching the more mature dancers and wanting to be at that level. But we all get to a point where the ride is fun, even if we get a few bugs in our mouth along the way.

If you are wondering when you’ll be good, realise that "good" is a sliding scale that changes as you become more mature. Instead of shooting for being "good" by date XY, you might consider getting better regularly, picking up new tricks every week or month. What is fascinating is if you just don’t stop, and you continue to learn, you’’ll look back and be amazed at your progress.

Keep taking lessons and classes, dance as much as you can, find a few other people at your level, and keep refining what you know. You may do it faster or slower than me, but don’t stop learning. Enjoy your ride and stick your head out the window, enjoy the music blowing by: it’s worth the effort. If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing slowly... very slowly.

Contemporarily speaking

Asian Age — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:37:56 GMT

Ipsitaa Panigrahi

He swirls, he twirls and he makes you feel as absorbed as he is in his trance like movements. The lyrical movements that flow take you to another level of spirituality. Meet Astad Deboo, India’s celebrated modern and contemporary dancer who recently performed his latest offering "Breaking Boundaries". It had premiered earlier this year and was in association with the Salaam Balak Trust and Astad Deboo Foundation. Astad has been actively involved in projects with the hearing and speech impaired for the past 20 years. This time with Salaam Balak Trust he is working with the less privileged children. The performance consisted of five choreographed movement pieces. They explored on different aspects of space, time, mood and emotion. And there is a rich layer of emotion.

Talking about the association with the speech and the hearing impaired which began 20 years ago, Astad says, "It all began with a workshop and gradually grew when they showed tremendous amount of talent and responded positively." He points out that there was a lot of talent to be showcased and after their positive response it was time to go ahead and make a full-fledged project. "They serve as role models within their community," says Astad. He feels the need for continuity every time he creates a new project and tries to encourage them. "One can notice that there is a great amount of transformation in the individual and a higher level of confidence," says Deboo.

Deboo is famous for his lyrical and beautiful movements which have a trance- like effect. He makes his own dance statement by creating a unique style of dancing which could be defined as a process of dialogue by the traditional form of life. The journey began with Kathak dance lessons as a child and then breaking free from the iron frame of classical dance he came across Murray Louis Dance Company of the US by chance who set him on a long journey in search of a unique idiom. He retains the essence and beauty of the different dance styles he incorporates into his form beautifully. Deboo is also trained in Kathakali which brings to his dance a combination of extreme physical control and spectacular visual impact." There is a challenge on both sides and a certain kind of crossover takes place," says Deboo. He says that gurus are very much present and he has never diluted their styles while incorporating certain movements.

Deboo says that a lot of creation is based on their technique. Even the kind of music he dances to is "alien" to a lot of people in his audience. But Deboo is comfortable with the music which is eclectic and comprises his creation. He talks about the rasas (emotions) which are engrained into every piece of his work. "There is a certain level of abstraction to it," says Deboo. It involves a complete absorption of oneself.

There’s one thing that Deboo rues about which is the lack of platforms for talents like dance and more so for contemporary dance. But he feels that the audience has opened up a lot here in the recent years especially the younger lot who are now coming in increasing numbers. He also laments the fact that there are few sponsors and initiators for promotion of arts and culture in a country rich of such talent. Does he feel that contemporary dance is received well abroad than here? "Well the response has been quite good here as well as abroad. What happens abroad is that people are on the same wavelength with respect to music. The response being different has definitely been encouraging," says Deboo.

Contemporary dancing definitely gives one a lot of freedom to express oneself in different ways. He says that he chose to step out of classical dancing but feels sorry about the term "contemporary" being "blasphemously used". "People do anything in the name of contemporary dancing," says Deboo. He mentions that there is a great level of thought process that goes into creating contemporary and it should not be taken frivolously.

Talking about his future projects Deboo says there is quite a lot on the anvil which includes projects with jazz musicians and a project involving work on Amir Khusrow’s poems.

Let’s pray for India’s future in dance

Asian Age — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:32:06 GMT

Sandip Soparrkar

Dance is a medium of expression, a physical manifestation of what the heart and mind hold. This expression is incomplete if we are inhibited, have something that holds us back from truly giving shape to our feelings. When children dance, we smile almost immediately. Why? Because they have no inhibitions, their expression is pure and they are at ease with their bodies and the movement.

