DANCE SHOW 'SHAKTI' - featuring a Kathak-Lavani recital by dancer, actor and choreographer Aditi Bhagwat and 'Samanvaya', a collaborative Bharatnatyam-Odissi performance by acclaimed Indian classical artists Alarmel Valli and Madhavi Mudgal, will be held tomorrow at DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates.
City Times caught up with Alarmel Valli and Madhavi Mudgal ahead of the show.
What can you tell us about the blending of two types of dance forms in your upcoming performance?
Alarmel Valli: Both Bharatanatyam and Odissi are classical forms, with roots going back thousands of years. But though so ancient, they are also rich, dynamic dance languages, which have been evolving over the centuries, with enormous potential for creative exploration. Samanvaya, as the name signifies in Sanskrit, is "a coming together" and in this production, Madhavi Mudgal and I have worked to bring together the two dance forms in a collaborative, aesthetic experience.
Each style has unique features and stylistic nuances. But we have explored ways in which these dance forms can come together, within a common framework, so that the distinct textures and nuances of each form serve as contrasts to the other, thereby enhancing their own intrinsic characteristics. The unique feature and challenge of this work, is that we maintain the distinctive movement vocabularies of each style, while at the same time exploring parallel expressions of a deeper common structure - to weave a fabric as it were, using the warp and weft of Bharatanatyam and Odissi.
Madhavi Mudgal: There are six major Indian classical dance styles, each belonging to different regions in India but the source for all of them remains the same - the Natyashastra - a treatise written about two thousand years ago.
The attempt here is to bring out the similarities and meeting points of Bharatanatyam and Odissi by retaining the purity of both the forms - an aesthetic experience in a seamless blend.
How do you feel about bringing your performance to Dubai?
AV: I have only danced in Dubai once, many years ago, and my memories are very warm. Needless to say, I'm excited about presenting Samanvaya to the audiences here. It's always a challenge and deeply fulfilling to reach out to new audiences.
MM: We have presented this performance all over Europe, the US and Singapore. We are delighted to bring it to the connoisseurs of Dubai.
How did the idea for 'Samanvaya' come about?
AV: Over the decades, Madhavi and I have both worked to enrich and extend our own dance vocabularies and traditions, in our respective styles of Odissi and Bharatanatyam. We see tradition as a dynamic and continuous process of exploration and renewal, with infinite potential for innovation and creative expression. More than twenty years ago, we had an opportunity to choreograph and dance a Thillana together.
Since Madhavi and I share similar aesthetic and artistic values and for both of us, musicality is intrinsic to our approach to dance, the work together became a wonderful and enriching experience. That Thillana became the nucleus of a much more complex production, that has grown and evolved over the years. The fact that I had studied Odissi and Madhavi, Bharatanatyam made it much easier to interweave the two styles seamlessly.
MM: Both of us share a common aesthetic vision and have been friends for a very long time.
We embarked on this journey of discovering each other's style through working together. It has been a journey that we cherish.
Why would you encourage youngsters today to take up classical dance forms?
AV: Particularly in today's chaotic, violent world, where value systems are collapsing and consumerism is rampant, I think classical dance reaffirms beauty, truth, harmony and healing.
In the process of studying classical dance and music from a good teacher, who imparts the lessons with commitment and truth, children also imbibe the values and principles inherent in the fine arts - discipline and dedication, a commitment to excellence, humility and respect, perseverance and patience, the ability to focus, confidence and a sense of aesthetics.
Then of course, there are the obvious physical, psychological and mental benefits.
Dance and music are invaluable gifts that a parent can give their children, because they are holistic disciplines, which nurture body, mind and spirit.
MM: Indian classical dance is not merely moving your body to a rhythm. It is a discovery of your roots, philosophy, mythology and many other facets of life.
Therefore I would recommend every child to learn dance even just to develop one's personality and mind.
A classical treat: 'Shakti' will be held at DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates, tomorrow from 7:30pm onwards. Tickets at box office or www.ductac.org
enid@khaleejtimes.com
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