Bringing on stage the despair of displacement

CHENNAI: Do people remain the same once they are displaced — the question has always plagued dancer Aravinth

Kumarasamy

, so much so that he chose to delve into his art to find answers. Drawing from his own experience as a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee in Singapore, Agathi, his new dance production for the

Margazhi

season, explores the dilemma and longing of the exiled.

Based on a book of poems by refugee children across the world, ‘Expressions from our Youth’ brought out by UNHCR, Agathi revolves around the emotional evolution of a person who has been displaced from his/her homeland. "The production is not about a specific set of refugees. It applies to anyone in any part of the world who has been forced to move to a new place and start all over," says Kumarasamy, artistic and creative director Singapore-based Apsaras Arts. The production, which also uses a mix of poems by

Subramania Bharati

and Kannadasan, will be staged at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on December 24 as part of Karthik Fine Arts’ 17th Natya Darshan conference.

Kumarasamy’s concept is among the few that departs from the traditional themes of mythology and epics in

Bharatanatyam

recitals by basing the content on a present-day topic. "We wanted to focus on using the language of Bharatanatyam to portray issues of today," says Kumarasamy, adding that he wants his art to be a reflection of society.

Dancer and convenor of Karthik Fine Arts’, Krithika Subrahmaniam, agrees, underscoring the need to ensure relevance of the classical arts. "Artists need to focus on what’s happening right now. The audience must also be in a position to know where art stands and be able to relate to it." Bharatanatyam, she feels, gives that freedom, and it is up to the artist to push the envelope. "Dance should be more interpretative; it must give audiences something to think about. We must focus on how dance can be used as a vocabulary, a language to get new concepts and ideas across," she adds.

Spread across three acts, Agathi brings to the fore experiences of a refugee before, during and after displacement. Approaching the concept in a different way, the dancers, instead of the usual step-by-step choreography and rehearsal sessions, first had reading sessions of the poetry. "The whole team read, interpreted the poetry and responded to the verses. Since it is based on real experiences, rather than a pre-existing story, the production is emotionally charged," says Kumarasamy.

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