One such carefree young couple is Abhishek Goenka and Shebani Bhargava. Abhishek is all of 14 years and is a student is Jasuben M.L. School and Shebani is a cute 10-year-old girl from Jamnabai Narsee Mehta School. Both these little stars have been learning dance under me for almost four years now and have performed for many events including the prestigious Kala Ghoda Festival.

Latin and ballroom dancing has now been accepted as a form of sport and it goes with the name "DanceSport". They are now even a part of international games such as Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and even the biggest of them all - the Olympics.

Abhishek and Shebani made me proud when they won the AIDSF (All India DanceSport Fereration) National DanceSport Championship in 2008. Later after few more selection rounds, on the basis of their quality of dancing skills they were chosen to represent India at the "Eastern DanceSport Championship 2009" to be held in Singapore later this month. They will be competing along with children from 22 other countries in Rumba, Cha Cha Cha and Jive dance categories. This is the first time India is sending its young couple on an international competitive dance floor.

This not only makes me proud but also makes me see hope for our Indian children to take up Western classical dance forms lot more seriously. Latin and ballroom dances need dedication, extensive coordination, great technique, trust in each other and above all the uninhibited attitude of sensuality. We send our children to learn different forms of sport like cricket, hockey, swimming, etc. and many parents hope that their child will one day take up sports, but when it comes to dance we look at it as a hobby and as an activity for holidays and weekends.

Abhishek and Shebani have all the qualities a winner needs and I only have their parents to thank for that. For the past so many years I have seen both their parents encourage their children to concentrate on dance, many a times due to my busy schedule their mother and siblings have conducted their rehearsals. For all their efforts and attitude they surely need a standing ovation.

My instructors and I have worked tireless on this vibrant young couple to look the way international dancers should be. Acclaimed designer Rohit K. Verma has designed their clothes for the championship and their twinkle toes will be moving away in shoes from Jameel Shah. They are just a week away from the main event, all the preparations are done and even the last minute tips have all been shared. I am writing this piece because any competition and examination is incomplete without blessings, love and good wishes. I request all the readers to please keep this dynamic couple in their prayers and let's hope they can make us proud.

The picture that says it all

Asian Age — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:55:08 GMT

Jyoti Verma

This year, India arrived on the world advertising cine stage. The minute-long dramatic saga of a cut-out character in Chennai, who "began as an action hero, later became a political icon and eventually ended up as a zero" got the world talking. The most celebrated Nakka Mukka campaign at Cannes this year certainly caught the pulse of the city of Chennai. "The campaign had local knowledge, the way people live life in the city and a picturisation that said it all," says celebrated ad filmmaker and director, Corcoise Films, Prasoon Pandey.

According to Pandey, Indian ad makers used to be in the West-oriented ‘me too’ mode till the last decade, but have now become more confident of themselves. And the results are there for all to see! "Today we pick our own issues and present ourselves the way we are. An amazing ad like Happydent showed our problem (of power) and our kind of jugaad (fun solution) to become big hits," Pandey illustrates, adding, "The same thing happened in Fevicol’s Pakde Rehna Chhodna Nahin campaign where people stuck together with Fevicol."

After loads of trial and error, ad filmmaking in India is now at its buzzing best. The number of ad films has grown tremendously over the last couple of years — especially with new businesses, production houses and television channels multiplying. On the one hand there are themes drawn from animation (Vodafone’s Zoo Zoos, etc), a bygone era (Cadbury’s Aaj Pehli Tarikh Hai campaign), and Bollywood (Panasonic’s ad starring Ranbir Kapoor). While on the other hand, there are a few attempts that keep the message straightforward (Vodafone’s Irfan Khan campaign), humorous (Virgin Mobile, etc), social (Idea Cellular) and musical (Airtel, etc)! Apart from executing the theme interestingly — using toddlers to professionals to elders to animals — ad filmmakers take care of the basic details to connect the storyboard to the brand and its consumers.

"The response I got on the Incredible India and Zoo Zoo projects showed how public feedback can be so rewarding even for an ad filmmaker, who otherwise does not enjoy credits, except from people in the industry who are aware of his work," says Prakash Varma, director, Nirvana Films. The best part today, however, remains the space ad filmmakers get from their clients. "Ad agencies are now willing to take risks, think out-of-the-box and create commercials that are relevant to the milieu," adds Varma.

