Response
Ashwini explained that she wanted to find ‘the truth behind the mythology’; to dig deeper into the stories she had been told as a child and as a dancer, to find her personal connection to them. It was indeed refreshing to know that such an unpretentious curiosity, grounded in the classical form, could be supported by the Arts Council.
Read MoreThis immersion allowed for an engagement with dance that was synchronous across our physical, emotional, musical and intellectual selves - a synchrony that is otherwise hard to come by in the disjointed nature of freelance urban life.
Read MoreThe most satisfying moment for me in her talk was when Tara articulated our collective challenge.
Read MoreA treat to see the distinctly different destinations that choreographic trajectories can take, especially when those journeys start off with shared classical vocabularies.
Read MoreI associated something this Islamic with kathak rather than bharatanatyam. It didn’t take long however for this connotation to unravel; the Sultanate courts of the Mughal Carnatic in the 18th century had a significant influence on the artistic activities of the time, and the Nawabs of Arcot were huge patrons for dance and music in southern India.
Read MoreJaivant Patel gave audiences in Wolverhampton a rare treat on Saturday 15th June; an evening that was special both for its programming of classical work, and its focus on male performers.
Read MoreThe relatively simple technical sequence that opened their performance was marked by very clean footwork, effortless leaps, and expert rhythmic control. But the show was about much more than technical proficiency, and after this first jathi, things quickly became more complicated and risky.
Read MoreSwati came into her element during the varnam, and the rest of the evening followed with ease. Confident stillnesses were followed by explosive travelling sequences. Fast, clear footwork was followed by the graceful shaping of the upper body. The intensity of the Ardanarisvaram piece was followed by a humorous javali where Swati was extremely convincing as a young and frivolous protagonist, dismayed at the gossip that ridiculed her.
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