Choreography in Western Dance may seem limited. But the fact
remains that elements of choreography are the basic part of conception
in any Western dance creation. But choreography in Indian Classical
Dance has not evolved to the extent to which it has in the West. This is
because classical dance began as an independent presentation. The
purpose of the performance and with it the stage kept changing, and it
is this that impacted the presentation.
Most classical dances were
created to be performed in temples. Devotion was the sole essence and
purpose behind the performance. Dance was a medium of prayer, and an
intensely personal one at that. Naturally, the temple platform and the
presence of devotees was enough for the presentation. No special thought
was given to the aspect of how the presentation could be made more
effective.
Later, during the 11th century AD, the dance moved into
the courts of the kings. Instead of the temple platform, artists were
to perform on a separate half-circular stage. The devotional undertones
were replaced with tenets of pure entertainment. This expectation of
'entertainment' from the art form was perhaps the reason why the focus
shifted towards the arena of presentation, and therefore, choreography
in Kathak.
The shift from a Temple platform to a semi-circular
stage brought all three dimensions of Space (i.e. height, length and
depth) to the forefront. It opened up the option of using of three main
directions and two sub directions on each side and elements like
Utplawan, Challang etc. were also used to make better use of this Space.
The aesthetic aspect of dance was slowly gaining more importance,
because now the performance was for the audience, not for the 'self'.
Today,
the stage is a lot more accommodating and, at the same time, demanding.
There is a dual purpose to dance - artistic self-fulfillment through
creativity as well as visual appeal for the audience. And it is
innovation that has lead to the fulfillment of both.
In
innovation, it is essential to essentially consider all aspects of
choreography for enhancing its effectiveness. In the context of the
contemporary stage, consideration for all three basic elements of
choreography i.e. Space, Time and Energy must be studied correctly and
implemented in a technically perfect manner.
Main aspects of choreography-
1. Theme:
The theme is a critical element for the success of any composition.
In Kathak, the theme is represented in two ways - Nritta and Nritya.
a. Nritta
In a Nritta-based composition, the repetitive cycle of the Taal is
the main theme. Within a cycle of the Taal various movements, rhythm
patterns, compositions (which may be ad-lib i.e. Upaj or pre-fixed i.e.
Bandish) are presented in a manner to come back to the first beat of the
cycle (sum) at completion, using the artist's body as the medium. A
musical composition equaling the cycle of the Taal (Nagma) is used as
the measuring scale in this theme.
This theme is easy to
understand and appreciate. However, the exact theme to be presented must
be decided based on the audience. For instance, complex mathematically
challenging patterns should be avoided in front of common public while
they can be presented with aplomb in front of connoisseurs.
The
Nritta theme, although used predominantly in solo performances, is
equally effective for group presentations. A Taal-Mala ( a serial
combination of more than two Taals to make it as one cycle)
presentation, for example, is more effective in a group setting as it
may be too long a cycle for a solo performance in terms of acceptance by
the audience.
b. Nritya
In a traditional Kathak performance, Nritya comes in the form of
Vandanas, Thumris, Bhajans and Gat-Bhavs. In all these, the theme is
mostly based on various mythological situations and characters. Even
Indian audiences often comment that the themes seem repetitive. The
stories of Radha - Krishna, Yashoda - Krishna or Rakshas - Sanhar
represent fundamental human emotions and feelings. And while these
feelings are still relevant today, the context is not.
Radha &
Krishna embody the emotion of love in the Indian Culture, but they may
not be known universally. However, the relation between a man and a
woman is more commonly understandable by persons of any nationality and
culture.
In today's day & age, using a contemporary theme to
represent these emotions is a good idea, because the audience can relate
to them more easily and they will also be attracted to the novelty.
E.g. A Vandana can be made more relevant if the feeling of devotion is
represented by prayers to Nature instead of to a particular God. Even
internationally known literature, used as the basis for themes for
Indian classical dance, may appeal more to the foreign audience and make
them aware of Indian classical dance.
The theme could be common
issue of today or an anecdote from mythology. But, whether it is Nritta
or Nritya, must be understandable, heart-warming and intellectually
stimulating for the audience.
