Kuchipudi exponent Yamini Reddy feels that the classical dance tradition is like a flowing river. With changing times, old water will be replaced by the new but the river will flow steadily only if it remains within the banks
The Indian continent is blessed with a dance tradition like no other. It has been passed down to us from gods themselves. It is said that at the behest of the gods who wanted an object of diversion, lord Brahma (the creator) created a fifth veda which could at once be heard and seen. Thus Brahma took elements from his own creations, the earlier four vedas — recitation or words from Rigveda, music and song from Samaveda, abhinaya from Yajurveda and rasa, that is emotion and sentiment, from Atharvaveda and created the fifth veda called the Natyaveda. This veda could be enjoyed by everyone, irrespective of caste and creed. Brahma passed this onto the sage Bharata and asked him to use it along with assistance of his hundred sons. After Bharatamuni was designated as the custodian of dance, his sons took dance to various regions of the country. Due to provincial characteristics, dance developed its own style in the various regions.
India boasts of eight classical dance styles — Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kshatriya, Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam and Kathakali. These are based on Natyashastra, which is a near science researched over centuries and passed onto us for continuity and safe keeping. As we stand in the 21st century I cannot help but ask myself how relevant is this tradition of classical dance today. Is our modernity ruining its purityIJ Can we really stop a change from happeningIJ
Classical by definition means ‘representing an exemplary standard within a traditional and long-established form or style.’ As classical dancers we strive to maintain this exemplary standard while passing it down to generations. Gurus as custodians of the dance forms, strive for perfection while training the students. Not just teaching them the technique but also guiding them to understand the essence of dance and importance of safeguarding its purity because keeping up standards is imperative otherwise every dance style will begin to lose its form and identity.
During our education as classical dancers, we rigorously trained in the basic fundamentals for several years. The idea is to train long and hard so that the entire technique is imbibed in our body such that, when we actually perform professionally we do not have to concentrate on the technique, instead we can focus on delivering the greater essence of the subject we are performing on. We become a tool for the Supreme Being to convey his message. learning dance similar to learning a language. We begin with learning the alphabets, words, punctuations, conjunctions et al, so that we can eventually learn to tell stories. We master the language so that we can play with words and put our ideas across aesthetically.
The traditional dance repertoire that we perform are much like classics novels such as Great Expectations or War and Peace. Their relevance and important can never be questioned. They are the pillars on which modern interpretations are built. They are timeless. There may be several interpretation of Great Expectations but anyone who as read the original will swear by it.
And like all languages, India’s classical dance tradition, too, has undergone a change. Decade by decade new words and idioms have been added. This is because dance has always been an integral part of society. It is very difficult to separate dance from human values and as we undergo changes in our lives, changes in classical dance are inevitable. Modern technology has revolutionised our existence. In this age of internet borders are fast disappearing. Exchange of information has thrown open our lives and minds to so many ideas and possibilities. Even dancers have begun to think differently. Their exposure and knowledge, makes them interpret traditional subjects with a new perception. They visualise differently and use modern technology to their advantage. Dancers are no longer shy to put their work out nor are they short of platforms to promote it. You will find the Mahabharata and Ramayana interpreted in a modern way, Cinderella being performed in Bharatanatyam or Flamenco being fused with Kathak. Sanskrit being replaced by English and silk being replaced with polyester. While on one hand modern technology helps us evolve presentations, on the other it stunts the way we experience live performances.
I miss the days, when we revered our Gurus, when we took time to study and understand the depth of our subjects, when we were not so eager for public appearances and when we had time to grasp intricate details and subtle nuances. While modernity by itself is neither good nor bad, it depends on our use of it. So it is wise to use it mindfully, just enough to augment the existing knowledge without destroying its authenticity.
We will always be stuck in this conundrum of ‘purity versus interpretation.’ There will always be struggle between the purists and the free thinkers but the truth is they are both necessary and inevitable. The classical dance tradition of India is like the flowing river. Old water will go out and new water will come but the river will flow steady only if it remains within the banks.