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Photo: Anu Pushkarna.

Combining thought and movement: Rama Vaidyanathan.

The danseuse participated in the Nishagandhi Dance Festival in Thiruvananthapuram where she presented a scene from ‘Dasamaskandham.’

“I work on themes that touch my heart. That is the primary prerequisite I look for in every theme I choose to choreograph. The content could be from any source, ranging from the Puranas to the Upanishads to contemporary poetry. Then I do extensive research before interpreting it in my own way. The process might take months. But I wait,” says Rama about the thought and choreographic process that goes behind every piece of work and her approach to dance.

The dancer says it took 11 months to prepare for ‘Om,’ where she tried exploring the spiritual dimension of the primal sound. ‘The Bindu’ (Electron) concept from Tantra was used as a base for this presentation.

“Sri Chakra, with its fine geometry could easily be adapted into a group choreography. So you have the Bindu or the Shiva-Sakthi union in the centre, with the concentric energy circles and intercepting triangles encircling it. We used some verses from Soundarya Lahiri and Kama Kala Vilasa. It was a challenge depicting something as spiritual, metaphysical and erotic as that,” she explains. Her production also relies heavily on lights, she adds.

“The performing space and ambience are important. The interpretation and use of space are very important in any visual art. In Bharatanaytam, one has to pay attention to many other parameters such as purity or Shudham of the adavu, rhythm and abhinaya – all the while trying to relate to the idea and audience,” says Rama.

She feels that classical dance presentations should be an elevating experience, to the artiste as well as the audience. Trained under gurus like Yamini Krishnamoorthy and Saroja Vaidyanathan, Rama effortlessly does that through her performances.

Talking about the two schools of dance she learnt from she says: “The former taught me how to dance; the latter taught me how to be a dancer. I was one of the first students of Yamini Krishnamoorthy. Amma (Saroja Vaidynathan) is my mentor, in every sense.” Incidentally, Rama Vaidyanathan is married to Saroja Vaidyanathan’s son and has two daughters – Dakshina and Sannidhi.

So does one need to have the so-called conventional value system to learn something as traditional as Bharatanatyam?

“Physical and emotional discipline is mandatory for dance. You cannot afford to get perturbed and irritated with things around you. If so, it will affect your art. The stage is a mirror, it reflects your inner-self. Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest dance forms of India. And to learn and practise that, one needs to have dedication and spiritual orientation on top of discipline,” avers the dancer.

She argues that with contemporary art forms occupying a great deal of public spaces, classical dancers need to put an extra effort to preserve and propagate their art form.

“It is a challenge to be a traditional dancer in contemporary India. I think a dancer needs to keep evolving in tandem with the changing times. Infusing modernity into your thought process is important. You cannot continue doing the same varnam and thillana your guru taught you 20 years ago,” she argues.

“It is important to learn that; it is also important that you teach your students that. But tell them that you have only taught them the language of Bharatanaytam. Communication and re interpretation is up to them,” opines Rama, the dedicated dancer and teacher.

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