Their appeal knows no borders. The world is their stage, not just a platform to perform but a space to explore their art and connect with audiences. Chitra Swaminathan speaks to Carnatic musicians and Bharatanatyam artistes about the alternative performance spaces that mark their creative journey.
T. M. KRISHNA: Smaller spaces and softer lighting calm the mind and add to the performance. My concert in a castle in Leut, a village on the Holland-Belgium border, was unforgettable. The sheer beauty in its simplicity stirred my soul. At an ancient monastery in Prades in the South of France, the stone structure with its high ceiling took me back in time. It was an interactive concert between Carnatic and Western classical musicians. There were about 600 people and no mikes. But every single note was audible to the large gathering. Another concert close to my heart is one I performed at a temple on the banks of the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. There were diyas all around and tranquillity. The cutcheris at the Navaratri Mandapam conducted by the royal family of Travancore are also experiences to cherish. The evening performances next to the sanctum sanctorum are magnificent. But the most intimate space for me is the Himalayas. During a recent trek, I sang for over an hour with the cliffs and peaks for an audience.
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ANITA RATNAM: It’s a gift for performing artistes to travel across the world and inhabit many magical alternate performance spaces. For me, an unusual space was the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts in the U.S. It was an open air courtyard with an all-white cocoon-like ambience. On a sunny afternoon, I narrated stories about elephants, peacocks and snakes through Dance Katha. The audience was within touching distance and the energy was palpable. Another special moment was in Chidambaram in front of the Vishnu Govindarajan image. I was returning to dance after 14 years of living in the U.S. and I felt the twin streams of grace from Vishnu and Nataraja flow into me. And how can I forget the quietude, vast roofs and historical walls of the caves of Cappadocia in Turkey during the Solo Arts Festival.
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