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PAPER 8 DANCES AND DANCE DRAMAS OF SOUTH EAST ASIA MASK DANCES OF SOUTH EAST ASIA /ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES FOR PERFORMING ARTS (DANCE) DANCE THERAPY MODULE 24 DANCE EDUCATION Since last couple of decades, there is tremendous development in all aspects of all classical dance styles of India be it technique, methods of teaching, presentation, costumes, music, themes and everything. It is very difficult for a young aspirant to make a choice between the traditional and modern. How to find the midway is everyone’s struggle. To understand this process better, we look at contemporary developments in classical dance styles- namely Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Mohini Attam, Manipuri and Sattariya. We begin by looking at the eastern styles of Manipuri, Sattariya and Odissi, while the second part looks at the styles of Mohini Attam, Kathakali and Kuchipudi. Some dance classical traditions are very strongly linked with living practices. Sattariya is one of them, recognized as a national form as recently as the year 2000. Despite the very fact that Sattariya was recognized as a ‘major dance tradition of India’ in atonement of decades of neglect of Assamese aspirations, the interventions on its ‘body’ continue. In Assam, those who are well informed of the sensitivities of the Sattariya culture, and are knowledgeable about 1 the fact that Sattariya is a living tradition and presently living a double life of being both a ritual and a stage art, hesitate to transgress ‘maryada’, despite the freedom that comes from a stage art, citing its ritual sensibility. They hesitate to use sahitya from a text other than that produced in the sattras, as its very nomenclature- Sattariya, belonging to the sattras- would result in disapproval and frowns. Thus, when the Sattariya Kendra presented the work “Chandalika” based on Tagore’s poetry, and choreographed by Jatin Goswami the senior most Sattariya teacher today and the recipient of the Padmashri and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, many critical voices were heard. But the Chandalika project was something that was done to mark the 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, and thus is not something one sees very often. Another effort that took literature from outside the Sattariya tradition was Anita Sharma’s work on the seasons in which she was inspired by Kalidas’ “Ritu Samhara” and took verses from Tagore’s literature. It once again created a similar buzz in Assam, but Anita’s potential and talent was recognized with the Sangeet Natak Akademi award. There is another variant of creative work that is happening with Sattariya. In an attempt to project the richness of the Indian dance forms there has been a tendency to create a spectacle using multiple dance forms. Increasingly is Sattariya finding place in it. Guwahati based Sattariya dancer, Sharodi Saikia’s “Chaturang” comes to mind. A similar trend, less developed though, is the use of Sattariya’s texts and performance features being used by other dance forms. In 2013 for instance, Mumbai based Sattariya dancer, Prateesha Suresh attempted that with dancers of Mohiniattam, Odissi and 2 Bharatanatyam, interpreting the Borgeets of Sankardev. But as Sattariya is still at the stage of discovering itself for the stage, while there is creativity a plenty in this direction, there are few ‘contemporary’ works being attempted. Even in the case of Manipuri dance, it has been a great challenge for Manipuri dancers to tamper with the tradition. However, Manipuri choreographers like Delhi based R.K. Singhjit Singh and his wife Charu Sija Mathur, Chao Tombi Singh, and the young non-Manipuri choreographer from Kolkata, Priti Patel, have extended the boundaries of Manipuri dance with contemporary sensibilities and themes. With the political life of the state ever being in turmoil, it is hard for one who represents the culture of the land to stay away from issues of violence, asymmetrical power equations and human rights. In “Nupi Lan’ – Women’s Struggle (2000) choreographer Charu Sija, has dealt with the element of female power that surfaces to save the families from starvation and exploitation. The role of the mothers in keeping Manipuri society safe is well known. They stay awake all night ensuring that no one makes nuisance after drinking. They fight against the menace of drug smuggling to which the young fall victim. And they keep an eye against human rights transgressions, in every which way they can. Thus the woman/ mother is a very strong image in Manipuri culture. Priti Patel in “Malem”, (The Earth, 1998) interprets the myth of Earth as mother and shows how it is used as commodity and destroyed. In another mythological story, “Nahal Nog” (2003), she interprets the challenge by the goddess of lightning, a metaphor for female force, to those who attempt to destroy the earth. In “Agni” (Fire), created in 2005, Priti Patel explores abstract