Artline

Prerna, over the years, has evolved a poetics of lyrical intensity, aesthetic richness with the classical resonating contemporary style. She uses traditional grammar creating provocative abstractions, figurations and new gestures and compositions. She believes in creativity within tradition in Lajja, an episode from the production of Meera which she had presented in the City a month earlier under the aegis of the Indian National theory. Meera was based entirely in traditional repertoire. The choreography of Lajja was done in a purely abstract manner. Centering completely on the footwork, she created the line and the rhythm which was very innovative alongwith setting the spotlight on the feet so as to create all the emotion through the feet.

Prerana has a very distinctive style of her own. 8220;In Kathak, one stands like a modern man. My medium gives me a lot of freedom. I don8217;t need to adopt any form outside Kathak. It is endowed with so many resources by itself,8221; states Prerana. Her eloquence, intimations, and communication, yield both pleasure and spiritual satisfaction besides being emotionally stimulating. Prerana has very distinctive style of her own. quot;In Kathak one stands like a modern man. My medium gives me a lot of freedom. I don8217;t need to adopt any from outside Kathak. It is endowed with so many resources by itself8217; states Prerana. Her eloquence, intimations, and communication, yields both pleasure and spiritual satisfaction besides being emotionally stimulating. For Prerana reaching out8217; is the raison d8217;etre behind all her presentations. And for reaching out8217; she depends on other related art mediums be it painting, art, and of course poetry.

8220;I love poetry, I treat poetry differently each time, I cannot repeat myself. In my solo performances, the poetry pieces are not fixed, they are innovative and used flexibly.8221; She seems to have endowed the inherited with new meanings and fresh insights. Prerana8217;s philosophy of work is well sorted out. 8220;Dance cannot function by itself. One needs poetry, literature, philosophy, and other related areas of study. How one understands the human body is very important of a dancer,8221; says Prerana. She performs through the ideal combination of presentation mixed with aesthetics. These days one has to be well informed about the techniques of stage control, sounds, music co-ordination and angles of display for the audience. Prerna has danced to great appreciation and adoration in most of the dance events and festivals in India and abroad. She has experimented with paintings of S.H. Raza and poems of Ashok Vajpeyi. She created and presented a very sensational spectacle called Reaching For Each Other8217; in Festival 8216;dAvignon 1995.

Recipient of numerous state awards, and also the Government of India Senior Fellowships, Prerana teaches dance thrice a week at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi. She is also studying the composition of her guru the late Kundan Lal Gangani. In her compositions, she has been influenced by some of the major poets 8212; Kalidas, Amaru, Meera, Padmakar, Dev, Ghalib, and modern masters such as the French poet Yves Bonnefoy.

Being a danseuse of the modern era, Prerana feels that there are not many concrete opportunities available for an upcoming artist. 8220;Not everybody can become a performer, so where do you go after becoming a dancer? The court dancers of old days did not have to worry about bread and butter, we do. These days one needs promoters, and platform from where somebody can appreciate the artist and elevate him,8221; comments Prerana. Earlier it was only by family tradition that one could learn the art, now there are institutions of it, but Prerana on the contrary does not think that it is the institution that makes the artist.

8220;The person becomes an artist through hard work and under the guidance of his gurus and teachers, who are the main source of inspiration and motivation behind these artists. The only difference now is that these gurus are given place in the institution,8221; states Prerana. In the institution, according to Prerana, one does not learn much about costumes and makeup. All these innovations one learns to make though stage performance. Makeup, colour, mood, light, scenario and the treatment of poetry are the important aspects. These days the work of a dancer is very challenging.

She feels that nowadays some of the business houses tend to exploit the art. Some of the traditional artists seem to be performing in private concerts and parties. 8220;I can8217;t appreciate it that an artist goes to somebody8217;s house to performs before a hand full of people, just for money. I8217;m quite orthodox about these things.8221; She feels downhearted when she talks of the Hindi films adapting Kathak which is performed in its tit-bits, in a tacky andinferior manner, 8220;Shinghar is not erotic every time, but the Hindi films seem to ignore this vital concept,8221; comments Prerana.