Adding new dimensions to creativity

 

 

Artists don't always need words to express themselves. For the artists, who set the stage on fire with their fine nuances, dance is the language of the soul and they dance to express. Gurus Nirupama Rajendra and T D Rajendra are that and so much more. The celebrated soloists create sheer magic with their deft footwork when they get on the stage together. Much like two wholes coming together to make a stronger whole, there is style, substance, synchrony, symmetry, and an inexplicable charm to their stunning performances. Celebrated for their expressions, movements, energy and presentation, the dynamic dancing couple proves that a flick of a wrist or a blink of an eye can speak a thousand words.

 

The doyens of the Indian classical and their dance company - Abhinaya Dance Company - have become the toast of the Indian Classical scene in India and abroad. Deeply ingrained in tradition, the duo’s productions are a fusion of ethnic and contemporary dance with musical influences from genres like Jazz, Spanish, Afro, and World Music. Great music, designer costumes, razzmatazz sound, and lighting effects have come to define their stunning productions. Speaking as one voice and often completing each other’s sentences, the graceful and articulate couple redefine the definition of ‘two bodies and one soul’ with their seamless unity. Talking about their broadway style presentations, Nirupama Rajendra says, “An artist cannot be an egoist. He has to take a few steps to connect to his audience so they can step forward. Classical dancers have to embrace the world. Assuming that an artist will only perform for a niche audience is being naive. In today’s milieu, we have to present Kathak in a form that everyone can enjoy. “We have seen broadway musicals, Las Vegas shows and more and realised that we can easily present Kathak as a musical production, one which is rooted in tradition. Kathak, after all, is katha vachan. So we have brought the story-telling element back to Kathak. Our speciality is crafting new choreographies rooted in our traditions. We are not diluting the form, though the treatment is modern. We are adding new dimensions to the possibilities of creativity. Keeping the four modes of communication -- Aangika, Vaachika, Ahariya and the most important Satvikam - in our Natya Shastra very much intact," adds T D Rajendra. The Bangalore-based couple- proud recipients of various prestigious dance titles- have tinged the North Indian classical dance form with a subtle shastric flavour. Their distinctive repertoire of performances is testimony to the fact that when art is only about aesthetics and not boundaries, it opens up new possibilities and expands creative limits.

 

"Our presentations have many stories, Kalidas' work, Valmiki's Ramayana, Draupadi, Mahabharata and more woven into the production. When Kathak is presented as a story, the audience can feel all your emotions and has a higher recall value," asserts Nirupama Rajendra, whose dance academy, Abhinaya Dance Company, is home to 600 students! For the past several years, Nirupama and Rajendra have emerged as a successful Kathak duo, performing at crème da la crème festivals in India and abroad. But Kathak was not the first choice. Nirupama Rajendra is an accomplished Bharatanatyam soloist, while Rajendra, also a Bharatanatyam artist, belongs to a 63-member joint family who are harikatha practitioners. But they were fascinated by the story-telling facet of Kathak, the ghungroos, and sitar and wanted to tell stories through movements! Their training happened at many levels, with Guru Maya Rao's introduction to Kathak, then learning the contemporary Kathak under trailblazer Kumidini Lakhia, with valuable inputs gleaned from Pandit Arjun Mishra of the Lucknow Gharana, and the finer nuances of Lahori Kathak under Pakistani Kathak icon Nahid Siddiqui, among many others.

 

Working with a partner for 33 years, who is also a dancer, comes with challenges. "We are always in sync in our thoughts. But we have our strengths as well. For example, Rajendra is extraordinary with lighting and sound, and I am versatile in several dance forms, so I handle the choreography. We have one common passion and love for art, so things like who is right never emerges. For us, it is always 'what is right’. We complement each other. If I'm the melody, he will be the rhythm; we are married to our art," they laughingly add. Talking about the road ahead, Nirupama says, "Any good work will always be remembered. All the Insta dances and trend of reels are but for that moment. It is forgotten faster than the time it took to play. No one can be immune to the tapas and sadhana of a true artist. Those who watch a live performance will never forget it. Though the maestros are few, but their effect will be everlasting," Nirupama Rajendra says on the parting note. with pic: w/emails/satish/28*1*23/ 0476 caption: Didi Krishna Kumari, Executive Head of Sadhu Vaswani Mission, during an interaction with media on Saturday. Ghanshyamdas Kukreja, Dheeraj Chaudhari, Daulat Kungwani and Manju Matani look on.