In an age where body positivity is flourishing and the societal pressures (for women, especially) to look a certain way are increasingly acknowledged and refuted, dance still seems to be one arena where perfect beauty continues to be idolised.
Read MoreMy ballet teacher refused to show any sequence more than once, demanding that we try and rebuild the movement purely from what the body might have subconsciously picked up from observation. This seemed ludicrous to me.
Read MoreWhat does it mean to practise bharatanatyam? At the intersection of a sport, an art form, theatre, an inherited culture and a musical tradition, bharatanatyam contains an inherent plurality that doesn't make clear the best approach to practising.
Read MoreI don't own the bharatanatyam that I dance - it's something that I was given a share of by my teachers, and something that's gradually been handed over to me bit by bit, sometimes generously, sometimes cautiously. Until I own it, the teacher owns it, and India always owns it.
Read MoreAnd I can’t deny it; there’s a part of me that feels deeply satisfied to see the tables turned; to see contemporary dancers challenged by the demands of a Bharatanatyam choreographer.
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.
Read MoreI’m inspired to write about the time that Rama Vaidyanathan staged a tense psychological drama that revealed the potential for the age-old metaphor of Radha and Krishna to be definitively modern and relevant.
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