Chandra146;s Choices

As a child, I used to jump around. It wasn8217;t dance. I used to cut out dance pictures, put them together and gaze at them. I basically l...

As a child, I used to jump around. It wasn8217;t dance. I used to cut out dance pictures, put them together and gaze at them. I basically loved the idea of doing something with the body. I would take the lead in cultural activities in school and college. Audiences responded very well to me. Once, the famous playback singer Geeta Dutt sang for me in a school performance. That meant a lot to me.

Since I loved dancing, I wanted to learn dance more formally and decided to find a guru in Chennai. I was fortunate to see many great dancers on the stage. I saw Balasaraswathi, Shanta Rao, Tara Sinha8230; Bala had such class.

Shanta Rao was full of fire. While Tara Sinha had something of a Kathak dancer about her, reminding me of Marziana of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves. Harindranath Chattopadhyay mentor, friend, companion would discuss them with me and ask whose style I wanted to follow. I was very young and didn8217;t know quite what I wanted. I used to read a lot, I wanted to travel, go to all the places I read about, I wanted to write. But I also wanted to learn dance from Bala8217;s teachers.

I absolutely adored Bala8217;s dance, its sheer physicality and passion

I absolutely adored Bala8217;s dance, its sheer physicality and passion. When I used to go to see her dance I used to run out of the auditorium as I wanted to hold on to that magical feeling.

I went to Guru Ellappa Pillai. Harindranath told him not to teach me the formal opening pieces of Bharatanatyam, to train me in basic rhythms. I used to drive to his house in Kancheepuram to rehearse before a performance. It was a great life. Nothing beats a one-to-one guru-sishya relationship. Our empathy was so strong that Ellappa would know I was going to make a mistake even before I made that mistake.

I had danced in all the major sabhas in Chennai including the Music Academy. I was moving away from traditional dance. I was uncomfortable with the insulation of dance from reality, with its cosmetic range and sublimated content. I needed to put some spine in Bharatanatyam. Chandra took a break for 12 years which were creatively spent in writing, making posters, interacting with various creative people.

In 1972 I had put together my first big group choreography 8216;Navagriha8217;, which premiered in Delhi. The next creative urge came in 1984 when I was asked to do something for the East West encounter in Mumbai. I created three pieces. At the end of the show, Soli Batliwala, a patron of art and the head of National Centre for the Performing Arts NCPA said: 8216;8216;Don8217;t run away from dance.8217;8217;

These seven months later led to 8216;Angika8217;, which was performed at the NCPA. Angika stunned the audience with its primal energy. I have followed it with 10 full-length productions, several short pieces, and many lecture demonstrations all over the world.

In 8216;Raga8217;, I integrated Kalari movements with Bharatanatyam for the first time. I don8217;t see people as men and women. I see them as dancers, as human beings. I see parts of body in time and space. That8217;s how one brings together sexuality and sensuality. In my next production, I want to explore these two aspects and spirituality.