Classical danseuse Malavika Sarukkai spoke about her latest production, current status of classical dance and government’s role in boosting it. By Kritika Dua
Malavika Sarukkai has left an indelible mark through classical dance in India and overseas. In her latest production she explores the design and play of thread with her distinctive style, making the celebrated garment saree a metaphor for life.
A Padma Shri awardee for Bharatanatyam, she will be presenting Thari: The loom, conceived and choreographed by her on October 13 at the Kamani Auditorium. The production will also travel to Mumbai and Chennai.
Talking about her foray into Bharatanatyam, Sarukkai said, “My mother Saroja Kamakshi was passionate about classical dance. Right from the beginning, she wanted me to be a dancer as she believed life was meant to be lived creatively. She was instrumental in me staying on this long and rewarding journey.”
Thari: The loom, her latest group production is an innovative dance choreography inspired by the saree – the traditional hand woven “unstitched garment.” Talking about the concept, “The creative collaborator with whom I had many discussions about this production is the highly regarded filmmaker, Sumantra Ghosal. Inspired by the loom and the metaphor it contained, I spent several months internalising the concept to discover its hidden wisdom. With time I saw the warp and weft assthiti and gati – principles which reflect the constant and variable.”
Sarukkai said that the theme happened by chance. “It was while reading an article on the Kanjeevaram saree which described the saree in detail and the artistry involved. It touched a chord in me and I saw a concept come to light. It was most exciting. like finding a hidden secret!”
Revealing the highlights of her performance, she said, “It’s been exhilarating to raise the bar overall with this production be it in the quality of choreography and dancing, music design and recording, light design and costumes. Making an abstract concept of the loom which comes alive to resonate with the audience has been a triumph. I believe it is a path-breaking production using the language of Bharatanatyam.”
The production extends the language of classical dance and is a confluence of traditional practice informed by contemporary sensibilities. She said that the endeavor in creating Thari - The loom is to bring to audiences an enduring experience of the richness, versatility and profound beauty in the traditional practices of dance and weaving.
On incorporating handloom in her performance, she said, “I believe concepts are best reflected through metaphor and not by the literal presentation. It explores the fundamental concepts that are shared between the two seemingly different but essentially connected disciplines of dance and weaving: space, structure, motif, symmetry, proportion, relationship and alignment. Interestingly, both disciplines work through coordination, rhythm, measurement and design.”
There are no shortcuts to excellence, Sarukkai gave over two years of her life to this performance. She said, “To evolve an idea into a full grown concept takes time, effort, creativity, and passion. There are many stages from concept to choreography – music concept, design, and commissioning of music, music recording, and mastering, creating choreography with new movement vocabulary, rehearsing with the dancers, working through details with the costume designer. It is endless! There are no shortcuts to excellence. We have to give our best.”
Classical dance to her is the spirit that infuses in her inspiration, wonderment, and compassion. She emphasised, “It is that which gives meaning to my life. When I touch the inner core of dance, I touch the deepest part of myself.”
Talking about the current status of classical dance in India, she said, “Presently, classical dance is at a crisis point. The entertainment industry is big and artists have to ask themselves if classical dance is a form of entertainment or if its purpose in the present context could be different. Often, with the need to please the audience, classical dance is dumbed down to further its reach.
“I believe classical dance as classical music are meant to create resonance. A resonance, which takes us deeper into our selves making us more aware as human beings and to the spirit of beauty in our lives. Classical dance is an intangible heritage we cannot afford to lose,” she added.
Sarukkai asks her students to choose the ‘scenic route’ in art which means exploring new possibilities. “Normally the arterial routes through a city are the shorter congested routes, unimaginative, cramping, crowded, noisy and polluted which get you from point A to point B. They are functional. Dance can be learnt like this as well.”
She added, “I believe classical dance offers dancers who wish to discover dance and themselves another choice. The scenic route as I see it is through the mountains with possibilities of new vistas at every turn. Here landscapes change and the air is crisp and clean. On this journey, the dancer hears sound and silence and feels one with the immensity of nature. Going down the scenic route requires dedicated time, passion, and faith, to keep the course.”
According to her, the role government plays in supporting classical dance, she said, “The government has different schemes from the Ministry of Culture. As these are put online I think there is a greater transparency of what is available and this is a positive step. However, most often in their schemes excellence is not prioritised as the defining standard but instead, an ad hoc representation of artists are followed. This encourages mediocrity at all levels be it at the level of dancers sent abroad to represent India, dancers who avail of grants. Professionals are seen alongside semi-professionals, amateurs, dancers who wrangle programs through clout, connections and money and not because of their talent. This is hugely demoralising for the next generation of dancers. If we want classical dance to flourish in the true sense of the word, the government needs to come forward to support over an extended period of time serious artists who are dedicated to the art form.”
Attitudes, aspirations, expectations change over time. It’s normal in any field. However, if one wants to excel one needs passion, commitment with an attention to detail, no matter which generation. Talking about the differences she observed in new generation students and those of earlier times, she said, “The earlier generation had fewer distractions with an environment more conducive to staying committed. This present generation of students need to consciously set aside distractions and peer pressure if they want to excel.”
Her advice to aspiring dancers was to “stay the course towards finding excellence in dance is a high.
Be with it.”