‘Teaching is a natural extension of learning and I took to it with ease’
Jyotsna Shourie has been involved with dance throughout her life, first as a student, then as a performer, then as a teacher and now as a choreographer and curator of the arts. She speaks to Guardian 20 about her work and what made her pick Bharatanatyam in the first place. Q. If you could share with our readers some details about your recent choreographic piece Varanasi that you performed in the National Capital. A. The production is a combination of an audio visual show and Bharatanatyam performance which brings to life the nuances of the ancient yet vibrant city of Varanasi — where Lord Shiva and Parvati are venerated and where the holy Ganga river flows absolving the sins of millions. It is a city dotted with temples of historical and religious importance. The beautiful evening aarti and the heady chanting of mantras attract thousands of people from all over the world. The choreography, concept, narration and the script have been conceptualized by me while the music is performed by O. S. Arun. Our performance approximately lasts for the duration of an hour and 15 minutes.
Actually this act was conceptualized about 6 to 7 years ago and was presented extensively at that time in different cities. We were delighted to perform Varanasi at the HCL Concerts platform as well. HCL’s dedication and efforts are a much needed impetus in the field of art. HCL Concerts and our efforts become all the more significant in today’s world where artistic influences counter-balance the stress and strife and bring us closer together with a feeling of joy and co-operation. Q. You tend to also use a lot of audio-visuals for most of your choreographies. What is the reason for this? If you could also share with our readers, in detail, the kind of choreographies that you have done in this context. A. I conceptualized the combination of audio visuals with dance over 30 years ago and my maiden attempt was showcasing the work of the 12th century poet Jayadeva in “Gitagovindam” — a story of Krishna, Radha and her sakhis. The 8 line hymns or ashtapadis are often used both in Bharatanatyam and Odissi. My intention was to give my audience a glimpse of this entire epic Sanskrit poem using dance and visuals. Certain verses were translated to English while visuals from 7 computerized projectors simultaneously appeared on multi- screens. The audio visual was produced by my late friend Ajai Lal and the visuals were shot by Avinash Pasricha. Music was soulfully rendered by vocalist O.S. Arun, with whom I still work for all such creative projects. Thus dance and visual, poetry and music unfolded to bring the story alive. It is not always that I use audio visuals but wherever it lends itself to enhance the content, I am drawn to it. In “The Birth of Jesus,” we combined Bharatanatyam, carol singing and visuals to innovatively tell the Nativity story and it was a proud moment when we were invited to the Vatican City to perform before a huge crowd. In the Krishna Chalisa, (the 40 line prayer) that is commonly recited by devout Hindus, I used the audio visual and dance format, but adopted Bhajan singing for the lyrics. Q. How did you get into this field? Did you always want to become a Bharatnatyam practitioner? A. I started my dance lessons at the age of six. I had my Arangetram at the age of 10 under the able guidance of the gurus of Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharatanatyam Kala Mandir in Mumbai. At this institution, besides learning the technique, I developed love for this art form. I have been involved with dance throughout my life, first as a student, then as a performer, then as a teacher and now as a choreographer and curator of the arts. I have performed extensively across India and abroad.
In 1990, I established my own Bharatanatyam institution in Delhi called the The Jyotsna Shourie Dance Society. Q. What made you decide to take up teaching this art form? A. Teaching is a natural extension of learning. I took to it with ease as I enjoy exposing youngsters to the nuances of our classical arts in a way that makes it an enjoyable learning experience. This is also one of the reasons why I associated with HCL Concerts as they too believe in the same philosophy. Though many may not emerge as professional dancers, it gives every student a strong sense of rhythm, an understanding of music, a natural grace and confidence as they learn to shed their inhibitions. Also, through teaching and choreographing dance dramas, I have had to delve into religious texts and do research in different areas. This has helped me grow both as an individual and as a practitioner of the art. Q. Most classical dance forms, outside of festivals and specific programmes, exist marginally. They are either lapped with ‘creative dance’ and dubbed as fusion or Bollywood-ised. Could you shed some light on this sad state of classical dance in India? A. All aesthetic movement is dance and whether it is Bollywood, fusion or classical, it creates joy which everyone should experience, either as a participant or a viewer. Bharatanatyam is appreciated everywhere and today classical dance is poised for a huge revival. There are creative artists with great expertise, in every corner of India, who are training religiously, without the motivation of monetary returns, and are committed to furthering our traditional arts. The government helps by promoting festivals in the major tourist destinations. But we still need more promoters and platforms like HCL Concerts who will help make dance a viable option for artists who wish to pursue it professionally. We need auditoriums and venues to display our work so that the dance forms can grow, we need the public to sponsor us by getting used to paying for witnessing an art form that has been nurtured by the performer for years. If this happens our dance will flourish, and so will creativity.
I conceptualised the combination of audio visuals with dance over 30 years ago and my maiden attempt was showcasing the work of the 12th century poet Jayadeva in “Gitagovindam” — a story of Krishna, Radha and her sakhis.
Q. What will be your advice for budding classical dance enthusiasts? A. My advice to budding artists is to delve deeper into every aspect of the art, to see as many performances as possible, to acquaint oneself with music and singing, to understand stagecraft and lighting as today, these are important tools in reaching out to the audience.