Considering great ad attempts like Happydent, Zoo Zoo, Nakka Mukka in India’s kitty, one wonders what the mantra of a ‘bestselling ad film’ is. While a few filmmakers believe it calls for lots of reading and research, others insist that it’s the theme that should be kept simple. For Varma, the trick is not in showing off one’s creative talent and overpowering a concept, but in doing justice to the idea and capturing only what is essential to communicate a story or mood effectively. For Pandey, the secret lies in the skill of listening! Listening to the client and the consumer — even when there is criticism! "Today, consumers have become more mature and are asking for more. It is dangerous to think that admakers have become sharper in their ideas and execution and that consumers have been left behind. ‘The audience always knows more’, and we’d better keep this in mind," says Pandey.

Vikram Kalra, producer, Good Morning Films, the maker of Nakka Mukka, agrees. "At times, reinventing and keeping up with the times becomes a challenge. Then comes maintaining the good work," he adds.

With creative think tanks trying to get better at home, good global results are bound to follow. Varma believes that the country is doing better than many others in several aspects. "We are probably one country that makes the most number of films, in the least amount of time and with stringent budgets — all these with great quality output and fantastic ideas," he says with pride. And few would disagree with the statement!

Sarukkai makes Devi relevant today

Asian Age — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:13:06 GMT

Amrita Jayakumar

It was considered a huge risk, but eventually paid off. Last week, the Mumbai audience was brought to its feet by "Week of Dance", held at the Tata Theatre, NCPA. The brainchild of NCPA dance head Arundathi Subramanian, the event was "designed to rejoice in the art of dance in all its forms". With performances ranging from contemporary to classical, it was an intensive exploration of the many facets of dance. Speaking about the inspiration behind the occasion, Ms Subramanian explains, "The main idea was to give a spotlight to city dancers, which is why we had a smaller event in April to commemorate International Dance Day. That was well-received and so it seemed like a good opportunity to expand the idea. It was also about time that more vitality was infused into the dance scene here."

A unique addition to performances by celebrated artists Astad Deboo, Birju Maharaj and Malavika Sarukkai was a two-day discussion by eminent art historian Prof. B.N. Goswamy. One of his talks explored the theme of "Devi" as portrayed in Indian paintings, which preceded a performance by renowned Bharatanatyam exponent Sarukkai. Touching upon the countless aspects of Devi, from Shakti to Tripurasundari to Kali, the discussion and performance centered round the fact that She is ultimately Unknowable.

For Sarukkai, the event was significant for a number of reasons. "Firstly, I felt privileged to be part of the evening with Prof. Goswamy. Coming back to familiar territory was also good", she says about performing in Bombay. "Having danced at the NCPA when nothing but the Little Theatre existed, it felt nice to return after such a long gap." The audiences were evidently glad to receive her, judging by their reaction. "As a performer, you can tell five minutes after walking onto the stage whether your audience is with you. And they completely were," she says.

More importantly, she had never choreographed a piece on Devi before, and found the experience "overwhelming". "What I discovered during the process of making this piece were the different levels of energy required to invest in it. To embody, envision and create Devi was a physical, emotional and spiritual process. And being able to bring that energy through to the performance stunned both the audience and me!"

Sarukkai considers the art history discussion a step forward in the right direction in terms of dance appreciation. "What I would ideally like as an artist is a space to have some audience feedback. For those who are really interested in the thought process behind a performance, there should be an opportunity for interaction with the dancer after the concert. For example, in the case of Devi, the main concept behind the piece was that She is the manifested world and everything within it. Killing Mahishasura the demon can be interpreted as killing the demons present within our own minds. I would love to have shared that with my audience and hope to see such forums in the future at the NCPA."

Describing the research and effort that goes into creating a dance item, Sarukkai equates it with giving birth. "The process of choreographing and perfecting the item is only completed when the audience finally watches it. These are special moments in an artist’s craft: when you put the dance out to the world for the very first time. You don’t know how it will be received and when it goes down well, you feel overwhelmed. That especially happened to me with Devi."

As a dancer, what matters more to her — when an aficionado appreciates the performance or a novice? "I think that when you put enough passion, conviction and faith into your craft, the person will be moved by it irrespective of their knowledge. The power of art lies in the fact that you can’t help but be impacted by it." Kasi Yatra, Sarukkai’s critically acclaimed production was also performed at the week of dance. "While Devi was mythical, Kasi Yatra was very worldly, giving both evenings a completely different feel. Yet, both were appreciated tremendously by different audiences."

