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Nordic dancer's tryst with Rudra

Mudra Centre for Dance, in association with the Korzo Theater, presents `Rudra,' featuring Gunvor Karlsen, in the city tonight. K.PRADEEP talks to the Nordic dancer about dance and her country

PHOTO: H VIBHU

INDO-NORWEGIAN PRIDE Gunvor Karlsen practising at Padma Menon's (extreme right) dance school

Gunvor Karlsen, a Norwegian dancer will portray `Rudra', a contemporary dance production of Korzo Theatre, in The Netherlands, at Kochi today, at the Fine Arts Hall. It explores the `wild and untamed energy of fierce Rudra'. The link between the very Indian Rudra and the very Norwegian dancer is Padma Menon, who was based in Holland some years ago.

Five years ago, Padma Menon was in search of a dancer for a project that she had been craving to do. She scanned an impressive variety of classical and modern dancers till she happened to watch Gunvor Karlsen. The search ended there. The Norwegian dancer, her asceticism, and sensitivity of movements impressed her. They got together, worked for over two months, the internationally renowned Korzo Theater produced their project and they finally got `Rudra' on stage. `Rudra,' was widely acclaimed all over Europe. And Gunvor came to be known as `the Nordic goddess of dance.'

Now, Gunvor and Padma join hands again to bring back the magic of `Rudra.'

"The choreography will be almost the same. But there will be a change in the costume and the music. When it was performed first we had a Dhrupad singer compose for the work with only the tampura for accompaniment. This time I'll be performing to the accompaniment of a live chenda. Padma has a very clear idea of the piece that is based on the diametrically opposite energies of Lord Shiva. She stressed on the Kuchupudi and Kalaripayyattu movements. I had absolutely no idea of Shiva but Padma told me so much about him, the legends and all that. Improvisation is the key to this work. We begin from ideas and set movements to create a new form," explains Gunvor, who is on her first visit to this country.

Gunvor's fascination for dance began when she was in school. Like most young girls, she went to school with so many dreams and ambitions in life. Dance was not very popular in Norway and it was one of her friends who first ignited this passion in her. "She was senior to me and went to another school. They were celebrating Parent's Day and invited my mother and me to the function. When I saw them dance I thought I could be much better than most of them. Then there was a cousin of mine who was studying at Martha Graham's dance school in New York. She used to encourage me. And I decided to dance."

It opened out a whole new world for Gunvor. Dance was to become her life, her career. She joined the National Ballet School in Oslo where she studied classical ballet for nearly ten years. In between she began performing and was soon being noticed for her graceful elegance. Later, Gunvor went to the National school in Amsterdam for a year and spent four years at Rotterdam. By now she was ready to fly on her own. Today she is a freelance dancer, one of the most sought after artistes in Europe.

The Netherlands has always been fertile ground for artistes. Some of the best talents flock here and Gunvor was one of them. "New dance is well constructed here. There is a structured system. And there are a lot of new choreographers, new dancers. There is a quite lot of money for them but the only problem is to keep it going. The network between the producers and dancers is strong, healthy. Dance, like most of the arts, is liberally funded by the State. There are good schools teaching high quality classical ballet and modern dance."

Modern dance, like modern art or music, is largely experimental. It is a rebellion against the formalism and rigidity of classical ballet. "I think in the Netherlands they have been able to manage a perfect balance. Classical ballet is very much alive. It has its own audience, aged perhaps, but very passionate. Most of it is based on 19th century legends and it still remains so much traditional. Modern dance has imbibed elements from this classical genre but has created an independent identity of its own."

Gunvor has been an integral part of various theatrical productions, has also choreographed and presented three pieces. After a rather long stint in Holland, Gunvor has recently shifted base to Oslo, her hometown. "There is so much to be done here. Most of the youngsters love to be outdoors, in perfect communion with Nature. They are basically a sport-loving people. Of course, we have had great artists and writers. Dance, which is so popular elsewhere in Europe, has somehow not caught up. I have not really thought of how I can help. But maybe I can do something."

The performance at Kochi will be a part of `New Visions,' presented by Mudra, Padma's Kochi-based Centre for Dance and Korzo Theater. This work will be the piece-de-resistance of an evening of intense new dance to be held at the Kerala Fine Arts Hall today. A piece by Shalini Menon, Kuchipudi-based, `Piravi' a work by Dheepu Baburaj, which is set in traditional Bharatanatyam and `Draupadi' by Sulini Nair, which is Mohiniyattam-based are the other pieces slated to be presented.

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