Never the twain shall meet?

Strong emotions underlie the diverse opinions in the dance community regarding the beauty or horror of fusion. While some find fusion a conversation between the body and soul, others see an inarticulate cacophony of dance dialects.

What interests me more is seeing how far dancers immersed in commercially popular forms of fusion dance can also develop within a classical Indian dance tradition. There is no doubt that the basic techniques of classical dance can be mastered and used as elements in contemporary, fusion, folk fusion and commercial dance, but this has little to do with the classical dance traditions on which they are based.

All world classical traditions emerge from folk.  They evolve into codified sophisticated forms of movement communication, embodying in physical form a cultural ethos that ranges from a cultural relationship to gravity, space, energy as well as the spirit.

Personally, I love that classical Indian dances aim and offer the dancer and audience a glimpse of the metaphysical. It doesn’t trouble me that performers use a basic training in classical forms as a base for any variety of creative movement expressions, just as long as they don’t claim they are actually dancing in that particular genre.  

Because I love to approach dance as Margi, i.e. going beyond entertainment, I welcome students who wish to go deeper into Odissi.

Intellectually, spiritually and physically, we all are at an ordinary, middling or high level with the potential to rise. This means that whether they are learning with the intention of this being a base for fusion or for personal development or to grow as a professional classical dancer, they are welcome.

Several years ago, a former student, Aakriti Prasad now based in Kolkata, asked if she could bring some dancers from Mumbai for an introductory Odissi workshop tagged onto their participation in a Tribal fusion belly dance convocation in Delhi. I was pleasantly surprised that Aakriti had not lost the clarity of her Odissi technique even though she has chosen to work in an entirely different dance ethos.

I realise that that the torso movement and lyricism in Odissi are easily adaptable to “folk tribal belly dance” but this borrowing is irrelevant to the practice and import of actual classical Odissi dance.

A dear friend of mine, Chokyi Palmo, is a Mahayana dharma practitioner and knowledgeable teacher of Buddhism, with special knowledge of tantric Tara and Yogini dances. Learning and performing these dances requires certain basic moral and ethical commitments, which she feels are incompatible with belly dance.

Conversely, a popular belly dance teacher has discovered the sublime Hirapur Chausat Yogini Shrine located near Bhubaneswar, popularly known as the 64 Yoginis Temple and offers a Yogini belly dance workshop that is an offensive appropriation to say the least.

Recently I find myself with another Odissi student performing professionally as a fusion folk belly dancer but one who also wishes to refine her Odissi to perform as a classical artist. Hailing from a distinguished family from Sambalpur, Odisha, Nitisha Nanda trained in Odissi from the age of four.  She came to me for training in abhinaya at the behest of her previous guru, Ipsita Behera, who has provided her with a well-honed technique.

My charge then is to take a beautiful mover, on par with her peers trained in Odissi in Bhubaneswar and Odisha, and guide her to the insights capable of bringing her performance to a more profound level.

The challenge and question I pose is whether it is possible to excel in two such diametrically different dance universes and why a dancer would genuinely wish to.

I do understand that belly dance forms have branched far from the sleazy Egyptian cabaret dance of memory, yet all the folk and tribal embellishments that enhance its popular appeal are still light years away from the transcendental impact aspired to through performing classical dance genres. Of course, I am well aware that many classical dancers are also content to stop at the level of offering skilled entertainment, but this does not detract from the metaphysical possibilities and lasting impact when dancers reach a Margi level.

I asked Nitisha why she wished to seriously devote herself to classical Odissi and she thoughtfully answered: beyond connecting to her roots, she feels the disciple and precision underlying her fusion work is unique to those with a classical foundation. She was aware of a feeling of being centered by working within the tradition and a desire to discover the core meanings to the narrative content.  Pandit Ravi Shankar was fond of sharing his guru Baba Allauddin Khan’s response upon hearing of the moon landing, “but have far have they gone deep in the ocean?”

While Nitisha loves the horizontal explorations of mixing styles and cultures, she also is driven to go deep into the refined philosophies interpreted though classical dance tradition. As to whether it is possible to excel in both popular and classical dance, I know many will say it is not.  But might this be partly owing to our tendency to put everyone in boxes for easy “brand identity” or our assumptions regarding the reasons for dancing and what outcomes the dancer desires?  How possible is it to straddle two gestalts? The wonderful Kathakali guru, Sadanam Balakrishnan, began his presentation at an Art Without Frontiers seminar I had organised years ago with the statement that we all know foreigners can’t learn Kathakali because they don’t believe in god and one must learn in a gurukul and gradually traversed to the conclusion that, those with sincerity and dedication, are indistinguishable from their gurukul-trained counterparts when performing in makeup on stage.

They might not essay the most sophisticated roles for years to come, but the possibility exists.

Nitisha Nanda gave a solo Odissi performance at Azad Bhavan recently, which included two choreographies by Padmavi-bhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra that I had taught her and one, Jatatavi Galajjala taught by Sujata Mohapatra. The Shiv tandava stotram Jatatavi is technically challenging and Nitisha performed at the usual high standard of Srijan training.

The presentation of Batu Nrutya, which followed, was a good choice as today’s abbreviated programs have virtually eliminated this pure dance composition in favor of a Pallavi. Nitisha’s approach to Pashyati Dishi Dishi clearly showed her efforts to move beyond simple repetition of a taught item. Teaching the dance as I had learned it also offered all the options of interpreting sancharis (extended development of a repeated line) referring to various performances by Guruji.

In her first performance of this ashtapadi from Geeta Govinda, she had gone deeply into the interpretive possibilities and pushed her creative envelope. In the process, the projection of an Uttama Nayika was slightly uneven which, knowing NItisha’s intelligent commitment, will become more consistent with time.  

The highpoint of her performance was Ahe Nila Sahaila, the impassioned plea of Muslim poet Salabega to Lord Jagganath outside the Puri temple, the Blue Mountain.  As the poet and dancer invoke the miracles of Vishnu, Krishna Narasimha saving the elephant king, Gajendra Raja from the crocodile, Draupadi from the humiliation of Duryodhana and Yudhishthira’s gambling match and Pralad from his father Hiranyakashipu, I was moved by Salabega’s bhakti.

As a rasika and teacher, I can ask for no more. Can a Sanskrit scholar also speak a rustic dialect? Can a legendary classical artist be addicted to watching Bollwood films while still creating sublime art? Can a villager be moved to tears by a primarily natyadharmi performance? Can boundaries be bridged? Can a professional belly dance-cum-fusion tribal folk belly dancer aspire realistically for a successful career as a serious exponent of margi classical Odissi dance? Yes to all.

Sharon Lowen is a respected exponent of Odissi, Manipuri and Mayurbhanj and Seraikella Chau whose four-decade career in India was preceded by 17 years of modern dance and ballet in the US and an MA in dance from the University of Michigan. She can be contacted at sharonlowen.workshop@gmail.com