UNIVERSAL VALUES THROUGH DANCE
Shankar Kandasamy’s latest stage offering has a Pan-Indian theme, from the ageold story of good over evil to the costumes, writes Subhadra Devan
THE Hindu god Krishna is a central figure in India and Indian culture but the tale of his journey (ayanam) across a river, as told in an upcoming dance drama, is not one bound to Hinduism.
As artistic director Shankar Kandasamy says of the Dec 3 to 4 dance drama
Krishnaayanam: “It has universal themes of beauty and goodness overcoming evil, which is relatable to every culture. The show will hopefully inspire, even serve as an eye-opener to those who don’t know much about Lord Krishna’s exploits and his life.”
The Temple of Fine Arts original production, Krishnaayanam, plays on the word “ayanam”, which many may know from the title of the epic story, Ramayana, as in Rama’s travel.
“Ramayana is Prince Rama leaving Ayodha for Lanka to rescue Sita and returning. That’s basically it. Krishna did not travel the length and breadth of the country. He’s taken across the river, and returns. The journey is comparatively short but I hope the story will travel into the hearts of people. It’s an internal journey, as we are in conflict with our heart about many things.
“The idea was ignited by dance director P. Suryakala from India. She was the head of bharathanatyam at TFA in the early 1980s,” says Shankar, the current TFA head of bharatanatyam.
Shankar says she is currently based at TFA Chennai, and that the septuagenarian gave her stamp of approval on the direction of Krishnaayanam on a recent visit to Malaysia.
ECLECTIC DANCE STYLES
In the upcoming show, the story begins with Lord Krishna who was carried across the Yamuna river as a newborn for his safety. The eight-scene narrative adheres to the traditional Bhagavatha Purana (a revered text in the Hindu tradition on Vishnu), laced with episodes on the birth of Krishna beginning with the devas pleading to Lord Vishnu torid the earth of the tyranny of Asuras led by Kansa.
The other scenes include Putana’s deliverance, the Gopis teasing Krishna and Dancing on Kaliya.
The TFA production draws eclectically from such dance styles as bharatanatyam, odissi, kathak, modern and folk forms. The performers, about 50, are all from the institute, and trained in most of the Indian dance styles.
Shankar is aided in the dance choreography by the senior dance students of TFA. He says: “They too have good ideas. Dance requires practice and so too doing choreography.”
REACHING OUT
The two-hour performance will be accompanied by a live music ensemble, where both north and south Indian instruments will be played by Malaysians.
Krishnaayanam is part of the Shantanand Festival of Arts, which also offers workshops and master classes.
For Shankar, festivals like this are a way of reaching out to a larger audience. “I did workshops at the previous festivals and it offers people the chance to see the training and discipline involved in dance. I had members of the audience coming up to me to ask if I was going to perform later or they told me they didn’t realise how much went into a performance.
“I recall two people who said they came from Hong Kong for the festival, thank you YouTube!” he says gleefully.
VARIETY AND DIVERSITY
This year sees the third edition of the Shantanand Festival of Arts, starting Nov 29 till Dec 4.
Says its current festival director Hariraam Tingyuan Lam: “The way we (with co-director Prem Sagar) have structured this year’s festival was with the intention of giving each participant, including the artistes, a chance to interact while learning.
“So there is only one performing group per day who will be conducting the workshop/masterclass. “The weekend is the exception as we want to welcome children to be part of the arts workshops. Interaction time and soaking in the moment of learning is our priority this year for each and every member, participant and artiste,” says Hariraam.
The festival is themed Jom (Come on or Let’s go), as the festival directors wanted the six-day event to attract Malaysians of different backgrounds.
“This year, we have selected Malaysian artistes and performers who are not only professionals in the arts scene here but who are also very in touch with Malaysian traditions and culture, and yet upto-date with contemporary expressions and ideas.”
They include the well-known Dua Space, Atari Dance Project (martial arts through contemporary dance and ideas), musicians Nadir, upcoming band Four Leaf Clover, who will present their compositions of Malaysian and Folkish/Irish flavours, and the Apsara Arts Academy from Singapore, a bharathanatyam group who will be presenting Anjasa, a dance drama on Buddhist monuments and architectures.
TFA will also present an original music production called Pranati.
WALKING THE TALK
Being a festival director “is no joke”, says 25-year-old Hariraam, who is also a parttime violin tutor currently pursuing his music degree at Aswara.
“Prem and I would have never imagined that we would be doing the things that we are doing today for this festival. It started off as a casual discussion among some of our friends in Devi’s Corner, Bangsar. We were thinking of ways to improve our methods of working and presenting ourselves in TFA. Naturally, the topic of the Shantanand Festival of Arts came up and those of us who were there were on a roll. coming up with ideas to improve on the festival. That same night, we all agreed that instead of just talking the talk, we should walk the walk! And we carried on from there.
“I believe that no matter what position you hold, it is still work and you would have to do the best of your capacity to ensure that your job is done well,” he says.