In 1971, the Music Academy’s December festival opened with her performance and, as suggested by M.S. Subbulakshmi, she danced to ‘Rangapura Vihara’, Muthuswami Dikshitar’s composition on Sri Ranganathaswamy of Srirangam. In 2014, as producer and artistic director of Padme, she establishes her conviction about modern dance aesthetics.
A constant dichotomy threads Anita Ratnam’s life, routine and choreography. She inhabits many worlds at the same time to celebrate this maverick spirit. If the classical spurred her journey of movement, the contemporary defines it. Her untiring bond with the stage has led her to explore spaces that throb with energy. Though her work is wound around her roots, her cultural and geographical travels mark its varied expressions. Dance for her is self-reflective; a convergence of all things creative — fashion, music, theatre, painting and architecture.
“The place where we live has to be the informant. I have tried to explore and understand the art along with being a single mother for 26 years and partaking in festivities at home, daily chores and social engagements,” says Anita sitting on a swing in the elegantly done-up foyer of her sprawling house on Cenotaph Road. Though the artistic process is driven by imagination and visualisation, there cannot be a disconnect with reality, she adds. And with reality she means not just family affairs and social issues but those that concern the practitioners of the arts. “Sometimes I see so much anger and frustration among the younger generation of artists. Because there is not much money in dance. We don’t even have a national network of artists. They are often bogged down with questions of ‘What’s new’ What’s next’ and ‘How to reach out to a wider audience’. Their fears bother me. I want these youngsters to take pride in their art.”
So two years ago, when Anita met The Netherlands-based Kalpana Raghuraman at Korzo Theater at The Hague and watched her production ‘Padme’, she felt it should be brought to India to involve creatively-adventurous young classical artists. Kalpana, born and raised in The Netherlands, learnt Bharatanatyam and today is known for her tradition-inspired modern choreographic works.
Auditions were announced to choose dancers for the production with maximum response coming in from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. Seven artists were finalised and rehearsals began.
“Since 2003, I had not taken up any group work so I too was excited about working with a team again. I wanted the project not just to generate performance opportunities for these youngsters but also help them see the art in various dimensions. I wanted ‘Padme’ to be workshop-intensive on mime and movement.”
Though Anita decided to retain the title of the work as conceived by Kalpana, the choreography was re-worked to make it look like a “contemporary choreography mounted on the body of classical dancers.”
Right now, Anita is delighted to be the catalyst who can ignite curiosity in young minds, motivate them to push their personal boundaries and adopt a far-sighted approach to creativity.
“Padme’ is not just a flower. It is what lies beneath the seemingly calm lotus pond. That is why there are no lyrics and it is based on mood music. You need to have a vibrant outlook but that need not translate into speed and frenzy. It’s time we fill raucous urban spaces with some meaningful silence,” says Anita.
