Classical dance forms merged with modern hip hop and belly steps at a recent do. Utpal K Banerjee reports
How important is the venue for holding the performance in an Indian soireeIJ Apparently not much, judging by the placid minds of the viewers who would take for granted an open meadow for a folk performance or till the other day a dimly-lit temple-precinct for a classical dance. Sure enough, modern stage has provided a spacious convenience to the concerts and orchestras. But, in Thiruvanathapuram, the Padmanabhaswamy temple’s array of surrounding brass lamps for a night-long Kathakali does provide a wonderful ambience, as does these days the magnificent backdrops of temples at the Khajuraho, Konark and Mukteshwar dance festivals in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. The Capital’s own Ananya festivals use Purana Qila as the illumined cyclorama or the luxuriant flora of Nehru Park all around: for the Bhakti Festival.
But nowhere does the venue become integral to the performance. At least not yet, until the moment when on the World Dance Day, the plaza steps of the IHC just sprang alive. Dance forms in all kinds of manifestations suddenly invaded every craig and crevice, spilled over each jutting cornice and rampart, and became all-pervasive in all the feasible six or eight or ten levels of the plaza: with brilliant lighting (under Gautam Bhattacharjee) to illuminate the live audio-visual show: all at once!
No Boundaries, organised by Sadhya with 12 dance bodies, under the overall artistic direction of Santosh Nair, was a brilliant conceptualisation that burst on the Delhi scene. All the dance companies took turn to appear in the limelight at all conceivable levels of the fort-like rampart and make their terpsichorean mark. Under Sanjib Bhattacharya and group, the Manipuri pung players kicked off the show with their customary gyrations, followed by an agile Krishna frolicking with a demure Radha. A dazzling Odissi troupe (under Ranjana Gauhar) came next — dancing at different levels — also depicting a Radha-Krishna rasleela. A classical ballet group, under Danceworx Performing Arts Academy, executed in snowwhite costume their corps du ballet. A contemporary ballet troupe took over: with highly liberated leaps, arabesques and pirouettes. Then came the sword-and-shield-wielding Mayurbhanj Chhau from Sadhya — comprising both male and female warriors — jumping and romping on multiple steps to display their martial skills.
Contemporary dance, under Ursula Dance Company, took over with brisk body movements and aerial gymnastics par excellence. Kathak thereafter — with disciples of Rani Khanam — was a revelation: with sufi cloaks flying in circles upwards and downwards, and slow circularity commingling with Kathak’s own tatkars and chakradhars on many steps and at many levels. Then there was a profusion of the contemporary idioms: with modern hip-hop and fusion (led by Gaurav & Amit) and old-school hip hop under Charlie Frost; Urban Dance under Sandeep Chhabra; and contemporary hip-hop under Ryan Marty. They were all obviously heart-throbs of the mammoth youthful audience; going by the latter’s shrill whistles and cat-calls.
Belly dance by eight females of the Banjara School of Dance under Mehar Malik was in very revealing costumes and appeared as a well-orchestrated piece of erotica. Bharatanatyam, by disciples of Guru Saroja Vidyanathan, was a contrasting piece of disciplined adavus and charis: held in unison. Contemporary dance by Delhi Dance Theatre was another highly popular show. At the end, the coming together of all the dancers — with characteristic motions and movements — was a good way to draw a grand finale.
Santosh Nair was very eloquent in his director’s note, “Our basic thought has been to blur the boundaries between forms and banish their mutual ignorance. By drawing them together — and making them perform together — they have so much to learn from each other. It’s a confidence-building process to which there is no end!”