concepts with an acrobatic dance 3 tradition. Choreographer Chao Tombi deals with a vanishing species of Sangai deer found on the floating islands of the Loktak Lake, in a ballet titled “Keibul Lamjao” (1986). These works are a far cry from the traditional all night dance-dramas like Rasalilas, the dances of Lord Krishna. But possibly, the credit for looking beyond and incorporating different elements from the Manipuri tradition, to create a new, goes to the extremely brilliant and prolific, Guru Bipin Singh. Initially his work was looked at with a certain shock value, and in hushed tones it was attributed to his Cachar based training, but today, Manipuri dance has achieved a pan Indian position largely due to his innovative choreographies. It must also be said that great masters of yore, like Guru Amubi Singh have acknowledged at various times his brilliance. He used from the many rich tala traditions of Manipuri to embellish pieces and also the various formations that one sees in the Raas dances and which even find mention in ancient texts including the Natyashastra, like ‘shrinkha/�ംखर ऱा’, ‘latabanda/ऱताबംध’, ‘bhedyka/भे饍यका’, ‘gulma/गु쥍म’ and ‘pindibandha/पऩംडीबन्ध’ to work artistically with groups. His “Krishnaroopvarnan/क्रिष्ण셂ऩवणणन”, “Krishna Nartan/क्रिष्णनतणन ”, “Shukhasari dwanda/शुखसारी 饍वन्द”, “Khubak eishei/खुबक एइशइे ” are land mark pieces. He broke gender barriers and made the women play the pung, and built pieces around women playing the pung. In fact in “Anangakshep/अनംगाऺेऩ”, he gave Radha a strong voice as he chided Kamadeva to keep his arrows in check for she was not Parvati! Because of his path breaking efforts, today, young dancers do not shy away from deviating from the 4 tradition. They boldly attempt to bring in elements of martial arts, especially Thang ta, which quicken the pace and invest the form with a pulsating, throbbing and vital element of drama and energy. In the case of Odissi dance, the entire dance form is a product of a creative process since it was reconstructed at Kala Vikash Kendra and other such centers in accordance mostly to rules formulated in the conclave called Jayantika. In the immense creativity that preceded the recognition of Odissi, it was Kelucharan Mahapatra, who raced ahead, as a result of his extremely fecund mind. This fact got acknowledged in the first Sangeet Natak Akademi award that was bestowed on him in 1966. Initially he was hesitant to use any other style, even from the many kinetic options available in Odisha itself, but while choreographing ‘Eklavya/एकऱव्य’ he incorporated Chhau, as he felt the martial overtones in the theme warranted its inclusion. He used it again in ‘Ardhanarishwara/अधणनारीश्वर’ and Ileana then carried forward this initiative in her “Maya Darpan/माया दऩणण”. The gateways of creativity having been opened by the first generation of gurus of Odissi, today, examples of the creativity in Odissi abound. Sonal Mansingh, created a whole range of work guided in her research by the scholar Jiwan Pani. She was inspired by Odisha’s Pala art to create “Sunayana/सुनयना” and “Sukuntala/शकംु तऱा”. She used her training in Odissi and Chhau to create “Jara/जरा” base on Sitakanta Mahapatra’s poem about the tribal hunter. From a popular folk tale she created “Kaluri Benta”, just as Madhavi created “Tapoi” from the maritime folklore of Odisha. 5 One of the most important points of discord has been around the music of Odissi. So original ragas of Jayadev’s Geet Govind were re- introduced by Sonal Mansingh, Hindustani music pallavis were created by great musicians like Pt. Jasraj, in the Jasraj Pallavi for Protima Bedi, in the many Pallavis created for Madhavi and Arushi Mudgal, by Madhup Mudgal and even by Ramahari Das, the great Odissi music composer in recent times. Madhup Mudgal also created the music for Madhavi mudgal’s path breaking choreography “Sohamasmi” that visually deconstructed the symmetry of Odissi and presented it in an off centre view. Even when it came to the percussion, the inclusion of the Dakhani/दखनी Mridanga in the aural scape of the percussion, created a conflict between Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra and his Kolkata based student Sharmila Biswas, as the Guru felt that it was not within the ‘vidhi’ of Odissi. But again, most of Odissi was a creative effort, albeit, sanctified by the ‘Jayantika’ process. Sharmila Biswas, a disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, is a seasoned Odissi dancer with a well-trained group of dancers. A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award for 2011 for her contribution to Odissi, her studies of traditions of Odisha are replete with deep research. “Devi Bharani/देवी भरणी”, in praise of Goddess Sambaleshwari/सംबऱेश्वरी, is based on rituals and music of Western Odisha. Every year during the festival of Dussera, the Goddess’s spirit is evoked with ritual music, called Devi Bharani, which evokes a trance like mood.

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