2. Music
Music is a very important element of an Indian classical dance
performance. The selection of music to represent any Nritya-based theme
must support the mood. Many times, just with the right music, the dancer
is in a position to quickly establish the theme being presented.
An elaboration of some aspects of music:
Indian classical music is vast, comprehensive and well structured.
The Raags are divided as per time zones and have their own personality
i.e. they reflect a particular set of 'moods'. In Indian classical
dance, various types of Malhars are used in compositions to represent
Varsharutu because of the inherent mood they create, which complements
the theme of the dance.
When it comes to the impact music can make
on the overall composition of dance, it can be gauged from the fact
that, many times, music inspires a composition itself. E.g. Guru Pt.
Rohini Bhate's composition of TIME - the inspiring music was western but
the composer had used 'Nagmas', which is a purely Indian concept.
Another example of theme based music selection in choreography can be
seen in another of Rohiniji's compositions - Kathputli (Puppet). The
theme is based on a representative woman, who is entangled in daily
chores to the extent that, for her, the entire process becomes
mechanical. Unlike in the previous example, in this composition, the
theme inspires the music. The music selected was pure 'Metronome beats',
the monotonous notes of which effectively bring out the repetitive
colorless nature of the woman's daily chores. In the theme, when one of
the women tries to break this monotony, the metronome beats give way to
melodious notes to represent change and when the woman successfully
dis-entangles herself, the happiness is brought out through a 'Taraana'.
Many
times fusion music can be used very effectively in choreography
innovations. Such music can be fusion of instruments from East &
West or can also be of these two different types.
In Nritta-based
themes, several Indian classical music compositions have been used
without any modifications in Kathak. These music compositions do not
have any specific theme. Melodious music and suitable beautiful
visualization itself are the points of appreciation. Such themes are
universal and can appeal to large audience, taking Kathak closer to
them.
3. Space:
According to Western concepts, the main elements of choreography are
Space, Time and Energy. Let us analyse these aspects in the context of
Indian dance.
The main elements of Space are directions, levels, planes and volume.
Directions:
In the early times, Indian classical dance mainly used only very few
directions. All 'Sam' used to be directed towards the right and entry
used to be from the left. Hence, the vocabulary of directions as well as
movements remained very limited. But through subsequent innovations by
stalwarts, many new directions were added and today the Kathak
vocabulary is very rich and provides great scope for creativity.
However,
one element needs to be highlighted. In general, while considering a
stage, the musicians sit on the left of the audience. Because of this,
the center of the stage for the dancer gets shifted from the actual
center of the stage. This poses significant challenge for the artist
because, if the original center is taken for choreography, there is less
space on one side. While if the center of available space is taken for
choreography, this center does not align with the center from the
audience's perspective. Therefore, there is a need to look at either the
seating positions of the musicians on both sides, using the modern
technology for maintaining the rapport or putting up an equivalent
decoration on the opposite side to the musicians for maintaining the
balance of the stage.
A lot of work has also happened in the area
of use of levels and planes by many choreographers and Kathak has a good
knowledge-base for the use of these elements.
4. Energy:
The requirement of energy in different elements of Kathak is
different. For example, in a Paran the energy needs to be thrown out
while the 'Thaat' is an example of contained energy. So, within the
different elements of Kathak, different types of energy can be
represented. Therefore, in a new creative presentation, different energy
levels can be very effectively presented through known, established
elements of Kathak.
Prerana Deshpande is a traditional
Kathak Dancer
of repute and a creative choreographer of rare calibre. She is one of
the leading Kathak exponents and a complete solo Kathak dancer of her
generation. Internationally acclaimed as a creative dancer, she is
widely acknowledged for her mastery over various aspects of Kathak.
Prerana
studied Kathak under Guru-Shishya Parampara (Master - Disciple
tradition) from legendary Dr. Rohini Bhate, the doyen of Lucknow and
Jaipur gharanas for over twenty years. She is regarded for her exquisite
command over the fundamentals of Kathak - Rhythm, Grace, &
Expression and for her creativity rooted in the tradition of this dance
form. Greatly appreciated by all audiences for her expertise in Kathak,
she is regularly invited to perform as a solo artist at all major venues
and festivals in India and abroad.
