Steps to excellence and success

Rama Vaidyanathan talks about Bharatanatyam and dancers.

January 14, 2016 12:58 pm | Updated September 23, 2016 12:28 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Bharatanatyam recital by Rama Vaidyanathan at the '60th Art & Dance Festival' organised by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha during the Margazhi season in Chennai. Photo: Hareesh N. Nampoothiri

Bharatanatyam recital by Rama Vaidyanathan at the '60th Art & Dance Festival' organised by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha during the Margazhi season in Chennai. Photo: Hareesh N. Nampoothiri

M argazhi is the time when Chennai is buzzing with classical dancers and musicians. However, the devastating flood in Chennai made many artistes ask themselves whether it would be right to perform at a time like this. Some chose to stay away from the stage while others decided to stick to the planned schedule even while helping in relief work in different ways. Rama Vaidyanathan belongs to the latter. In an interview, the accomplished dancer talks about her choices as a dancer and teacher. Edited excerpts.

What made you decide in favour of sticking to the schedule of programmes?

Dancers often complain that dance is treated lightly by others. I see this as an opportunity to uphold the sanctity of what I do. This is the time for the dancers to show that even in situations like this we can perform and we can connect. If it’s about the appropriateness, then I must point out that organisers must have given it a great deal of thought before deciding to continue with the programme. I felt that going to Chennai to dance and also doing something towards the relief and rehabilitation was the apt thing to do.

Last year, you had performed ‘Brahmakalpa’. What’s in store for this year?

I have chosen two vintage traditional items – ‘Sringaralahari’ in Neelambari and Khamas varnam by Ponniah Pillai of Tanjore quartet. And in complete contrast, I’ve included a thumri, a Hindi composition set to Hindustani music. An abhang by the saint poet Janabai is the concluding piece. ‘Jeevadasavastha’ is another project that has just been completed and presented at Natyakala Conference, an interesting project showcasing the 10 stages of life.

You seem to be comfortable with both traditional and contemporary themes. Is there a difference in your approach?

I perform contemporary themes in the traditional medium, and not contemporary dance. Coming to the approach, it’s more about how I ‘interpret’ the compositions. When I do a padam, varnam, keerthanam or thillana – it’s all set compositions. But when I work on contemporary themes, like in the case of ‘Brahmakalpa’, the flow of the composition helps in finding its own course. I don’t preconceive or straitjacket my recital into a traditional concert format. I let it to create its own space, musically and composition-wise.

Traditionally, Bharatanatyam is tuned to Carnatic music. But there are several experiments based on varied styles of music, including Western instruments in percussion. What is your opinion?

These experiments are extremely good for the evolution of the dance form. There cannot be any tradition that is static, there has to be transition in tradition.

If the dancers are pushing boundaries and if they are using new inputs – like new music or poetry or new lighting or in whatever ways – it is to take the dance to a different path. And the minute you take it to a different path, you get that much more audience for the dance. It’s important to get a new audience by exploring new paths, as it all goes towards the same direction.

‘Chithravalli’, your own production, is set to Hindustani style of music. Why did you make that choice?

In ‘Chithravalli’, I was working with miniature paintings, which were done in North India under the patronage of North Indian kings. Costumes, settings… are all North Indian and to match that flavour, I used Hindustani music.

Bharatanatyam is arguably the most popular classical dance form in the country. It certainly benefits the dancers, but as an art form in what way has that popularity helped the dance?

Surely the dance form has hugely benefited because of that status. The minute you push boundaries, the vocabulary of the dance form increases. It’s like learning new languages, enabling us to communicate with more people.

But it is also important for the dancers to remember that they should go in for experimentations only after they master the dance form. And then, whatever they do, they have to make sure that the art form is showcased in a good light and that they are not ridiculing it. It’s about making everybody say “Wow, you could do this in Bharatanatyam!”

Does teaching help a performer to evolve or is it the other way around?

Teaching helps one become a better performer. First, you need to practice what you preach. It is very important for performing teachers to use their own yardsticks of teaching for improving their dance. If you are a good performer it will help you in getting many students but may not necessarily help you to teach those students well. For that, you have to enjoy teaching.

Students get an advantage when they are trained by a teacher who is also a noted performer…

Definitely. I teach my students to dance, and also how to maintain the right posture, keep up their stamina… As a female dancer I can better understand the female body and there are so many things that I could share with them.

Speaking of dance teachers, it is not rare to find teachers referring to themselves as ‘gurus’ and there are gurus even in their twenties. What’s your take on that?

You should use the word ‘guru’ only when you are capable of discharging the responsibilities of being a guru. Being a guru is not just about teaching the dance, but also about inspiring the student in a holistic way, not only as a dancer but also as a person. Just like in the case of any other profession, a dancer too has responsibilities.

A guru nourishes and hones the skills of his/her students to understand these responsibilities. All those under-30 teachers are just teaching what they have learned.

They might be teaching very well, but the evolution into a ‘guru’ would come much later.

The dance arena has also become a commercial space, lot of money is spent to build a career…

A lot of money, effort and time is spent in performances rather than actual knowledge, tutelage and learning.

Is it because of necessity?

Many young dancers don’t have patience. If you have to go up to the top floor, you have to take the steps, one by one. You cannot jump on to the fifth step immediately; you might reach there but you might stumble and fall down. Going up step by step with a lot of patience, determination and hard work is important. You have to be confident that you will make it to the top by taking each step at a time. People who are jumping the gun just don’t have that confidence in them.

How do you feel Bharatanatyam is going to evolve, say 10 years from now?

I see Bharatanatyam has a strong future. It doesn’t mean that it is not shining right now. I’ve seen so many educated, intelligent youngsters from all walks of life taking up dance as a career. There are many more dancers now than in the previous generation. It makes me confidently say that Bharatanatyam has a bright future.

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