Yes, they blended

The seamless fusion of Bharatnatyam and American contemporary dance showed how the NY-based Battery Dance company shape-shifted itself with purist Unnath Hassan Rathnaraju

If you ever thought that tradition could not blend with modernity and would only remain the source with the latter being a derivative, you would be forced to revise your opinion after watching a fusion act of Bharatnatyam and contemporary dance as we did.

Shakti: A Return To The Source,  which celebrated the spirit of womanhood, was the result of a creative cooperation between the New York-based Battery Dance troupe and Indian dancer Unnath Hassan Rathnaraju. Matching beats to the Raag Durga, beautifully rendered by musicians Rajan Mishra and Sajan Mishra, they had the Kamani Auditorium in thrall.

The evening began with a solo classical act by Rathnaraju which took us on a whirlwind of emotions from grief to anger. The gradual crescendo brought to light the hardships a woman has to go through in her everyday life. It was followed by the sensual performance of five American dancers as a counterpoint of liberation and freedom.  The resolution came in the jugalbandi of the third act.

Jonathan Hollander, president and artistic director of the Battery Dance company, said, “The Indo-American fusion was one of my dream projects. This country holds a special place in my heart. I was intrigued by the idea of what I could offer to the Indian audience. So I experimented by merging the style I specialise in with Bharatnatyam. The concept was purely to see what comes out when the chemistry element is added into a classical dance which is generally individualistic in its nature.”

Hollander has lived in India for around 16 years. He was quite familiar with art and culture which consequently propelled him to cross the boundaries of art. “We all are fellow travellers of the world and it becomes our duty to co-exist, appreciate and empower each other. The reason for touring India was to share with the audience how an American would interpret civilisational artforms and culture”, he added.

Rathnaraju fluidly shifts from traditional to modern and ensures that he  stays connected with his roots. “This collaboration was initially challenging as both styles are entirely different from each other. But according to my observation, contemporary dance is not limited to chemistry but it’s also about sensing and supporting the partner”, he asserted. The artiste’s brush with dance happened when he was only seven-years-old and is proud of representing India at several international platforms including USA, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Sharing memorable aspects of the performance, he said, “The third part of the fusion act involved comical elements which were inspired from a quarrel between a mother-in-law and her son’s wife. This is how the the final act depicted the complexities in a married woman’s life.”

However, it’s not incorrect to say that perfection comes with sincerity. This diligence was evident in the performance of Robin Cantrell who started learning contemporary dance at the tender age of four. “A dance form like this has many intricacies and has to be perfected from the rehearsal till the day of performance. A warm-up for a good 15 minutes is ensured to achieve  balance, flexibility, strength and stamina to feel and connect with the partner while performing,” she said. The artist believes that contemporary dance is equipped with openness, feelings, emotions and lends itself to some  aspects of ballet.

Added she, “This collaboration was not easy as it comes from varied countries. The biggest issue was how to partner with a classical dance form which doesn’t involve touching whereas the other is all about feel and touch. It took us a long time to strike a balance and share a space where we both could feel each other and flow into each other’s grammar.”

Comparing the feedback of both countries, Cantrell surprised us with her honesty: “According to my experience, the Indian audience sees performances in a more respectful manner whereas the American audience is louder and cheering. In the very first show in India, we thought Indians might not like our fusion as they didn’t cheer us while performing. But they approached us just as passionately and appreciated us in the end. I believe it’s just about mentality because dance in India comes from the Gods and that is why people seem more dedicated while watching. This shows their way of paying respect toour performances.”