Rasaanubhuti 3

Philip…

Originally uploaded by * Ahmad Kavousian *

Rasaanubhuti 2

Hey, you over there

Originally uploaded by * Ahmad Kavousian

Rasanubhuti

Beautiful smile of Diane…

Originally uploaded by * Ahmad Kavousian *

Such warmth of emotion! Note the movement the photographer has caught.

I have to say, this is my favourite. No matter how many times I see it, I come back for more. There is a kind of addictive simplicity!

Rose tinted glasses

When parents enroll their kids in dance classes, it appears to me, they put on a pair of multicoloured spectacles, which they almost never take off. From then on, their vision of the world is tinted. Whether consciously or not, they imagine their child will be one day (in the near future, mind you) a prima donna, beautifully adorned, reigning centre stage – a cynosure of all eyes.

I don’t blame them, my own mother had this vision and as a mother I am sure I may be attacked by this ‘flue’ as well. As an artist however, I do believe that, the pinnacle is not the dressed up moment when one is in an adoring public eye but the very moment one no longer wants it. The joy of dancing is not in the applause or acclaim one is going to get at the end; it is in the very process of dancing.

Click here to read what a well knower teacher of dance who has taught celebrities has to say.

Food mania

As I spend another lazy morning going over the dailies and weeklies I spot two parallel food trends in today’s world.

One, prices are rising and so are concerns rise about the survival of those Below Poverty Line, Marginally above Poverty Line and such. Experts say that after enjoying the economic boom, we are just following the inflationary devil in other countries. The RBI has taken several debatable measures to curb the increase while the Central Government watches the vote banks dwindle with a worried brow. Ofcourse the current nuclear deal circus in the Indian Government, and possibility of before-term elections has the media relegating this issue to the side columns.

Two, juggling for column space with articles on this issue are those on the nutritional deficiency in excessive (i.e over-processed carbohydrates and wrong fats) food intake (read obesity, life-style disorders). This is not just of the fast-food gorging, alcohol guzzling well-to-do. The not-so-well-to-do are also taking in wrong foods by choice.

Alongside statistics of food wastage, we have statistics of the starving in Ethiopia and Somalia. And even more morbidly funny is the declaration of “Oil prices + Food prices = security crisis” by the developed countries!

What a contradiction! though not much of it is an enigma. What do you think?

As I sit down to breakfast, I had better recheck the menu and say a small prayer.

Why should one learn classical dance? part 3

Continuing from my previous post:

The next 5 reasons to learn:

#6 Indian Classical Dance requires intense and perfect body and mind coordination. e.g the variations in footwork -are based on rhythm/beat (Taala) cycles which run into mathematical multiplication & combinations. This develops higher mental abilities and students have been seen to perform well academically (in non-arts subjects) as well, despite having less time on hands than others.

#7 The traditional compositions are to songs written by the Bhakti poets (Tyagaraja, Dikshitar, Jayadeva, Annamacharya ) and later. These poets especially Tyagaraja were Saints for whom music was a spiritual calling and their work reflects their spiritual progress towards Mukti (the final release/salvation). Hence if performed with a sense of awareness about the depth of meaning of the literature (sahitya) and with devotion (bhakti), Indian classical dance is form of worship and a spiritual path in itself (validated in The Vedas themselves).

#8 As with other extra curricular activities, learning and doing well in this field gives the student a sense of individual identity and confidence. Besides owing to the cultural and traditional origin of dance, it also provides a feel of cultural identity (and hence has become so popular among NRIs) and rootedness.

#9 Dance is a form of expression. There is a more or less fixed grammar and vocabulary of expressions in classical dance, but the expressions themselves (abhinaya) can be as vast as the human heart can feel and express. So one can choreograph to any kind of music and any of content. That is why while many dancers after learning the forms break the mould to explore different forms (of movement and expression (e.g. Astad Deboo, Chandralekha, Mallika Sarabhai) , equally many choose to stay more or less within the mould and explore the boundaries (e.g. Birju Maharaj, Yamini Krishnamurthi, Malavika Sarrukai) . The latter find that there is enough to explore in this life and many more to come.

#10 If you dance for yourself, as well as you can (whatever your given constraints), and for no other reason than to make yourself happy – Indian Classical Dance is a way of life and perhaps the best.

Why should one learn classical dance? part 2

So why should one learn Indian classical dance? As a student, teacher, performer and mother, I offer Ten reasons:

#1 It is an excellent form of exercise as it includes yoga based stretching, aerobic and high-endurance movement levels. Besides the basic grammar of movement, in pure dance or nritta, the focus is on developing speed, strength and stamina. So you will burn more calories in half and hour than free-style dancing or most recommended exercise/gym plans.