One of the motivations behind dance week, according to Arundathi Subramanian, was to build a classical dance viewership in the city. "For a while now, the classical dance scene in Mumbai has been quite low key. The idea of having leading artists like Birju Maharaj and Malavika Sarukkai perform at the Tata Theatre was to give the audience a high quality experience that they ought to have, and not a watered down version." Sarukkai believes that classical dance forms need to evolve to continue. "To me, Bharatanatyam is a language in the present tense. I will derive the structure from tradition, but I will use it in the present context."

"Week of Dance" hopes to become an annual celebration, riding on the response received this year and as Subramanian puts it, "Serendipity."

Dance is in itself a global village

Asian Age — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:03:46 GMT

Sandip Soparrkar

Dance, it is said, is a universal language — one that can be understood by all. Dance knows no boundaries and has no gender or colour preferences. Much like coffee drinker and smokers bond, or party-goers spend hours chatting over a drink, dance lovers and enthusiasts come together and share special moments as well and for that to happen, all it takes is a beat.

I realised this during my interactions with several international artistes when they came to India and I had the good fortune of and teaching them a few dance moves. When I look back at my first dance class at 6 am with Shakira or the midnight class with Kenny G or even a media glare sessions with the Queen of Pop Madonna, the thing that I found common is how fascinated they are with India and its rich culture.

I remember Beyonce telling me that she considered India to be very orthodox and laidback but was surprised to know from her friend Shakira that her concert was well-appreciated and people were huge fans of international artistes. She recalled that never had she imagined that she would ever get a Latin and Ballroom dance teacher in the country that is more famous for its other classical dance forms. Beyonce that her visit to India changed her perception of the country and she took with her the beautiful mix of modern and traditional that India is known to be.

Madonna is known to be a fan of India and it was very evident during my interaction with her. Her then husband Guy Ritchie and children visited small cities and temples in Rajasthan, got excited over the cuisines and clothes and even made a dash to the slums of Mumbai. So much is the love for India and Indians they there were talks about Madonna adopting an Indian baby. Madonna using Heena on her hands for her music video or Beyonce buying a Rocky S sari are all exemplary of their love for this rich country. In spite of a stomach problem Kenny G still could not resist the Indian spicy food and offered hot spicy rasam to me after a trying dance session post midnight.

When these international stars think of India want comes first on their mind? This question always lingered in my mind. Madonna cleared that doubt for me and the answered "Bollywood". So wheather it is Amitabh Bachachan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan or even Mallika Sherawat — they all are known to them. And what is most attractive about Bollywood is the song and dance routines that the films are famous for. Shakira once said to me that song and dance in Indian cinema is "magical"

India is a place where new, fresh, creative and imaginative talent lives and is picked up for international work. I feel privileged that I am one of those lucky few. While I was called to choreograph an upcoming Broadway musical Bruce Lee: Journey to the West I was told that India is an untapped virgin market and this is one country people should look forward to.

Dance has got me closer to the world outside India and dance is what took me ahead too and got me the international recognition.

Wonders of Varanasi’s loom

Asian Age — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:11:13 GMT

Rashme Sehgal

White-haired Gani Baba is the only weaver in the world who can weave in the unique gethua broacading style. It’s a mechanism unique to Varanasi which follows the unusual heald mechanism employing an extraordinary selection of motifs and threads.

One would have imagined the development commissioner, handlooms, would have invited Gani Baba to the Crafts Museum in New Delhi, given him a loom and a couple of shagirds to ensure this style of brocading, which uses neither jala nor jacquard, is not wiped out.

Bureaucrats never show so much imagination. It was only when the Varanasi-based designer Sribhas Supakar was approached to hold an exhibition at the Alliance Francaise, Delhi, depicting the entire kaleidoscope of Varanasi weaves that he tracked down Gani Baba and asked him to start working for him at a salary of Rs 250 per day.

Gani Baba could not believe his luck. "Overnight, I’ve become a millionaire," he tells everyone in his soft almost mellifluous voice. It’s not the earnings alone which are a source of delight for him, but the fact that he has once again been provided to return to his first love — weaving.

