Ever seen a can of worms writhing and moving? Or children play in the open? Or, for that matter, trees swaying in the wind or waves washing over wet sand? Everything in the universe that moves? And all these to music that is there, but not obvious?
That’s why there is movement and there is dance. In the explicit and the not-so-explicit. The way things move, including the human body, is driven by an inner rhythm - seemingly meaningless, yet with a structure that defines harmony and an intangible melody.
Much like the way the Lotus bloomed at its own pace at Spaces – the dance not to be described, not to be analysed but to only become part of an experience. ‘Padme’, as the programme was titled, was put together by dancer Anita Ratnam,
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Says Anita, “Padme is the dance mentoring project I initiated over a year ago in an attempt to bring greater rigour to the professional practice of dance.” In that direction, there was a nationwide audition from which seven dancers, trained in Bharatanatyam and Odissi mainly from Bengaluru, were chosen to showcase the path of the Lotus.
To do that, a choreographer (Kalpana Raghuram) based out of India, for reasons of objectivity, was chosen, along with a composer (Peter Lemmens) to work together to create ‘Padme.’ It first premiered in Bengaluru in August 2014 and featured dancers Savior, Keertana, Meenakshi, Sukruti, Meghna, Ashwini and Vandana.
The morning began on a tranquil note, with Anil Srinivasan on the piano and Krishna Kishore on percussion. Trees above laced the sky, a gentle breeze blew and the melody floated - as ‘Float’ was the name given to the first half of the programme to set the tone for the proceedings later. While it is easier to understand the melody, some of which are familiar to a concert goer, movements that determined the 30-minute ‘Padme,’ had to necessarily be something found out for themselves, what it meant to each one of them -- to enjoy, to understand and to go with the flow. Nothing more, nothing less.
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Introducing Kalpana Raghuram, the Dutch Surinam born dancer/ choreographer, Anita said none of the dancers had had any previous experience in any other dance vocabulary. They worked along with her to bring to the production a freedom of movement and a method of using the body to express. There was no conventional music as one understands it and nor were the dancers in traditional costumes (Sandhya Raman). Casual and comfortable, the movements incorporated an amorphous style that included yoga, martial arts, ballet, Bharatanatyam and Odissi. A sonorous beat of drums was the only accompaniment.
Post-performance, at the interaction with the performers, Kalpana said this was not about form, but more body work; one that develops a personal connection with the body and grows with it. “It is important that each of the dancers showed the audience who they really are and not hide behind the form as they would in the classical idiom. Here they are confident to show themselves fully.”
According to the dancers, it was an experimental work “for all of us. We have learnt Bharatanatyam and we emote through our expressions and mudras. But here, we are emoting with our entire body. It is a totally amazing experience.”
There needs to be a certain cerebral vision based on intuition, added Anita, who has been the creator/ mentor of ‘Padme’, commissioned and co-produced for India (Original producers: Korzo Productions, The Netherlands)
Bottom line? Tell a story without laboring over it. “Like how one would walk in public. You don’t have to use abhinaya or at least, the usual kind. One just has to be. If you are happy, you don’t have to show it. One just is.”