#2 It offers great benefits in developing the body of a growing child eg. improves posture, strengthens the arch of the foot and fingers and eye & neck muscles.

#3 All the external benefits of exercise such a toned body, glowing skin and healthy hair ( not to mention a pretty way of smiling more often) can also be gained from it.

#4 It offers many therapy benefits to handicapped children e.g. improves body balance and mind-limb coordination. Can be taught to visually and hearing impaired individuals as well.

#5 Indian Classical dance has been described as being at the top of the pyramid of all other art forms. i.e. a student/performer has to learn the Language (Sanskrit or classic regional), song/literature (sahitya) and the music composition (sangeeta) and imbibe the visual ( as evidenced in traditional painting and temple sculpture), spatial (expanding or truncating movements according to stage space) & time (rhythm) elements. The literature and ethos of the dance compositions are based on mythology, customs and traditions still alive in the country. The dancer brings about the grand synthesis of all the arts in his/her self and thus the performance. This means that a student of dance is a well rounded student of the arts.

If you have got this far then my next post will give you the next 5 reasons. Go for it!

Why should one learn classical dance? part 1

After my previous post on what it takes to succeed in a classical dance career, it seems to me I have put the cart before the horse. Why should one learn it in the first place?

Unless one was smitten in childhood or even later owing to some inexplicable karmic connection (as in my case) or was dragged into a class by an ambitious (or more likely overloaded) mother, why indeed would one sign up?

It appears to me that most people do things that are sort of ‘going around’ (such as horse-riding, roller-skating and abacus classes are now in India), perhaps simply out of convenience.

A lot of things with the ‘India’ tag have become ‘in’ today – meditation, yoga (yoga mats, neti pots… next they’ll sell ‘grass under tree’ online! ), Buddhism, ‘Vegan traditional/home -made’ Indian cooking and so on and so forth. Well, Indian Classical dance is ‘in’, though more so Bharathanatyam. Just search YouTube and if you know anything about Indian classical dance, I guarantee that you will feel like laughing at these confident ignoramuses commenting on legends of Kuchipudi and Odissi (from ripped CDs to boot), “this is not real traditional Indian dance” and “very poor Bharatanatyam technique”!!!

Next in popularity come the more spectacular parts of our classical forms. General audiences always applaud plate & pot dancing ( part of Kuchipudi reportoire) or dancing with lamps more than a demanding and exhausting Varnam (the central piece of a traditional Bharatanatyam performance). Competition participants know that even a fast paced Bharatanatyam or Kuchipudi Tillana will visually appear slower after a shower of Kathak chakkars. Kathak dancers’ swirling costumes arrested in motion are a favourite of the coffee table book photographers. Indeed, more coffee table books by artists themselves, classical dance based TV competitions and the recent entry of 328 Kuchipudi dancers in the Guinness World Records – all are brand images, which are increasing the popularity of the form in question.

Yes classical dance is in, but so is Salsa, Rumba, Cha Cha Cha & Jiving. Celebrity based dance Reality shows such as ‘Nach Baliye’ and ‘Jhalak Dikhlaja’ also emphasise on variety of form as equivalent to creativity. They also use pre-recorded film music, use all the glitz and glamour of the varied costumes and stage format to great effect. In the end, it is always about variety and more variety and more. But to what end?

Is this quest for more variety in everything from food to home design to viewing choices, symptomatic of a deeper need?

What does it take to have a successful dancing career?

I am asking this question specifically for the Indian Classical Dance scene ( primarily because that is the one I am familiar with, though I also believe it is not very different from the performing arts scene elsewhere in the world) and also in relation to gender.

‘Success’ is a much debatable term, however for the purposes of this article, let us attempt to define it very broadly in contemporary terms. Let us say a reasonable span of stage performing career (about 20 yrs ?), with a degree of domestic as well as foreign public and critical acclaim. The journey starts first and foremost with a capable and inspiring Guru, leading on to an ability to lead a musical team, a knowledge base to choreograph new numbers and train one’s own students to a certain degree.

While the dance scene is exploding everywhere and many desis abroad like to perform a bit of classical at some stage or the other, not many classical dancers in India will vouch for it as a relatively sustainable profession leave alone a lucrative one. In my experience, the trend of soloism – mainly emerging from Bharatanatyam- puts the load of the entire system on the shoulders of the dancer. I.e the manifold roles of the agent/manager, publicist, make-up artist, hair stylist, costume designer, jewellery designer, director, producer, scriptwriter/composer, choreographer, anchor, sponsor… More often than not, the dancers inherently have the talent or develop the ability to jugggle most of these roles simultaneously. For every notorius ‘Stage mum’ or ‘tennis parent’, there is an indulging parent or spouse (more controversial) who leads or supports all the way. But in the long run it takes it toll on the performance/creativity of the dancer.