Supakar, a designer who has collaborated closely with Pierre Cardin and Zandra Rhodes in the past, was determined that his show would highlight the different aspects of the Varanasi weavers craft.

"I wanted my first show in the capital to be a trendsetter. Take the case of the Awadh Jamdani which is a response to the challenge of the summer heat of the Gangetic plains. The jamdani was traditionally woven in Dacca which is why the British called it the famous Dacca muslin. A traditional jamdani used geometric designs, but I use flowing designs which are completely new."

Finding a weaver to make an Awadh Jamdani was no easy task. Weavers in Varanasi are passing through a serious livelihood crisis. At its peak, Varanasi silk weaving provided livelihood to nearly seven lakh people but during the last decade, the income of handloom weavers has declined to such an extent that they consider themselves lucky if they can earn Rs 50 to 60 in a day.

Supakar tracked down master weaver, Babulal Patil, who had been hired under NREGA to break stones outside his village Sijoyni in Varanasi district. Patil, who has specialised in Awadh Jamdani, could not believe his luck when he was invited to weave a length of muslin that would out do the best muslin woven during the reign of the Mughal emperors. He promptly accepted the challenge and spent two years weaving his pink-coloured masterpiece.

Supkar admits, "The last few years have been difficult for us as cheap import textiles (mainly from China) have flooded the market. Thousands of weavers have lost their livelihood and the market is in disarray. Nevertheless, I have tried to keep some looms working on jamdani, kaduan, fekuan and gethua styles. I make the naksha (drawings) which are then applied on the looms."

Supakar’s masterpiece is the massive Shikargarh Jangla, a 15foot by 15 foot shimmering, single handwoven masterpiece which is another first for Varanasi.

"Building a loom for such a large hanging required wooden beams that were 18 feet by 18 feet. "Just finding straight and long beams took several months. Nine weavers worked simultaneously and it took nine months to complete. It has a thick fabric of satin base, having reed of 88s and a combination of warp 20/22 katan and weft 20/22 of three-ply filature," said Supakar, using the technical jargon.

This large black and gold decorative piece with animal motifs woven into it in intricate precision could serve as a wall hanging or as an ornamental furnishing material in a five star hotel.

"Now that we have such a large loom, it will not be difficult to make another piece of this size," said Supakar.

The exhibition titled "Kashi Kaleidoscope — Wonders of Varansi Looms" held in New Delhi between September 24-39 has been dedicated to his father Jadunath Sarkar, who worked during the fifties and sixties to tirelessly revive the Varanasi sari. Using a variety of Chinese and Japanese styles, Suparkar senior allowed many of his weaves to be influenced by Indian art.

Sribhas continues in that tradition. For the last 24 years, he has been combing Mughal, Turkish and Japanese techniques, beleiving all the while that a sustainable empowerment of the weavers and craftsmen is a perquisite for the preservation of India’s heritage.

Rhythm of the terracotta

Asian Age — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:10:57 GMT

Nawaid Anjum

Delhi-based ceramic artiste Dipalee Daroz finds the sound of music in the soil. Her solo show titled "Sounding Clay", which is on at Art Alive Gallery in New Delhi as part of the Delhi International Arts Festival 2009, brings together a series of stoneware sculptures, chiseled over a period of about seven years.

At first glance, these terracotta figurines seem to be a set of myriad musical instruments. But a second look reveals that their forms are essentially the symbols of harmony. "There is nothing musical about these figurines. They are the tools of rhythm and balance. They just give expression to my perception," says Dipalee, talking about the amalgamation and inter-connectedness of the various pieces on display.

These pieces draw on the museums objects of across the country. "These are beautiful things that captured my imagination. They highlight the beauty of our civilization," says Dipalee, adding that in India, terracotta figurines date back a long time. Some of the pieces in the show take you back to Harappa and Mohenjodaro, the thriving centres of the Indus valley civilization.

Dipalee, who plays with the pliable, tactile clay with finesse, exhibits an uncanny interest in form, rather than technique. "I like the tough softness of clay," says Dipalee, adding that there are potters who crave to learn the technique of the craft and forget the all-too important aspect of form. Her pieces (porcelain and sculptures) on display at the gallery, are a beautiful blend of both — form and technique.

