Breaking free from the mould

Bharatanatyam dancer Savitha Sastry is redefining the dance form and its philosophy to suit the present times

Contemporary Bharatanatyam redefines the boundaries on the expressiveness of the art form. This is exactly what Savitha Shastry is seeking to achieve. Born in Hyderabad, she moved to Delhi and then to Chennai at the age of four. Since then dance has been the core of her life.

S av i t h a ’ s latest performance titled Soul Cages that was staged this Saturday in the city captures the cycle of life and death as a journey and not an end in itself. Her husband Srikanth, who scripted the ballet, explains, “The whole idea was born because there are times she would have to explain things to me as I couldn’t understand the story being narrated through her dance. I realised that if I could not understand, there could be many more out there. That's how the idea of performing to the stories came up.”

“To understand why it’s called Soul Cages, you’ll have to watch the performance. Then you will realise that it fits perfectly,” he adds.

What about criticism from purists who could object to the idea of redefining the art form? “People are entitled to their views. If you don’t like my performance, you’re free to not watch it. I love the traditional art form, but we need to change according to the times. I can’t perform to a piece where I invite Lord Krishna to come home because my husband has gone out. There’s a new term for that today,” defends Savitha.

What does she have to say about fusion dance being the latest trend? “Fusion is fine as long as there is a purpose behind the act. If one is fusing different dance forms just for the sake of it, then what is the point? I do not know if I would do it,” she says.

Is there anyone from Hyderabad that she would like to collaborate with? “The list is long but I have tremendous respect for Raja and Radha Reddy,” Savitha

says.