A dancer's retrospective: Poise and pieces worth praise

A retrospective is a landmark event for an artiste, as it provides a comprehensive look back at their career. It explores the body of work, weaving it together with their life, experiences, and evolution. Padma Shri recipient Chitra Visweswarans retrospective included a series of events spread over a month that culminated on October 12, an important milestone for the veteran artiste, who turned 75 the same day. While the finale saw the revival of her iconic dance-theatre revival, Panchali at Bharata Kalakshetra auditorium, the evening also included the release of Chitras digital performance archive with Prasad Labs. Earlier events in September included an exhibition, What Anchored Me, Let Me Fly curated by Bhooma Padmanabhan, in collaboration with Alliance Francaise. Dance presentations by ABHAI (The Association of Bharatanatyam Artists of India) and offerings by some notable and eminent performers were also part of the line-up. Strongly bringing out the voice of the celebrated artiste with sensitivity and poignancy was the conversation with Sukanya Ravindhar and Shreya Nagarajan Singh. It touched on Chitras exposure to other dance forms as well as on some personal decisions and challenges. On breaking away and pushing the boundaries of tradition, not only did the reasons for change come to light, but it also brought out Chitras conviction to effect change. More such talks are needed to reinforce and remind the next generation on how to reinvent traditions deftly and prudently. To fully appreciate the large body of work, creative brilliance, and exceptionalism of the veteran artiste, I reached out to Sukanya Ravindhran, a senior disciple and staff member of Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA, an establishment of Chitra). Sukanyas own journey in CAPA spans four decades, and over the years, she has been a witness to many musicals being brought to life as a moving sculpture. When asked to describe one iconic choreography of Padma Shri Chitra Visweswaran, she recollected, My earliest memory goes back to her signature composition Jagadhodharana . The act of putting baby Krishna to sleep appealed to my subconscious me, as an 8-year-old child, that I always looked forward to watching her dancing this piece whenever my mother pulled me to her concerts. Once I joined her dance school, I watched her rehearse the same. This time around my perspective had shifted and I was amazed by the realism she brought just through gestures of rocking the baby to sleep without actually having anything in her hand. And she was doing all this with the frameworks of rhythm and patterns. As I grew older, when I started doing nattuvangum for her, my perception had gotten deeper and more complex. About this time, I was able to admire how she brought spontaneity and freshness each time to the composition. And then, finally, one day, when she decided to teach it to me, I had jitters. But this is where I attribute her greatness. She comforted me and asked me not to imitate her, but rather make it my own. Learning begins first as mime and imitation; that is why originality is the hallmark of an artiste whose thirst is excellence. Since originality is an expression of a rare, unthinkable, and uncommon, composing is a very sacred activity for any artiste. For a dancer, composing means engaging with an idea from a text that will aptly suit a musical. After identifying the idea, they undergo penance for a spark. In their search for presenting an idea with a new twist, all visual artistes choose to disconnect from the outer world. This phase of disengagement is often necessary to assimilate, ruminate, and structure thoughts and feelings, as creativity always stems from chaos. Artistes are most vulnerable in this phase. And their restlessnessis unearthly! While many times they are lost in wanderings, sometimes they are precariously hanging from an imaginative cloud to catch that one glimpse of perspective never seen or expressed before. With this understanding of what goes into composing, visiting Chitras choreography of Jagadodharna would involve appreciating not only how she presents the psyche of Yashoda and Krishna, but also how honestly the sentiment of Purandaradasa is appropriated. It doesnt stop there. The dancer would also have to tap into the emotional quotients of the choreographer, using the cultural consciousness of the land from lived experiences of nativity. This is critical in order to anchor the aesthetic sentiment of the creative. After dotting the Is and crossing the Ts of these steps, she would then move on to intellectualising the poetics, adding layers on to how a word like aprameyana , meaning beyond all measurement can be visually enacted, with merely the power of gaze. When an intent rasika and a dedicated student like Sukanya picks up on such elements of artistry, it creates awe and admiration for the artistry. The assertion that temple visual forms integrate verbal, kinesthetic, naturalistic, and spatial elements that are supported by imagery, storytelling, movement, and built heritage is meant to uplift the sensory experience. While today CG and AI are generating jaw-dropping visuals, the ability to interpret the simplicity of ancient ideas and sentiments is truly the visual literacy of forms. When engaged in quiet solitude, it could make one more deeply thinking and reflective, adding purpose to life and existence.