Form, says Dipalee, has to do with the aesthetics of the medium. Once that is taken care of, technique follows on its own. While today’s potters, she says, should be aware of the techniques, it is important that they also paid attention to the form. Dipalee, who has worked with theatre veterans like Habib Tanvir, has been "exposed to all forms of visual arts" and that has shaped her sensibility which gets reflected in all her works.

Having come up with a solo show after a gap of seven years, Dipalee feels that when you have regular shows, there is a loss of variety. She is someone who keeps working, quietly but constantly, at her own pace. "I would not like to confine myself to any deadline," she says. She is "not social" by temperament and feels that socailising can be "distracting". Her work regimen involves drawing a few sketches triggered by some "rough ideas" and then keep working on those sketches, improvising "intuitively". She says: "Ideas are like river. They come on their own."

But it is important for an artiste, says Dipalee, to know where to stop. Sometimes she gets "sentimental" about her work and ends up spending a lot of her time on any one particular work. While a sculpture should reflect the creativity of an artiste, Dipalee feels that one shouldn’t "overdo" this. The artiste, who shuns all attention, feels upbeat about the pottery scene in Delhi. It is heartening, she says, that a couple of institutes have sprung up and run short-term courses for those interested in the craft. "There is a lot of experimentation happening in Delhi. Mumbai, in comparison, does not quite match the capital’s vibrancy," she says.

All art forms, says Dipalee, are interconnected. "If a musician creates music, you should be able to literally see music and imagine it through your eyes. Likewise, a ceramic piece should be such that the spectator can hear the music emanating from them," says Dipalee.

Your craft, says Dipalee, should give you enough space to configure you sensibility. And when you look at the three-dimensional sculptures on display at the gallery, the sense that you get is that of an artiste having configured her sensibility through clay.

Over the moon

Asian Age — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:07:56 GMT

Uma Nair

After having taught Sylvia Plath’s Mirror to my tenth graders in school, I was reading Ted Hughes poems. Suddenly at the end of the analogy came his poem The Moon and Little Freida.While I was in the midst of it Poonam Sahi took me to see her suite of works that will go on the walls of Alliance Francaise on Wednesday. I couldn’t believe what I saw. A series on the moon. A series of women and men holding, caressing and walking with the moon.

The moon is a symbol of romance in art, music, literature and in our minds. I recalled Hughes’ first line. And I liked the way the first line spreads a canvas: "a cool small evening": and the rest of the poem shines a light only on selected, disconnected areas of the canvas. Looking at Poonam’s works which are the beginning of a sojourn, it’s about as far as you can get from a work that brims in emotional quotient; the artist/designer in Poonam contributes twelve or thirteen almost independent images but lets the viewer assemble them at will. And the tenses are indeed curious and interesting, too: the works are an instantaneous snapshot, lasting only a second or so: all the actions are either past or present but captured as a moment.

The only action is the manner in which the moon is caught in human hands. The moon then becomes a symbol of everyday eventualities rather than the symbol of romance.

"There is a difference from being romanced to wanting romance," says Poonam. "I want romance in every day life… I want to make life worth it and I myself am responsible for that." She explains further with tales from Lord Krishna.

"Krishna wanted the moon to play with. I do too. I want it to be available to me at all times to enjoy it. So that it is available to hold, to embrace, to tender, to examine. To be able to weave romance in my life all the time and when I want it. When I see a beautiful moon my skin tingles and my breath sighs. When I bring the moon (down to earth) into my paintings I want the viewer to experience the same feelings. How wonderful to be able to enjoy this at all times.’

The crescent moon that she creates on her canvasses moves beyond the mystic. The night is a vacuous mossy green and you wonder at the atmosphere she creates with clouds billowing in their fluffed up symbolism.

"There is an atmosphere of secrecy around the night. A night with a beautiful moon brings about personal feelings and yearnings. Perhaps a yearning to connect with the cosmos… to validate your existence in this world? All these emotions are not understood completely. So there is an exploration of feelings… as you go from canvas to canvas. Sometimes I want to contemplate, at times I want to sing and then again I just want to enjoy the moment while I get on with mundane chores… in the assurance that all is well in my world," she says.

Curious how she relates the moon to many women. "The Moon is the one of the constant features in one’s life. It may go through various stages… full, crescent, etc. but it will be always be there. So in many ways it reminds us of the highs and lows in ones life, the change in ones life and then there is the assurance of everything being cyclical. the rule of nature, the rule of transition. So basically the characters of my paintings are taking their energy and inspiration from the moon. If the moon goes through transition, then it is natural for us to do so."

