The catwalk routine gives way to elegant dance moves, myriad facial expressions take over those steely stares and instead of a young, whippet-thin showstopper, the 67-year-old maestro of contemporary dance, Astad Deboo, twirls on the ramp in a voluminous outfit.
A keen collaborator, Deboo’s appearance at the Lakme Fashion Week recently was just another dimension of his non-restrictive approach to arts. Over the years, artistes like him have not only been redefining their creative palette, but exploring every facet of dance with a fresh outlook. “And costume, cut and colour are an integral part of such experimental exercises,” says Anita Ratnam, who’s always striven to rise above the routine.
That the creations of Karishma and Monica (of the renowned label Jade) were inspired by the temples of Hoysala further excited Deboo to join the style parade. “There was as much imagination and a fine interplay of needle and thread in the ornately crafted pieces as there was in the choreographed dance movements,” says Deboo on telephone from Imphal where he is working on his next project with Manipuri dance guru Seityaban.
This was however not Deboo’s debut tryst with the world of seams as he has walked the ramp earlier at Tokyo and Bangkok and even in India. “It’s a very different experience to dance and walk at the same time. Besides, it’s also made me realise the detailed planning and hard work behind the mayhem in the green room where models take on varied looks within a few seconds,” explains the dancer.
Anita, whose dance productions stand out for the way the costumes are designed to bring out the mood and structure of the theme, has often transformed into a showstopper at fashion events. “The focus should be on the garment and not the person, which doesn’t happen when designers rope in film stars,” she says.
In a visually stimulated world, most dancers are learning how to enliven the performance space. “Stage setting matters as much as the art. And stage setting is not just about lighting and audio; it encompasses the right use of colours and clothes too. I sit with the designers for hours explaining to them every movement and scene. The synchrony between various elements of a production is what enhances the appeal.”
And interacting with fashion designers, she points out, is like collaborating with cross-genre artists. “You need to understand their vocabulary of fabric, cut, stitch and use of multiple craft traditions.”
But the most rewarding aspect of fashion today, says Anita, is seeing many of the couture-creators reviving our craft heritage and looking beyond glamour to make style a way of life.
