Art knows no barriers

CULTURAL RENDEZVOUS: The dancers who participated in ‘Shifting Grounds.' On the extreme right are my Gurus Anusha and Narendra Kumar

An article by SAVITHA GAUTAM in THE HINDU that features my Gurus

Artists from three continents came together for ‘Shifting Grounds’, a music-dance creation, performed in Germany.

Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan is bubbling with excitement these days. The reason? His recent success in Germany where he participated in ‘Shifting Grounds,’ a music-dance production put together by the University of Cologne under the leadership of producer Prof. Dr. Hans Neuhoff of the Cologne University.

The shows, held during May in three German cities (Cologne, Düsseldorf and Aachen), were supported by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).

“This is the first time, musicians and dancers from three continents — Asia, Africa and Europe — have pooled their talent to create a production that talks of life, human emotions and the art of communication,” says Krishnan, sitting in his T. Nagar home.

‘Shifting Grounds’ is the culmination of one and a half years of intense discussions and two months of rigorous rehearsals. Eight 90-minute shows were presented with 20 artists from Europe, West Africa (Senegal and Burkina Faso) and India (most of them were in Germany under the DAAD Fellowship programme) showcasing their talent.

The team

The production was conceptualised and produced by Hans, while music was composed by fellow professor and pianist Paulo Alvares and choreographed by Vera Sanders, also from the Cologne University.

The Indian flavour was provided by Krishnan and his violin, Ghatam V. Suresh, and dancers Anusha, Narendra Kumar and Sangeeta Isvaran.

On the genesis of the project, Hans in a telephonic conversation, explains, “The theme has its roots in the RASA theory of the Indian arts. It deals with the basic emotions of Man which can be expressed in many ways and yet, is universal. ‘Shifting Grounds’ is also about trans-cultural communication where non-verbal art forms are effectively employed to convey human emotions.”

Paulo shares similar thoughts. “The key words in this production are ‘contrasting’ and ‘shifting.’ ‘Contrasting’ because in the beginning, everything is so different — the styles, the traditions and even the language of expression. But finally, there is only one thought, one emotion. ‘Shifting’ because the styles literally move from one to the next in a smooth, harmonious manner.”

The stage for ‘Shifting Grounds’ was shared by two pianos, a violin and various percussion instruments.

The music was an eclectic mix of Western classical notes, Carnatic ragas and African rhythms. Says Paulo, “Believe me, we did not have a score at all! The music was in my mind. I allowed each musician the freedom to explore within a framework. That’s how the music evolved.” Paul, not familiar with Indian music till then, discovered “new sounds, rich cultures and different ways of thinking musically.”

The ragas represented

Talking about his musical contribution, Krishnan says, “I played snatches of such grand ragas as Varali, Vachaspati (‘Hans specifically requested it’), Revagupti and Kalyanavasantham. The Vachaspati raga alapana was the longest at 10 minutes! The raga suited the mood of the dance movements which express peace and calm.”

Hans, who studied under Lalgudi Jayaraman years ago, says, “Krishnan’s piece was the only sustained melodic sound in the whole production. his playing has won him many fans.”

For both Krishnan and Suresh, the German sojourn was a fun-filled learning experience.

Recalls Krishnan, “On the first day of the rehearsal, I did not know anybody except fellow Indians. Also, most of the others did not know English. But once I picked up my violin and played, the differences simply faded. Clichéd it may be, but music truly transcends barriers.”

Suresh adds, “There were some instruments which I had never seen before. Similarly, the African drummers were curious about the ghatam and the thavil. During the two months we were there, we were like one big family.

“In fact, Krishnan and I had to share an apartment with Fatou Cisse, a singer from Senegal. We had a fabulous time, trying out new recipes and learning French words. And yes, we taught her Tamil words.”

Talking about her role, Vera Sander says, “I spent two weeks in India trying to understand the various classical dance forms. I learnt about the mathematical precision, rhythm patterns and phrasing of Indian dances as also the strong link between dance and music.”

Her challenge was to create something which linked diverse styles without losing the distinct identity of each. “It was quite a challenge because we had to move away from the individual and find a common ground. In the end, what mattered was how effectively the movements conveyed the emotions…”

Will ‘Shifting Grounds’ find an Indian audience? Hans rues, “It is an expensive proposition. I do hope to take it to other parts of the globe.” But how? That remains to be seen.

