Dance schools in Chennai are buzzing with activity. Sounds of the thattukazhi and anklets fill the air as students gear up to ascend the stage for a natya nadakam or dance drama during the Margazhi festival.
The number of youngsters vying for an opportunity to dance far outweighs the number of slots available, and this is why group presentations, which feature many young dancers, are slowly finding more favour with the organisers. Also, it allows teachers and dancers to experiment with themes and choreographic styles.
But dance dramas are not a new concept. Kalakshetra was a pioneer of sorts, with its founder Rukmini Devi setting a benchmark by seamlessly and aesthetically weaving together different elements of natya.
Today, many senior dancers who gained fame as solo performers have moved on to choreograph thematic group presentations.
So, what goes behind conceiving a dance drama? How is the theme arrived at? What is the staging process like?
Krishnakumari Narendran, Anita Guha and Sheela Unnikrishnan, who run schools that specialise in group productions, and have staged many popular thematic works over the years, speak about their methodology.
Krishnakumari Narendran.
Krishnakumari Narendran, choreographed ‘Raas Leela’ when she was only 18. Later, she began her school Abhinaya Natyalaya in Chennai. The dance drama that she presented on Purandaradasa, at the behest of Swami Haridas Giri, proved to be a turning point.
“The success of this production made me more ambitious, and I began conceiving grander productions,” says Krishnakumari.
A similar thought process prompted Anita Guha and Sheela Unnikrishnan to choreograph dance dramas.
The first step is choosing an appropriate theme that would lend itself to a dance narrative.
Relevant texts, lyrics and songs are chosen to suit the ideas before the music is composed and the choreography and visualisation begin.
Anita Guha.
“I choose students between the ages of five and 30 based on their capabilities and level of training. To portray specific characters students from advanced-level are selected. We then work on the dance process, scene by scene, with each group over a period of time, and then whole production is rehearsed for several weeks,” says Anita Guha, who started her school Bharatanjali in 1989.
Thematic dance performance ‘Agre Pashyami’ performed by the students of Anitha Guha. | Photo Credit: VEDHAN M
Sridevi Nrithyalaya’s Sheela Unnikrishnan says their group shows only feature in-house students. “Once the students are trained in the basic grammar, they easily adapt themselves to any formation even at a short notice. This helps me when I choreograph. The entire presentation is then streamlined through rigorous rehearsals.”
Music composing is planned as per the requirements of the script and the dance choreography. Earlier, there were live orchestras, but now recorded music, composed by leading musicians, has taken their place.
Finding sponsors is also a problem area that these schools face.
Anita Guha too explored the use of grand sets in her early days, but the logistics (cost and transportation of sets), made her opt for good lighting design and props to do the job.
Sheela Unnirkrishnan.
Sheela, who relies more on her dance choreography, prefers the multimedia screen as a tool to narrate the story between sequences.
As for ahaarya abhinaya, they either design or hire costumes and props for different characters.
Students of Sheela Unnikrishnan’s Sridevi Nrithyalaya presenting the thematic production ‘Sivamayam’ in 2014. | Photo Credit: RAGU R
Despite all the work put in, sometimes, the movements and friezes tend to be repetitive, and there’s lack of emotion due to attention being paid more to the physicality of the form. Since these dance teachers work with students across different age groups, it’s a challenge to achieve perfection in nritta and abhinaya. Hence, they go by the skills of their students while working on characters and scenes.
While constantly reinventing the process, the focus is to ensure their productions appeal to a cross-section of viewers.
