PERSONALITY
Dance to a different beat
V. GANGADHAR
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Daksha Sheth and Devissaro have seen criticism and praise in equal measure but they continue with their work unfazed.
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INNOVATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY: Daksha and Devissaro. PHOTO: SHASHI ASHIWAL
She has been ignored by the traditional dancing community and condemned by many dance critics. But Thiruvananthapuram-based contemporary dancer Daksha Sheth and her Australian husband, Devissaro (who provides music to her performances) continue with what they see as their contribution to the dance scene.
WHAT led you to diversify from the traditional Kathak where you began?
Daksha: After some years, I found that solo Kathak could bore audiences as well as performers. For me, mastery of a single form was not enough so I branched out to the Chhau. Learning the martial arts of Kerala was a further challenge. I was exploring the world of dance when I met Devissaro. The turning point came when we did a version of "Vivaldi".
Devissaro: Classical dances, I found, had a limited repertoire and did not give us much scope to work together. Our experiments with martial arts and the akhada provided us opportunities to innovate and tackle more contemporary issues.
How far can martial arts really go along with dance forms?
Daksha: Martial arts symbolise grace. To me, the akhada tradition has the same magic. It is for the same reason that we tapped our rich folk dances too.
Devissaro: Dance or martial arts, it is all a question of graceful movement. In fact, there is nothing more basic than the movements in martial arts.
What is the scope for bhava in dances?
Daksha: It varies from production to production. There was not much scope for bhava in productions like "Bhukamp" or "Sarpagati". But our latest "Postcards from God" is an exception. Most of our dances depend on strong physicality.
Devissaro: Classical dance forms depend more on narration, which need bhava. Our dances are more influenced by martial forms where there is no such scope. But then every form of dance has its own aesthetic appeal.
In what way does this influence the mass appeal of your dances?
Daksha: Our shows on the streets, outside temples had attracted audiences. We performed "Yagna" outside a temple and there was much appreciation.
Devissaro: The vibrancy of our dances attracts all kinds of people. In the South, people squatted on the roads and watched our show. Once, it began to rain heavily but not one person moved. They watched us holding their umbrellas.
Yet, there are comments that what you do is not dance but circus acts.
Daksha: Only people who can't do the stuff we do say such things. They have no idea of the hard work, discipline, physical exertion and creativity that goes into such "circus acts". Most classical dancers oppose my work.
Devissaro: Daksha is as good a classical dancer as anyone. I remember a festival where she danced only Kathak for 40 minutes. I accompanied her on the pakhawaj. The audience went crazy.
Perhaps you are too much of a maverick, going away from the conventional?
Daksha: Why not? I was with Guru Birju Maharaj for two years. But I did not want to be his clone. I followed my own instinct, formed my own techniques. The ultimate tribute a sishya can pay a guru is to try to go beyond him/her, but classical dancers do not encourage this.
Devissaro: I find Indian dancers lack the courage to believe in themselves, to learn from their gurus and then move off on their own. How can you create great dancers if this continues?
How do you choose your themes and how contemporary are your contemporary dances?
Daksha: We are contemporary but do not ignore the traditional. "Yagna" was full of Vedic chants and rituals. We have done abstract themes. We cannot ignore erotic and sensual themes, which we handled in "Sarpagati".
Devissaro: The basic ideas germinate for a long time. We wanted to handle themes like Vedic chants, women and snakes. Ultimately these themes materialised in productions 10 to 12 years later.
Your performances had had a mixed press over the years.
Daksha: Sometimes, it is amusing, sometimes frustrating. "Yagna" was popular but sections of the media accused us of pandering to the Hindutva cause. But the same critics applauded our next production, "Search for my Tongue", which was abstract and based on the loss of identity.
Devissaro: The media went after Daksha and called for a ban after we staged "Sarpagati". The play dealt with matter, procreation and power and it was sensual and erotic. After "Sarpagati" was acclaimed abroad, the same critics changed their tune.
Then came "Bhukamp", which was full of colour, action and brightness. This was labelled a circus act. Our problem is with critics in the daily press and the magazines. TV channels and documentary makers are bowled over by us.
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