It demands rare grit on the part of a dancer to take to dancing as a career these days. But Sruthy Jayan, perhaps the youngest professional Bharatanatyam dancer in Kerala, did not think twice before making such a commitment. Groomed by masters like Leela Samson in Kalakshetra, Chennai, she was provided systematic disciplining in all nuances of the terpsichorean art. Exposure and interaction with maestros, and a confidence born out of performances on stages across the globe, helped her realise that dance is her métier. While a flair for aesthetic movements is strong in her nritta, the language of her entire body seems to be more communicative than the sahithya she tries to interpret in her abhinaya.
Sruthy spoke at length on her decade-old journey while in Thrissur. Excerpts:
Youth festivals as a springboard
Until I completed SSLC, the youth festivals were a touching stone of my talents. In those days, I was trained by Anita Jones, an alumna of Kalakshetra and Methil Devika. But the inspiration to join Kalakshetra and to choose only Bharatanatyam was my father, V.S. Jayan, who is also a dance-musician.
Into the institution of excellence
The interview at Kalakshetra by a team of exponents led by Leela akka (Leela Samson) was a challenge. Although Leela akka was with us for only three years, she could mould the dancer in me to perfection. The pedagogy in Kalakshetra is not only interdisciplinary, but it enlightens dancers on the entire aspects of presentation including stage lighting, sound and other concomitant parameters. Gurus Jyotsana Menon and Bragha Bessel were more than mere teachers to me. I honed my histrionic talents in advanced training under Bragha Bessel.
Post Kalakshetra
Naturally, I was invited to be a member of the Kalakshetra repertory. Participation in the famous dance-dramas choreographed by the legend Rukmini Devi Arundale and other maestros was a rewarding experience. I donned pivotal roles such as Sita in ‘Sabari Moksham’ and Panchali in ‘Panchali Shapadham’ that entailed mainly dialogues in Sanskrit and also Priyamvada in ‘Shakunthalam’ to name a few. Among the choreographies of akka , ‘Spanda’ was full of alluring dance movements in five jaathis that extended to an hour and a half. All of them were staged in many festivals in India and abroad. I bade farewell to my alma mater after serving the institution as a guest faculty until last year.
Delving deep into the art
A dissertation on Bhagavatha Mela of Andhra Pradesh, the progenitor of Kuchipudi, kindled my interest, and I made an analytical study of the art form. I realised that there were innumerable elements in it that could be adapted to enrich each item in the Bharatanatyam repertoire. In fact I have experimented with a few in some of my productions and the results have been fabulous. A visit to Swaminathan Pillai, the scion of the Panthanellur school of Bharatanatyam, was beneficial in respect of interpretations of the same line of the sahithya.
Solo performances
In this connection I must add that a positive aspect of participation in our youth festivals is the absence of stage-fright for the dancer. This has helped me a lot. My first solo was in Kalakshetra followed by performances in a few sabhas in Chennai. All solo numbers were my choreographies. Some of them are ‘Mohamaagine intha velayil’ in Kharaharapriya of Dandayudha pani Pillai (varnam), ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ (Thulasidas bhajan), ‘Gandhari Vilapam’ of Ezhuthachan (Padam) and numerous Javalis of stalwarts like Patnam Subramania Iyer, for instance.
On the anvil
I had the privilege of interacting with a few surviving Devadasis in Thiruvarur temple. The Kuravanjis sung by them during varied rituals in the temple are awe inspiring. They sing as they perform. I hope to revive this practice for which there has to be more research into this community in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. I am hopeful that I can accomplish this as I have learnt music and advanced training under Cherthala Shivakumar is still on.