This show recalls that famed song Blue Moon. The lyrics presumably refer to an English idiomatic expression: "once in a blue moon".

The narrator of the song is relating a stroke of luck so unlikely that it must have taken place under a blue moon. The title relies on a play on words, since blue is also the colour of melancholy, and indeed the narrator is sad and lonely.

Coming back to the Hughes poem, he says: "The moon has stepped back like an artist gazing amazed at a work/That points at him amazed. This show personifies that symbolism amidst all else.

Tendulkar hero finds place in censor play

Asian Age — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:35:50 GMT

Ipsitaa Paingrahi

Sex, morality and censorship. Don’t these three words still make us cringe and raise our eyebrows in the conventional mode of society that we exist? The latest offering by Arpana, a theatre group, questions and explores the issue of censorship in society, more so in theatre and films. Directed by Sunil Shanbag, developed by Shanta Gokhale and Irawati Karnik, S*x, M*rality And Cens*rship compels you to give these ideas a thought from different perspectives. Using the immortal character of Sakharam Binder as the backdrop of the play, it explains the development of theatre from the controversial and challenging ’70s, through the ’80s, which brought a lull and finally the modern day hypocrisy.

Sakharam Binder, Vijay Tendulkar’s classic, had created a storm in the early 70s for its unconventional and bold script. The censor board had come down heavily on the play creating a controversy which stood for a revolution of a society fighting the set conventions in the society. Sakharam, who was the master of his life and refused to be dictated by others, had a life full of alcohol, abuses and different women walking in and out of his life. What strikes and sets him apart is his endearing honesty, passion and extremely genuine and frank demeanour. Whether it is his ego challenged by the docile Laxmi or the taken-advantage-of factor by ravenous Champa, Sakharam impresses the audience.

But why choose Sakharam Binder as the backdrop? "Because of what happened to him, the attack from the state government and the controversy surrounding it", says Shanbag. He says that Sakharam represented a threat to the society in many ways. "He stood out among the rest and didn’t stick to the mainstream ideas of the society," explains Sunil. The play showcases the evolution and development of theatre in a theatrical mode which is quite unique. It is a flashback of sorts where a Shahir (a tamasha poet rancouteur) along with a tamasha dancer is chosen to weave a story about the censorship that was slowly developing into a hydra-headed demon and examine the changing outlook towards tamasha in the recent years. Irawati Karnik who developed the play along with Shanta Gokhale says, "It all began with this audio-visual that we had created which traced the theatre maestro Satyadev Dubey’s journey which included a lot of development that took place in the theatre through the 70s and the 80s." Few months later with a lot of research and study, Sunil along with Irawati and Shanta explored the idea which culminated into this play.

It develops and raises standard questions about the idea of censorship and how the word has actually been misused and abused the forms of creativity. The play had been granted many temporary certificates of performances after a lot of rigorous efforts and legal interventions and every time after a houseful show it emerged successful in the early ’70s and ’80s. Even the Shiv Sainiks had created fracas and stopped one of the screenings. And then Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had stopped the ramifications after watching it once and said that there was nothing objectionable.

A lot of sarcastic undertones on the hypocrisy that exists in the society at large makes it enjoyable and thought provoking at the same time. It traces the story of Sakharam Binder’s struggle against the rules of society. There are anecdotes to highlight the woes of tamasha artists where Lok Sabha should be called "Folk Sabha" for obvious reasons. The depiction of the 70s is brilliant which stood for the rebellion times of the society. It was the time for sex, rock ‘n’ roll, drugs, confrontations and Sakharam Binder has just found ground in those days. "For the obvious reasons of change, revolution that 70s stood for is an evident choice of period," says Shanbag. The play also in a way also tries to bring a different perspective to the position of Tamasha dancers whose dignity had been marred over the years due to the existing moral code "double standards" in the society. What went missing was the appreciation of the tamasha art instead of the ridiculing and pulling it down. There was and still is a certain sense of cynicism that exist in the society around us with respect to these issues. The irony is that even this play has received a temporary certificate of one month for screenings by the censor board. "They want to be cautious. It is a wait and watch situation," he says.