And then, one fine morning, the U.N. designated a day for the world to dance. April 29. It had no bearing on anyone or anything in India, which has a strong dance culture.
Most asked why the 29th of April? Why not February 29, when Rukmini Devi Arundale was born or February 4 when both living legends Birju Maharaj and Padma Subrahmanyam were born. Or May 11 for Mrinalini Sarabhai or 13 for Bala. Or November 20 for Ram Gopal, the whole world knew of. Or December 8 for Uday Shankar.
So, for many years no one did anything on April 29 in India. How many know of a French man called Jean-Georges Noverre, who was important because he saved ballet in that country!
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This was 20 years ago. Today, like all good ideas that grow over time, the International Day for Dance — loosely called the World Dance Day or WDD — has become a big event. It’s a day when the world officially dances!
Basically, all over India, dancers get another excuse to present themselves. They add a dance relic from the past or a current, useful Union Minister in Delhi. Or the Chief Minister, if in a State. Mercifully this Prime Minister is extremely busy setting the country right, so no time chief guesting sundry shows in Delhi.
Other cities follow. An event in Mumbai. Some in Chennai. Delhi’s best was INSIDE OUTSIDE by NBC. The biggest gathering of 108 dancers takes place in Bangalore at Alliance Francaise and no government is involved. It’s truly a people’s festival. Of late, a maha networked organiser has roped in all local Ministers and other VIPs to mount a three-day jamboree. One International Dance Day has become 3!
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How does one make the day relevant? What’s the basis of content creation for such festivals? Lastly, who is interested? Where is the audience? Max 200!
Most dance shows in India are free. No tickets. This Soviet-model of free public shows is a legacy of the state-sponsored cultural shows from the Sixties. Dance as an art form is most underpaid. Painting sells. Music sells. Craft sells. Dance?
Fixed calendar
Big Dance Festivals are either State-run tourism promos like Khajuraho or Konark or privately sponsored. These have been established for 30-40 years now, so have a fixed calendar and complexion. Add corruption. Unheard of dancers now dance at Khajuraho and Konark. Many established dancers complain why they never get a chance to dance? Ask the fixers in Bhopal, Bhubaneswar or Delhi.
Then there are private festivals organised by do-gooders of society. This sabha or that Society. Basically, it makes these men and women important in their little circles. We have well heard of Sabhapatis of Madras or Seths of Calcutta, who ran the show for decades.
Now, corporate companies wanting social standing, have joined the fray. But budgets are low. Dance gets least monies. One Sufi music festival in New Delhi two months ago cost 45 lakhs; one whole dance season in Bangalore or Chennai doesn’t get 5! Most dancers get nothing by way of fee. They still dance for the love of it. Or outreach. Or social standing. Or survival.
The third category is dancers themselves. Since there are too many now, how to remain visible and relevant? Best is to organise your own show. These are poorly organised or attended. Aunts, uncles, neighbourhood walk-ins, students and parents form and fill the hall. It’s vanity trip at most.
So who creates content? Are there curators? Very few. Anita Ratnam mounted in Madras among the best content festivals some years ago: The Other Festival and much later the dance seminar of Kartik Fine Arts. S. Janaki of late, does so for Narada Gana Sabha.
Of course, the Natya Kala Conference of Krishna Gana Sabha is a brand now. Natya Ballet Centre for contemporary and Sindhu Mishra of SKP for classical, in Delhi. NCPA in Mumbai.
Alliance Francaise’s Dance DISCourse in Bangalore, Kolkatta has Ashimbandhu's Nabadisha. Bhubaneswar has best in Ratikant Mohapatra’s festival. That’s it? Chalo, add Parul Shah in Baroda, Shama Bhate in Pune. Girija Chandran in Trivandrum where the Soorya Krishnamurthy juggernaut is now larger than life. Nishagandhi is the same as Khajuraho, in selection, local gurus complain.
Today, the young generation in off beat towns, Mysore or Aurangabad, Vizag or Baroda are doing more novel content than big city India. Metro India can learn a thing or two from their country cousins. It’s never too late.
The author is a culture policy expert, historian-critic, who edits attenDance.