There is always palpable anticipation before the curtains go up for a performance. The tuning of the instruments, the smell of fresh flowers and the sound of salangai (anklets) mingle with the hushed chatter of the waiting audience.
Once the curtains go up, the first thing that strikes you is the costume of the performer, especially the colours, the styling and and how strikingly beautiful it makes the dancer or singer look. In other words, the costume lays the first claim on our senses before the actual performance.
Yes, aaharya is such an important part of today’s performance ethos, especially in the dance world where colour, texture and fabric play an important role in enhancing the entire experience. Priyadarsini Govind goes for specially designed costumes just as Anita Ratnam who likes to experiment. Malavika Sarukkai sports sedate colours while Alarmel Valli’s preference is invariably traditional.
The choice of colours and the style of the costume (whether a pyjama costume or a sari one) is part of the chemistry the dancer shares with the dance. Many follow time-tested styles and combinations such as yellow and purple, green and red or a pink and purple. Then there are those who try to innovate with long-forgotten styles.
In Bharatanatyam particularly, the opportunity to use rich hues and fabrics is aplenty, for both male and female dancers. Sandhya Raman, a National School of Design student, who has been dressing up top artists for close to 23 years, says, “Today there is greater awareness about the importance of costume and the need to bring a sense of style to the stage. Dancers give it much more thought than ever before.” She believes dancers are not an amorphous lot. “They have emerged as individuals, many with a great fan following. Therefore, what they wear and how they wear it becomes a style statement. Artists such as Anita Ratnam understand and know exactly what they want.”
Says Anita, “Aaharya is an important aspect for my creative process. Each work of mine converges with all the elements into one world -- and dance being such a visual world, costume plays a big role in conveying what the work is about. While I completely believe in the aesthetics of it, I also have to be comfortable. These are aspects someone like Sandhya works very well with.”
According to Anita, the designer needs to keep in mind the type of body and the way an artist moves. “The more flowing style suits me. She first makes an inexpensive piece for the fitting and then all the tweaks are done to ensure that the final is made for the actual performance.” Anita also works with Rex, a long-time designer friend based in Canada, who, she feels, has a tremendous sense of style. “Rex is my touch stone and someone who can drive a production with his able inputs.” For her work on Tagore, Anita worked with Paromita Banerjee (National School of Design) to get the right look and ambience for the world of the poet.
As the present director of Kalakshetra, Priyadarsini Govind has the responsibility of maintaining the legacy created by Rukmini Devi Arundale, especially her sense of style and beauty. One could say that Rukmini was one of the earliest to introduce what constitutes the costume - different from what the devadasi dancers wore. The way she implemented the colour scheme and designs still inspires dancers across the globe. “We don’t intend to change anything,” says Priyadarsini. “All we are doing is documenting the costume, the productions and trying to retain the originality as closely as possible.”
For Priyadarsini personally, costume is of supreme importance. “I prefer to work with someone who has an eye for colour and design and is well equipped to visualise what suits me. That’s why I work with Lakshmi Srinath, the Chennai-based designer who goes for the kind of colours and fabrics I like — Kanchipuram silk.”
Bharatanatyam’s tryst with the Kanchipuram sari is rich and visually appealing. Demonstrating this recently was Krithika Subrahmaniam, who in her production, ‘Antaram’, wore a stunning blue/green and gold costume to represent Andal, complete with a gorgeous neckpiece and Andal kondai. Shobhana too, with her experience in cinema, pays great attention to costume. She designs and chooses the fabrics herself. Lakshmi Srinath says, “I don’t like to veer away from the conventional format, when it comes to designing. I like to use different textures and fabrics but essentially stick to what is the norm.” Since childhood, she’s been interested in colours and putting things together. “It was Kalakshetra that brought about the innovation,” she says.
Lakshmi tends to go for traditional hues and emphasises on the dancer’s comfort. “Now there is a marked change in the way people think,” she feels. She started designing costume in 2004 and has worked for productions such as ‘Silapadikkaram,’ ‘Ekantha Seetha’ and the recent ‘Meghadootam.’ Do her designs include accessories? “I do suggest jewellery, but sometimes dancers have their own which they prefer to wear.”
According to Sandhya Raman, earlier there was resistance to changing the way fabric was used. “I work on giving each dancer a certain look, to go with their personality.” Sandhya dresses Malavika Sarukkai, Namrata Panini and Leela Samson, among others.She works well with traditional fabrics like silk, especially for a Margam or an Andal themed show. However, it is with Anita that she experiments with new fabrics. “Her dance is Neo Bharatam and can take different styles and textures. I must say I love using orange, shades of beige, soft drapes, Benares brocades and loose skirts… pretty and practical.”
Most dancers just go to the evergreen Aiyyelu or Ranjana Tailor (whose tag line says Our Speciality Is Dance Costumes), who make costume after costume, year after year. D. Alex, a third generation costume maker, says, “I make a minimum of three dresses a day. The demand is great.” He too likes working with the Kanchipuram silk sari, but says that many want Apoorva silk or silk cotton, depending on the budget and taste. He has customers from abroad as well. “Organising and finding the right costume is half the battle won,” says Sudharani Raghupathy, who has seen the transition of styles over the past 60 years. “When I started out, costumes used to be cumbersome. The Devadasis wore real flowers, jadai, pinnal and heavy jewellery. One couldn’t really dance with all that. But eventually it became simpler.” She recalls how the pyjama costume used to be tightly fitted. “There were hardly any pleats. The colours used were standard, no experimentation. I used to get my saris dyed, thanks to my association with Kamaladevi Chattopadhya. The colours, however, were gorgeous – yellows, reds, greens, oranges, dark pink -- in silk with real gold zari. Now it is tested zari and costumes don’t last more than four performances.”
Alex says, “The success of a show depends as much on the dance as on the costume,” That just about sums up what Aaharya can do for a recital. Costumes and make-up enrich the art of dancing, help tell a story and add a special dimension to artists in their quest to portray a character and build imagery.
