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Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

through the picture frame Kavita Dwibedi perfoming Odissi at the opening of “Krishnaprerna”, an exhibition of paintings of Lord Krishna by various artists in New Delhi

Time was when the classical dance forms were ‘new’. But that was when India itself was a new nation, rediscovering its ancient arts. And just as India strove to carve its individual identity, the classical arts too were dusted off, rescued from the backyards of rejected royalty and crumbling temple traditions, and given a special shine for the proscenium stage. Bharatanatyam and Kathak, Manipuri and Odissi, Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam, they all took their rightful place in the ranks of gems of India.

As the decades progressed, dancers became adventurous. Bharatanatyam dancers performed duets with Odissi dancers. One of the popular pairs in the 1980s was Leela Samson with Madhavi Mudgal. Many others followed suit. More recently, Mohiniattam exponent Jayaprabha Menon paired up with Kathakali dancers. Even Western forms shared the stage with Indian dances. Mention Flamenco, and Kathak dancers Pratap Pawar and Shovana Narayan spring to mind as artistes who have matched their footwork to the rhythms of the flamboyant dance of Spain.

Sharing the stage with a dancer from another discipline, it seems, is as commonplace as a march-past. Indian dancers have woken up to a different kind of collaboration. Visual artists and puppeteers are their new partners.

“It’s very interesting to take art that is two-dimensional and take it into the ephemeral quality of the dance,” says Sharon Lowen, succinctly summing up the effort, as well she might, being one of the earliest to bring such collaborative performances to focus with her choreographic works with painter and sculptor Naresh Kapuria.

Even before working with Kapuria, Sharon had brought still life to life with an exhibition of Chhau masks. To do justice to the masks, she says, it was important for people to see them not in a static position, as they would have been in a display. Therefore, being trained in Chhau, Odissi and Manipuri, she danced wearing the masks.

Kapuria too makes use of a variety of approaches. Once known for his fibreglass and burnt wood sculptures, he became synonymous with his ‘Windows’, a series that ranged from boxes fitted on doors to trains painted across walls. One of Sharon’s most successful shows with him, she recalls, was at Triveni Kala Sangam, where he was exhibiting in the galleries and she performed in the Chamber Theatre. “The stage set was designed like one of his windows,” she says. “I was an old lady in a rocking chair.” Rising from the chair she danced her youth and other memories. “I had a skirt with two layers. The top layer had a big pocket, and when you lifted it up there was a big puppet. And later I put on a mask as well.”

The seamless association of the visual art, the dance and the storyline, aided by puppetry and masks, made the collaboration a successful one. It is this organic development that Shagun Butani, who also performs Odissi and Chhau, finds most satisfying in her recently premiered production “The Magic Blue”, in which she collaborated with puppeteer Anurupa Roy.

“Even though one collaborates,” clarifies Shagun, “I always wanted it to be an organically evolved work, not just two things side by side.” Shagun says, after scripting the piece, performed by 15 children and six puppeteers handling giant-sized puppets of various types, it took a year-and-a-half of discussions before stage work began.

The idea took root because she is always in search of elements to enthuse her young students, for whom the strictness of classical dancing can become tedious in a world that revels in shortcuts and glitter. Also, says Shagun, Anurupa and her team developed giant puppets to emphasise the theme of the child Krishna battling demons. Besides, she says, sometimes one just gets the “urge” to try something new.

Bharatanatyam dancer Geeta Chandran has also worked with marionettes in her production “Her Voice” on gender issues.

Dancers are reaching out with more than mudras, and purity has taken on new connotations. As Shagun says, “Sometimes it’s challenging to use it (dance) with something else, but to keep the purity too.”

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