Samudranatanam has minimum movement but there is a complete connect with the body. Choreographer Vakkom Sajeev explains his tribute to lord Shiva. By I Kaur
The chants of Om Namah Shivaya overtook the packed auditorium at Kamani. It continued till the stillness on stage transformed into a yagya which was followed by a pranam. As the chanting reached its crescendo, came the Shiva lingam on stage and the Cosmic Dance of Siva began. Recently presented in the Capital by the Neemrana Music Foundation and Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, this act of Samudranatanam was choreographed by Madhu Gopinath and Vakkom Sajeev of Samudra Centre for Indian Contemporary Performing Arts. The duo has choreographed four major productions till date and performed them all over the world. The uniqueness about them is not their act but their style. According to Sajeev, their aim is to create a new dimension in creative dance theatre. He said, “Whatever we have learnt from our traditional gurus we have to give to the younger generations. We wanted to create something new. Thus, we invented a new dance form called Samudranatanam. We formed a new vocabulary and language of dance. While dancing we follow the story via hand gestures. We use body as a language. In our dance there is minimum movement and a complete connect with our bodies. Our style has traces of Bharatnatyam merged with Samudra, thus, Samudranatanam.”
The Cosmic Dance of Siva doesn’t bind the characterisation of lord Shiva by a set system. “People show Shiva in different ways through Bharatnatyam, Odissi or Kathak, but they all follow a set method or system. We showed Shiva like a freelancer. We reflected how he dances in his different bhavas, but in his own body which is free to move. We created Shiva from our own bodies, experience and lifestyle,” elaborated Sajeev.
The act showed the seven bhavas (emotions) of Shiva including the romantic bhava. Sajeev explained, “After that we moved onto Shiva’s tandava followed by another tandava that showed all the nine bhavas of Shiva. That is why in every tandava the look and mood was different.”
The act concluded with the cosmic dance of Shiva. “There were no dialogues, narration or lyrics in the act because we wanted to communicate the life of Shiva through body language. We didn’t use any godlike costumes in the show too,” Sajeev shared.
He described the entire show as one that was “high on energy, vibrant, flexible and artistic”. The stage has only one prop — Shiva’s hair. “We danced in front of the hair. So it was a symbol and added to the visual. It created the energy on the stage,” he informed.
Since Sajeev and Madhu have performed this act at various festivals across the globe, they now intend to work on their next performance. “We are discussing two productions, of which one is about colours,” Sajeev signed off.