Redefining dance
K. PRADEEP
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Padma Menon has expanded the horizons of classical dance forms to tackle contemporary issues.
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TALKING DANCE: Padma Menon. Photo: VIPIN CHANDRAN
Padma Menon has come a long way from the prestigious Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai, and as the lead dancer in Vempati China Satyam's dance dramas. A dancer who stood out for her nritta (pure dance) and evocative abhinaya, Padma abandoned the traditional format to venture into experimental dance theatre. Fusing an individual style, which is firmly rooted in classical art and the intense dance theatre of the West like Germany's Pina Bausch or Butoh, Padma has created a space for herself.
A reputed dancer-choreographer, Padma has settled down in Kochi where she plans to start her Mudra Centre for Dance in the first week of July. "Life has come a full circle. I was away from Kerala for the past 17 years. There were those occasional visits to Thiruvananthapuram for the Soorya Dance and Music Festival with my own group. But now, after a rather hectic, but fruitful journey, it is back to my roots," says Padma, who hails from Thrissur.
The transformation from a traditional, classical dancer to innovator began with her migration to Australia. "That was to do post-graduation in English Literature, which I completed from the Australian National University. I continued dancing and worked as a freelance choreographer. The turnaround came with the setting up of my institution, Kailash Dance Company in 1992. We created a range of new works drawing on traditional Indian dance styles but also looking to contemporary European movement styles and theatrical traditions for inspiration."
Dance company
Padma's dance company withstood the initial criticism and grew. It grew to be a centre for Indian dance studies with its own library and magazine focussing on South Asian art called `Lekha.' Soon her academy came to be known as the Padma Menon Dance Theatre. She however had to stop teaching because of her choreography commitments and in 1998 she resigned. For sometime she studied Vedanta in India, researched and worked on post-modern dance with Russell Dumas and Butoh and with noted theatre and movement director Nigel Kellaway. In 1999 she moved to the Netherlands.
During her stay in Australia she produced `The Woman is for Burning,' that explored the idea of fire as ritual and metaphor, `Laya: Women Who Dare,' that focussed on the place of women, their contained anger and pain and `Rasa,' on the navarasas, in which she collaborated with Meryl Tankard, of the Pina Bausch style. "My marriage with Peter, a Dutch scientist, brought about the shift to The Hague. There was a period when I kept a distance from my dance. Then, the Korzo Production House accepted me. Korzo is unique in its support to modern dance and dancers. In the beginning it was difficult to break in because Korzo really tests you. But once they decide to build a relationship with you they go all out in their support." She also took her masters in choreography from the Rotterdam Dance Academy.
Padma's first solo here was `Where Angels Fear To Tread,' that spoke about the transformation of women into motherhood. It was a dark work that attempted to redefine female sexuality after motherhood. She also created in the Netherlands, `Rudra,' on the Indian Vedic deity, depicting a raw, primeval energy, incorporating Kuchipudi and modern dance; `Devi,' on Phoolan Devi, on Devi's spirituality and the love she had for a man in spite of the violence inflicted on her by men.
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