Now why can’t a dancer delegate? The answer is related to the main issue with classical dance – a waning audience. In the renaissance period of classical arts (from the 50s to the 80s), these shows were as popular as Bollywood movies and were ticketed. I have heard many middle aged people recounting tales of queuing up & jostling to watch Yamini Krishnamurthy or Hema Malini in their college days, sounding much like today’s youth about Enrique Inglesias or a Spice Girl. In short, for most public performances, dancers spend out of their pocket to pay even the accompanists and the shows are for free. And still, the near – empty halls prevail. Many dancers and critics have opined on the reasons for this but that is subject enough for many more posts.

So after having to worry about your bread and butter and being decried by family as impractical dreamers, come the gender based issues.

When one is male dancer, there is the classic ‘man in a woman’s world’ syndrome to fight. The irony is that the originator of the dance is Lord Shiva (Nataraja – The King of Dance). This irony along with the cultural milieu is beautifully explored in Mahesh Dattani’s classic play Dance Like a Man.

When one is female dancer, then woe if you marry and woe if you don’t. What kind of a husband will promote your interest? Big Question. He should be well-off and confident in his own right to promote you and not live off you (remember the hero in the novel/Hindi movie Guide ?). Then there are those who relate girls dancing to a matter of bringing down the family/social reputation, particularly after marriage. The very same in-laws who found this addendum on the CV of the young bride a matter of pride, may find it a slur to their honour after the wedding. Or more simply, other priorities take over and dancing steps down from being ‘profession’ to ‘hobby’ or ‘hobby’ to ‘past hobby’. After all who can continue to spare a drawing room to dance and tolerate worn-out tapes of the same obscure songs day and day out? And may the good Lord save you from neighbours if you have a live mridangam accompanist or live in high rise apartments!

For all or some of the above reasons, teaching is also not a good option unless you are teaching abroad, though it could be relied on to bring a little steady income. So in order to ’succeed’ some dancers go abroad, some ‘network’ with journos, some marry bureaucrats, some rely on alternate careers such a solid bank job, some marry other artists or form groups which pools resources but all these also bring in friction and so on and so forth. ‘All is fair in love and…’ and don’t dancers depict that best?

To know what the living legend & prima ballerina of Indian Classical dance, Yamini Krishnamurti has to say on ‘achieving success’, follow this link.

What to say?

When I didn’t have a blog, I had a lot to say. As I went about my daily chores, my mind would be bombarded with themes, ideas, vehement opinions and surprises that I wanted to announce to the world, wanted to pour into discerning ears. There must be so many like me that mankind invented ‘blogdom’. for us to occupy and populate. Now that I have my own little podium and any passing by audience that cares to take in a few written words, I feel I am drying out.

Self -doubt assails. Is what I have to say, really important for posterity, how will it make a difference? But what difference does whatever we do really make? We earn our living (or live off others in the age old barter system), cook, eat, shop, network, chat and most important sleep. Ah, my chatting must be important to my beloved confidante & my kiddie friends will definitely miss my cooking. So I am not that reduntant after all. Coming back to the issue of writing, Sylvia Path comes to my rescue, ‘ And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.’

Now to the issue of what to write on. As I mentioned before, nothing around me really enraptures or enrages me enough to rave about. Obviously as per Slyvia Path, I am quite lacking in guts and imagination. Not to be discouraged, not me , I must seek inspiration. Flipping popular magazines and newspapers to see what people are writing about now-a-days (aside of regulars – politics, sports, various movie-woods). it appears that crime (of the door-step variety), travel & world cuisine, health & fitness (read beauty), geeky gadgets for all, maids and ‘relationships’ or the lack of the latter two rule our minds.

Having read umpteen such articles, I am really unable to pass any more time pleasurably. I could give you 10 more tips on ‘packing for travel’, ‘holiday activities for kids’, ‘clean houses and fit bodies in 9 minutes’, ‘How to say NO to your boss’…, but I already know how you feel. Maybe I could write fictionalized horoscopes or put up some of my more graphic bed time fantasies. Now, that would definitely get me some Flags and eyeballs. Perhaps, I will do this one day. Till then for me, as Norbet Platt puts it ‘ The act of putting pen to paper (or keyboard to blog) encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.’