Time for classical dance to jive a bit differently?

When Rukmini Chatterjee settled in Paris in 1990, her life as an Indian in France inevitably became an amalgamation of two cultures. The Bharatanatyam dancer, who has performed across the world, drew on this life experience to dance alongside those trained in other classical traditions. Chatterjee believes people relate to this melding of classical dance forms. She may have a point. Her latest show ‘Rencontre’, now in India as part of the French festival ‘Bonjour India’, received an enthusiastic response in Europe. And now it’s wowing India. Chatterjee insists her art is not fusion but a confluence. “Indian classical dance forms are not dying, they never will. But, yes, there is a distancing between the mythological gods they represent and our lives,” she says. Do Indian and other classical dancetraditions need to find a broader, more modern idiom? Many believe that youngpeople no longer have the patience to sit through arcane performances, whichhave little or no resonance with them. Chatterjee explains, “We have beento Mount Kailash now and not seen Shiva dancing there. Yet, there is an energythat Shiva’s dance signified. Classical dance should use this energy,rather than Shiva himself, as its source ofinspiration.”Chatterjee’s choreography showcases Indianclassical dances such as Bharatanatyam and Kathak alongside ballet. “Wemeet other cultures and make them a part of our lives. Various dance styles canalso meet and speak a universal language”. For eight years, she hasworked with martial arts and even flamenco, even as she maintained Indianclassical dance as the base. She uses varied music, ranging from harmonium andtabla, to cello and violin. Well-known choreographer Shiamak Davarbelieves the advent of several western dance forms in India has caused a dip inthe popularity of indigenous classical dance. He says, “My dance style isan amalgamation of various Indian dance forms fused with western technique. I ama huge fan of classical dances, they are so beautiful and I make a consciouseffort to incorporate their elements in pieces I choreograph.”There are others like Davar who try to use classical dance forms in‘popular’ performances, ranging from Hindi cinema to widely admiredtelevision dance competitions. Davar, who judges one such show, says “theway ahead is fusion, because it is through this that choreographers can ensurethat multiple dance styles are kept alive.” But Chatterjee saysthat superlative fusion isn’t easy because classical dance forms areculture-specific. “Collaborating with other styles involves a broader anddiverse audience. Dance even in France has become so interiorized, it is notpopular. This is surprising as dance speaks the universal language ofvisuals.”For some, this ‘universal language’ appears topose few challenges. Mourad Merzouki, choreographer and director of one ofFrance’s foremost hip-hop troupes Compagnie Kafig, routinely taps theuniversality. Merzouki, a hip-hop street dancer himself, blends African,flamenco, circus and contemporary dance as a tribute to cultural diversity. Hesays moving from street to more structured forms was logical and fusingdifferent dance styles causes a performance to evolve in a critical — andviable — way. This is why his circus style of dance is deliberatelydifferent from the original, but a sustainable adaptation more in tune with thetimes. Merzouki believes he is ‘popular’, not elitist.“I like to provoke the audience. I don’t do shows as a collage ofvarious styles but integrate all deeply. I want an audience that has youngpeople and old, that cuts across social classes and has people from variousethnic backgrounds,” he says. His latest show ‘Wasteland’ gota standing ovation in Chennai and Delhi. It was a decided triumph for a man whospeaks hardly any English and no Hindi. Clearly, dance is the language thatfjords barriers.