(This article appeared in the Friday Review of The Hindu dated June 19, 2009)

About Bharata Natyam

Bharata Natyam is one of India’s oldest and gracious dance forms.

Bharatha Natyam is one of the seven classical dance forms of India,chiefly associated with the South of India ie Tamil Nadu.The name of sage Bharatha or form its origin in the Bharatha Desha.Bharatha Natyam is also iterpreted as Bhaaram Tharayithi Bharatham -the true dispeller of grief and anguish.Baratha Natyam is also that which encompasses Bhaavam (emotional content),Raga (melody) and Thaalam(rhythm).

For long this dance was also referred to as Sadir or Dasiattam, drawing from an ancient tradition of girls who chose to be wedded to God and spend their lifetime in his servitude. Such ladies were called Devadasis (servants of God) or Nitya Sumangalis (one who would remain auspicious and happily wedded forever) . Such dasis performed music and dance dedicated to the temple during all auspicious festivals, also fanned the deity with chamara and held the lamp or the kumbharthi in sacred processions. They initially held esteemed place in society and were well cared for by the temple and the local ruler.

The literary content of Bharata Natyam was initially inspired by the devoted outpourings of Nayanmars (Shaivaite saints) and Alwars (Vaishnavaite saints), whose influence grew around the tenth century.

The saint poets of later medieval period and early modern period of Indian history, further enhanced the literary content of Bharata Natyam repertorie.

The earliest task of redefining and formalising the repertorie of Dasiattam was carried by four brothers from Tanjore, popularly referred to as the Tanjore quartet (Chinnaiyah, Ponnaiyah, Vadivelu and Sivanandan), to whom we owe the modern day repertorie.

Due to the circumstantial deterioration of the Devadasi system around the beginning of the twentieth century, this practice was banned by a Government Legislation. It was at this time that in 1931, the Madras Music Academy took up the losing cause of this tradition along with Shri E. Krishnaiyer. The first momentous stem was the rechristening of Sadirattam as Bharata Natyam, to present the art in new light.

Enlightened members of society such as Shri E. Krishnaiyer and Smt. Rukmani Devi took to reforming the status of the dance form by introducing further stylization and logical technique in its practice.

Smt Rukmani Devi’s sojourn in this dance formblossomed only in her thirties making her the first Brahmin woman to pursue dance in the latter twentieth century. She was instrumental in later forming the Mecca of Bharata Natyam in Madras - Kalakshetra. She was also one whose aesthetics greatly enhanced the costume and overall representation as dance as we see it today.

This particular dance form was more earth based as seen from its very grounded strong movements from the Ayatha Mandala or the demi plea - araimandi position. The repetorie of a performance is known to consist of Alarippu (drawing from the Telugu phrase of Alarimppu, meaning adorned with flowers), which is the first step of the dancer into blossomig into a full-fledged artiste.

The next item is the Jathiswaram, where pure dance sequences or jathis are strung together to a garland of Swaras, forming simple but interesting rythmic and physical patterns.

The Shabdam introduces the aspect of emotional content onto the hitherto and where danceuse, in small amounts along with the regular Nritta or pure sequences. This intermingling of pure dance and drama (Natya) is called Nritya.

The dancer’s test of stamina and understanding of physical media and its literary content is the Varnam (originally called Vannam or colour). The longest item of the repetorie, the Varnam, adequately exploits the dancers’ experience in the art with its extensive dramatic sequences and challenging sequences and challenging complex rhythmic footwork.

Next follow Padams (derived from the term Padagalu, meaning precious gems). The Padams allow the artiste to explore great depths of emotion surging forth as Bhakti or devotion and Sringaara or love for the God.

Following the Padams, we ocassionaly encounter lighter items like Javalis or intense Ashtapadis that are more inclined to Sringara or the sentiment of love and that which explore in detail the multifacets of fleeting emotions that result from the main feeling of love.

Thus these items are replete with Sancharis, which are extrapolations or extensions of a central idea, seen by way of a multitude of stories, either mythical or puranic.

The repetorie then concludes with a Thillana (derived from Tiralaanadu or that which is fast), that comprises Nritta sequences again, complex footwork and the pure joy of dance.