Bengaluru lets you be many things at once: Madhu Nataraj

For dancer and choreographer Madhu Nataraj, Bengaluru is a city that constantly nourishes her practice. “Bengaluru is a beautiful meeting and collision of tradition and modernity,” she says from her studio in Malleswaram, an area that is home to 800-year-old temples, as well as the coolest hang outs in the city. This coexistence, she believes, has kept her rooted. “When I moved here, I could attend a temple concert in the morning and, the very same evening, a fabulous jazz concert. It allows you to be many things at once,” she says. For her, the connec tion of the city to her art is instinctive. “Dance is a re flection of life; it mirrors it. Imagine what that means for dancers. Bengaluru has allowed me to keep my craft relevant through the times,” she say. ‘WHEN I STARTED A CONTEMPORARY INDIAN DANCE COMPANY, THERE WAS NO PRECEDENT’
Madhu recalls how she was one of the few to tread this path. “When I started a contemporary Indian dance company, there was no precedent,” she says. So she built her company from scratch, often with dancers who were not trained in classical forms. “I started training hip-hop artists and youngsters who were just doing funk and Bollywood. I audi tioned them, started training them from scratch and created batch after batch after batch. Some stay, some don’t,” she says.
‘ART IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT UNDERCURRENT OF THE SOCIETY’
Madhu traces her journey alongside the city’s own shifts. “When I moved to Bengaluru, the city was known for its artists, its greenery and activism. Then came the IT wave that supported the arts. Post that came startups. What has remained constant is the belief that the city adapts, and so must artists,” she says. Madhu’s response to changing times has been to move beyond the conven tional stage. “My projects bring the arts to the audiences,” she says, adding, “We perform in places like a dhobi ghat, in parks or classrooms. Once they’re hooked, they will keep coming back.” Her philosophy is rooted in audience building. “I tell the parents of the 200 children in our batches that maybe three will become dancers,” she says. “But, the other 197 will watch dance, at tend concerts, buy tickets and support the arts. The arts are such an important un dercurrent of society. We don’t realise the role they play in our lives,” she says.
‘DURING COVID, ART BECAME EMOTIONAL SCAFFOLDING’
Madhu rejects the idea that the arts are dispensable in hard times. “Look at what the arts did during Covid. Art became an emotional scaffolding. That was the only reason people were happy during that time,” she says. She also speaks about the fundraising efforts for folk artistes during then. “We raised money for the folk artistes of Karnataka, But what impressed me was their sense of dignity. They were still so proud. They said, look after us for two months. Then we will manage.” ‘ARTISTES CAN’T BE DISRESPECTED’ One principle she will not compromise on is the sanctity of the stage. “We don’t allow F&B ser vice during our performance. Eighty percent of my shows, I lose because of that,” she says. “When the show is going on and somebody asks for extra salt to add to their soup, their attention is over.” Her frustration extends to how folk and traditional artists are treated at events. “Re cently, at a performance, I saw Yakshagana art ists walking,” she says. “I said, ‘oh great, they’re going to perform’. But, to my shock, they were serving drinks. Performers have also been used as décor. Artistes cannot be disre spected like that,” she says.
'TRAVEL FOR ME IS OXYGEN'
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