Danseuse Rukmini Chatterjee brought together Bharatanatyam, Opera and Tango to spread the message of universality. She tells Shrabasti Mallik that she does not believe in fusion but in presenting common elements of dance forms
Fusion of classic and contemporary is nothing new. But what makes this fusion interesting is the way it is presented. Danseuse Rukmini Chatterjee worked hard to ensure that her choreography doesn’t look like any other fusion piece. She merged Bharatanatyam, Opera and Tango in an appealing way to express the harmony among the three dance forms. She performed at the festival Connections and her choreography was titled Heaven and Earth.
Dialogue was the predominant motif of the performance — dialogue on stage between cultures and a dialogue with the audiences. Dancers from the opera of Paris came together with Tango dancers and musicians from Argentina. Together they brought forth a common theme of desire and passion to celebrate the universality of emotions. “It was a quest to understand life and human nature. Exploring the notion of desire and passion was also an essential aspect of the performance. It mixed elements from completely different cultures, times, mental and spiritual landscapes to create a powerful dimension which mirror our times” said Rukmini.
This pluralism was reflected in the choice of musicians as well — an Indian percussionist, French cello and violinists, an accordion player and an acoustician added an electronic and contemporary sound to the whole piece.
The vibratory modes of electronic music, together with the rhythms of Bharatanatyam and the sensuality of Tango created a certain dimension which went beyond each of these traditions and styles. “Each art form and style was profoundly rooted in its own tradition, it’s in the meeting of these art forms that the subtle transformations took place,” she said.
Although she had brought together three distinct dance forms, she refused to call the choreography a fusion. “I believe in meetings,” she said adding that one needs to be very well anchored in one’s own identity to be able to really open up to other influences. Each art form, culture, philosophy retains its original form and thought process in her choreographies. She added, “It’s in the meeting with the other art form or culture that the opening or the transformation takes place. For me it is not about creating a new language of performance it’s more about bringing forth the essence of universality of traditions. If in the process a new form emerges, so be it.”
As a child Rukmini was trained in classical Bharatanatyam but after living in Paris for many years she chose not to approach the dance the way she learnt it. She finds more meaning in breaking the classical moves and blending it with other dance forms. Even though she does not replicate the traditional Bharatanatyam postures she has inculcated the essentials of the dance. She said, “Discipline, depth, rigour, the development of a theme in time and space, the quest for the sacred as well as the exploration of the nava rasas are the pillars of my artistic existence.”
She also believes that it is knowledge that gives an artist the liberty to adapt an art form to his or her own time and reality. “Being an artiste living in the West, I have witnessed some great performances, which have completely broken contact with traditions and classicism and have invented styles very different and contemporary in nature and spirit. The real liberty of an artist depends on his or her creativity. Some of these visionaries of the West and East whose work speak deeply to my sensibilities are Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, Amagatsu Ushio/Sankai Juku, Pina Baush, Balanchine and Martha Graham. They have proved time and again that any art form, whether traditional or contemporary, that is able to capture a moment of truth is ‘great art,’” she rounded off.
