Rama Vaidyanathan and Ajith Bhaskaran Dass tell Shrabasti Mallik about their first collaboration Brahmakalpa that explains the process of creation of the world through Bharatanatyam
It is a collaboration not many dancers would venture into. But Bharatanatyam exponent Rama Vaidyanatyhan thought otherwise. For her, it is only when a dancer comes out of his or her comfort zone that masterpieces are made. To prove that fact she has collaborated with Malaysian dancer Ajith Bhaskaran Dass to choreograph Brahmakalpa: The Eternal Universe. “We dancers tend to live and practice in our own pockets, no one wants to try something new and exciting,” she pointed out.
The collaboration was difficult and challenging but according to Rama the experience was worth everything and she “enjoyed every bit of it.” The entire concept of the choreography was abstract and dealt with the creation of the world and the thread that connects time, earth and space. Rama explained, “It is a production which largely speaks about the big bang theory — of how and when the earth was created, the relationship that man shares with time and about time’s connection with earth.” All the scientific theory that is available to us, she said, is backed up by Indian spiritual scriptures. “It is my attempt to bring the two theories together through dance,” she added. The performance questioned and seeked answer to experiences of time and what it meant to us and to someone else from another culture.
The dance recital featured six excellent dancers from India and Malaysia and six musicians. Sanskrit and Tamil verses have been taken from traditional texts such as the Vedas and Sangam era poetry to explore the mystery among all the elements. “It was a gigantic and an extremely difficult task to bring together my students and Ajith’s students on one stage. Yes, the dance form might be the same but styles are different, so training two different groups of students was undoubtedly tricky. But I believe it is one experience which none of the students will forget,” she said.
A Malaysian of Indian origin, Ajith, who had collaborated with Rama, said Brahmakalpa was his first collaboration with the danseuse. He had known her prior to the project but when she pitched the idea of choreographing a show together, he was more than happy to come aboard. “I have admired her work for a long time and it is an honour to collaborate with her,” he said. According to him, the concept that they shared was the same yet there were differences in the flexibility of dancers from his dance school Suvarna. “The call of the hour was to find a common ground for all the dancers and that took a bit of our time. But every bit of pain bore fruit as we were able to reach that feeling of cohesiveness,” Ajith informed. The collaboration had tried to bring forth the value of Bharatanatyama in modern times.
Brahmakalpa, which was performed earlier in the city, had already won accolades when it premiered in Kuala lumpur and later when it was performed in Singapore. “Indian classical dance has been accepted and appreciated in foreign countries. But the way this choreography was received was surprising to me. The experience was enriching,” Rama summed up.