Blazing 2000

Sudesh Jesuthasan in a striking Bharatanatyam pose

Shikshã-Behind the Performance

As a comparatively recently formed faculty of the ISTD, we were delighted to get the opportunity to participate in the Blazing 2000 Dance Festival at the South Bank Centre on Friday 11th August. It was a challenging experience. Our aim was to further raise awareness of the new developments in South Asian Dance (its inclusion in the ISTD portfolio), and to increase the participation of dance teachers and students in the newly created syllabuses and examinations in Bharatanatyam and Kathak run by the ISTD.

The objective for the day was to lead participants through a journey of the various steps in the education and training (shikshã) of dance whilst emphasising the role of performance in a world behind it. Trying to organise the day so that a wide spectrum of dance activities related to Bharatanatyam and Kathak could be represented took some juggling. We wanted to maintain a constant flow of energy for the participants throughout the day.

The programme for the day was fine-tuned through regular meetings and constant contact with the staff of the South Bank Centre. We awaited the day with excitement and anticipation. It was encouraging to find the ballroom floor filled with enthusiastic participants at the first event on the day. The day started appropriately with a dance 'warm-up' led by Anusha Subramanyam. All day long, the ballroom floor buzzed with dance activities.

Apart from presentations of grade work from the Bharatanatyam and Kathak syllabuses by Pushkala Gopal, Anusha Subramanyam, Sushmita Ghosh and Sushma Mehta, there were open classes in the two forms for people who had never before taken a dance step, but wanted to experience South Asian Dance. The open classes were taught by Chitra Sundaram (Bharatanatyam) and Nilima Devi (Kathak).

There were also classes at more advanced levels. All the classes gave a glimpse of the indispensable rigorous training and practice behind the fun and glamour of performance. Fortunately, we were able to involve some visiting artists from India, thereby extending an interest in the ISTD to the Indian subcontinent. Padma Sharma, Saswati Sen, and Anita Ratnam worked on the expressive aspect (abhinaya) of South Asian dance. Workshops in Hindustani music by Baluji Shrivastava and Karnatic music by Pushkala Gopal focused on the close relationship between South Asian Dance and music. In the open forum on the syllabuses led by David Henshaw, Chair of the South Asian Dance Faculty, the discussion was useful and stimulating. There were many inquiries by dance teachers and examiners at the ISTD information desk all day.

The lunchtime performance by two young professional artists, Sonia Sabri (Kathak) and Kalithasan (Bharatanatyam) was breathtaking. The day culminated in a student showcase with students of Sujata Bannerjee, Gauri Sharma and Unnikrishnan taking part. The performance was of high quality and proved that the art forms are being handed down competently. The future looks bright and hopeful.

On the whole, the day was extremely successful. We attracted new students who enquired about regular dance classes, and dance teachers who were eager to find out more about the ISTD examinations. Our aim now is to involve many more dance teachers and students. The process of awareness has begun, and we know we have taken a step in the right direction.

As it happened, the event turned out to be a complete day out for the family. Families stayed on until the evening, and as dusk fell, people witnessed an amazing dance spectacular organised by Akademi - South Asian Dance in the UK. The terraces, the roof-tops, the river bank and the balconies of the South Bank Centre all came alive with the vibrant dance and music as part of the 'Coming of Age' project, a site specific contemporary rendition of the traditional South Asian Dance forms.

It was indeed an aural and visual feast. An unforgettable end to a superb day!

Sushma Mehta

	Sonia Sabri performing fast pirouettes during the Kathak performance
	Fun with Face painting session led by Mohammed
		Nilima Devi taking the Kathak open class