Classic Indian Dance Comes to Wellesley, June 27, 2009

Jothi Raghavan will present a solo dance theater performance on June 27, 2009, at the Sorenson Theatre for Performing Arts at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. (photo: IndiaNewEngland.com)

The following article is from IndiaNewEngland.com, June 26, 2009.

Jothi Raghavan, the well-known bharata natyam dancer and founder of the Academy of Indian Performing Arts in Westford, Mass., will present a solo dance theater performance of “Nayaki” on June 27, 2009, at 6 p.m., at the Sorenson Theatre for Performing Arts at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass.

Music for the dance performance has been composed by Rajkumar Bharati and will be played by a team of musicians from India. The American Association for Social Advancement of India is producing the show. Tickets can be purchased online at www.sulekha.com.

As the performance date nears, INDIA New England correspondent Shuchita Rao asked Raghavan the following questions:

Q. Please tell us about your background and training in bharata natyam. Briefly recount for us the teaching style of your gurus and how they inspired you to make a career as a bharatanatyam dancer and teacher.

A. I learned dance from a very early age with my mother. I am trained in the vazhuvoor style of bharatha natyam. My formal training was with guru S. K. Rajarathnam and my other gurus include C.V. Chandrashekar, Dananjayans, Kalanidhi Narayanan and Vempatti Chinnasatyam. Many other dancers have influenced me and inspired me all my life. Though I started out as a performer and had no intention of teaching, I realized the need for proper propagation of bharatha natyam in North America, and therefore I decided to teach the art form to students.

Q. What aspect of bharata natyam dancing do you find to be most interesting and challenging?

A. Bharatha natyam, a dance of contrasts, is a complex art form. While the body and arms have to be rigid, the neck and the face and the eye movements should be fluid. The feet have to stamp hard but gracefully. The jump has to be high but the landing on the ground like a feather. The patterns are geometric but curvy. The dancer has to be serene and yet vivacious. She has to be able to portray gods and demons with the same ease as she would portray animals and trees. So, the challenge is there in all aspects and one has to keep working and improving. However, the beauty of it is in the fact that bharatha natyam lends itself to dancers of all ages. While very young talent fills us with vibrant movements, the older dancer is like the gravy that gets cooked for several hours adding more and more flavor with time. The maturity that comes with life's experience makes the bharata natyam dancer's talent blossom with so many shades of beauty. Each stage of life brings on another shade in a dancer. In contrast, Western dancers work with the constraint of limited lifespan for performance. Even the young age of 30 is considered old for performance purposes. 

Q. You are presenting a solo dance performance, “Nayaki,” on June 27. Tell us about how you conceived making a dance production revolving around poet Thirumangai Alwar’s work?

A. Thirumangai Alwar is a mystic poet with a colorful background. He was a king who became a dacoit and eventually an ardent devotee of Lord Narayana. He traveled the length and breadth of India visiting temples, singing the praise of the deities in 800 A.D. when traveling was not particularly easy. His poems are soaked in bhakthi (devotion) and shringara (love). He takes on the persona of Parakala Nayaki, a lovelorn maiden, and longs for a reunion with her lover, Lord Narayana. This gives a lot of scope for bharatha natyam choreography as shringara, the queen of emotions, has always been a favorite of bharatha natyam dancers. Thirumangai Alwar has also written ballads. I am dancing to one of them called “Siriya Thirumadal.” In this ballad, the heroine falls in love with a pot-juggling acrobat. This is very colorful with many interesting characters such as a soothsaying gypsy and the acrobat. His poems are not only romantic but also highly philosophical, filled with bhakthi. So, the audience will not only be treated with lighthearted entertainment but also to a spiritual uplift.

Q. What are some new trends in bharata natyam technique that appeal to your imagination?

A. Anything done tastefully appeals to me. Many a time I find fusion to be confusion. But, once I saw a traditional alarippu combined with modern dance movements. It was stunning. The dancers were well trained in both styles and the choreography was exquisite. I like using suggestive props. Proper lighting also makes a lot of difference in a performance. I am using theater in my presentation of “Nayaki.”

Q. There is a high level of interest in learning bharata natyam in the Boston area. As a teacher, do you recommend that students who complete arangetrams (graduation performances) pursue bharata natyam seriously to make it a conscious career choice? What will it take for good-quality amateur performers to take their dancing up to the next level and make it into a rewarding professional career?

A. Yes. bharatha natyam has become very popular all over the world. Arangetram is just the beginning. If a student wants to take Indian dancing to the next level, she/he needs to go to India for extensive training. The dancer must have a well-rounded training in music, theory and dance to become a full-fledged career dancer. The standard has gone up tremendously and the bar is set high for professional dancers.   Source:  IndiaNewEngland.com

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