...but Smeetha and her Saida are trying
DURING the unrest in France in the 1960s, some students at the Sorbonne put up a poster that read: “Be realistic, demand the impossible.” The cultural life of Smeetha Maharaj seems to have been guided by this principle. The more impossible the mission, the more she has been driven to pursue it relentlessly.
The past weekend was her crowning glory, as it was for the dance gurus of some of South Africa’s leading dance academies. They created a surge of hope out of profound hopelessness that overwhelmed the once impregnable Durban Playhouse Theatre.
Indian classical dancers from some of the leading dance schools came together to showcase their talent at the Nritya ka Aangan dance celebration that officially inaugurated the South African Indian Dance Alliance (Saida) in the city.
As usual Saida lived up to its reputation as a movement coalescing different impulses from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and almost every other part of India. The three-day programme amalgamated traditional Bharatanatyam, Kathak, folk and contemporary elements with a seminar on the history and evolution of dance in the country, and the additional dimension of communicating its meaning with the interpretation of words, culminating in new directions in dance. In every aspect – dance, music, costumes and presentation – the organisers scored.
Ms Maharaj and her fellow gurus, among them Verushka Pather, Vasugi Singh, Yogambal Singaram, Manormani Govender, Kantharuby Munsamy, Manesh Maharaj, Suria Govender and Selvarani Naicker, demonstrated how steadfast they are in their commitment to Indian classical dance. They are responding to the sentiments to bridge the worlds they live in and the ones they perform through their work in dance, that emphasises their inherent pluralism.
Other pieces included a portrayal of the Devadasi as lived by Indo-American dancer Aniruddha S Knight, who was accompanied by his father Douglas; flautist Moorthy Thauthai; and vocalists Usha Shivakumar and Nrithya Pandiyan. The composition and choreography attempted to emphasise Indian classical dance as lived history. The narrative hasn’t changed, but how the artistes communicated it, has.
The local Indian dance scene is teeming with talented, dynamic and dedicated young artists. One of the thoughts motivating the formation of the Saida was to highlight talent by giving performers a stage.
The impression created was that all the dancers who performed were in their own way carrying forward the essence of the Alliance — in their mentor’s footsteps. They created a pattern by keeping alive the momentum triggered by the source, with little or no funding.
The government of India pitched in with a share of sponsorship.
It is habitual for organisations to make justifiable – and sometimes exaggerated – demands on the tiers of governments for patronage and funding, and it is equally routine for organs of state to reject them peremptorily. Yet it was singularly discourteous for the eThekwini Municipality, the provincial and national arts and culture departments and, for that matter, the so-called patrons of the arts, not to be at any of the days of the festival. The response of a provincial administration functionary was the rhetorical “did they know about it?”
It was compelling to wonder whether one’s indignation was devoid of merit, and to suggest that the government mandarins are out of touch with what is happening in Indian art and culture.
More disquieting was the speculation that the stayaway was an assault on the cherished assumptions of ‘rainbow’ nationhood, especially during the observance of Heritage Month.
Disdainfully
Another disappointment was the poor public response. The wider citizenry that should, ideally, have informed perceptions of their heritage and inheritance also disdainfully stayed away.
The same explanation was trotted out in a straw poll. “We didn’t know about it. There wasn’t much publicity.” The Saida advisory panel should take note.
An Indian South African who was relatively concerned with his/her “rich cultural heritage” has become even less so. An enlightened yet critical view of how our ancestors coped with challenges and uncertainties has been replaced by either idyllic or prejudicial fantasies.
It is time to debunk the notion that classical Indian dance is the preserve of a few. As Ms Vasugi Singh contextualised, Indian dance is blessed with deep, indigenous cultural roots.
In size, traditional Indian classical, folk and contemporary dance has grown exponentially.
The horizons have shrunk but the visions are broadened. If they are to be all that they think of themselves as, these dances must progress well beyond the reality of nostalgia as their biggest appeal and Saida as their next great success story.
Over the weekend we imbibed a good enough dose of Indian dance for the new Alliance to lead the way to future prospects for this performing art form. So far, its strength has been its coming together. It needs to widen its horizons and give Indian dance a new dimension.