Chakkars are not mere rhythmic spins in Aditi Mangaldas’ dance. As she goes round and round, precisely and rapidly, her creative process seems to come a full circle. And from it emerges her progressive line of thinking.
Her diminutive body gains gigantic proportions on stage as she goes about deconstructing this dance form of the royal courts to come up with a confessional monologue.
Like her work that exists in a hybrid world, the bold experimenter, is unpretentious and accessible once she steps out of the dancing arena.
There is no trace of exhaustion as Aditi restlessly paces across the green room of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mylapore after a recent performance in the city. “Quick, pack up fast,” she tells her orchestral team, even as she pulls out accessories and puts them into a box. Within minutes, she unties the elaborate ghagra to get into an informal outfit. In the next 48 hours, Aditi will be in Germany for a recital.
Even as she eyes new territories, she is conscious of what has come before; that the roots of her contemporary imagery are in the classical. She is also aware that artistes today have to strive in a more complicated and pressured world.
“Tradition is not static. Like a river, it rejuvenates itself from time to time,” points out Aditi. “Conforming to established norms does not in any way prevent you from looking at new possibilities.”
Her gurus Birju Maharaj and Kumudhini Lakhia bequeathed Aditi with both tradition and an inventive mind during her years of training. “Along with mastering the technique, you need to imbibe the spirit of initiative, of curiosity and collaboration. Being self-analytical and critical is crucial to self-development,” says Aditi, a native of Gujarat, who’s made Delhi her home.
Moving seamlessly between conservative choreographic patterns and avant-garde works, between compelling solo performances and group compositions, she has over the years reinvented herself and her approach to the art. “The quest is not restricted to applause. Of course, nobody wants to dance to an empty auditorium. But as you grow older and mature as an artiste, you want to challenge yourself, to stretch your creative limits. And that reflects as experiments. It should happen naturally though, to be able to integrate your training, imagination and experience.”
Dancing for the past four decades, she has realised the need to be relevant to the changing surroundings. “I don’t want my art to be closeted in a shell as the world undergoes transformation. As an entire generation of senior rasikas gives way to a new-age audience, I am constantly thinking of and exploring ways to reach out to them too.
Basically, you have to be aware of life, of happenings, of issues and problems. Artistes have to connect with reality to invest emotion into their performance.”
There is speed, stillness, essence of the classical, uninhibited modernism, prose, poetry, music, minimalism, drama… “I view the world through dance that has to make space for everything that influences and inspires me,” says Aditi.
