Traditional art forms infused with contemporary rhythm in Dhaara

BENGALURU: In a one-of-its-kind collaboration, Dhaara will see the coming together of Kathak, Carnatic music, infused with modern elements of rhythm and movement. Here, Kathak dancers, Nirupama and Rajendra will be performing to music by Jayanthi Kumaresh and R Kumaresh – the veena and violin maestros. Apart from this, two percussionists, Praveen D Rao and Pramath Kiran will be adding beats and rhythm to the entire performance. The proceeds that will be collected from this performance, will be donated to the flood victims in Kerala and Kodagu. City Express spoke to Nirupama to get an insight into the elements of dance, music and instrumentals used in the show.
Excerpts:
 
Tell us about Dhaara...
Dhaara means creative outpour. We always wanted to collaborate with Jayanti Kumaresh and R Kumaresh (violin and veena artists). They bring in a lot of modern flavours and creativity with classical art. This is a beautiful synergy of dance and music. Normally in dance, there is a lot of poetry and thematic content, but here, it’s going to be instrumental.

So you’re saying there are a lot of elements being used for this performance?
Absolutely. We are going to show nature, rhythm, melody, all these things. There’s going to be a lot of improvisation, percussion,  instrument music, our footwork. And we are bringing an element called fluid art. So, through colours, lighting costume, it’s going to be an out and out entertainment performance.  

What do you mean by ‘innovative’ classical dance?
By innovative, I mean, for example, there will be an exploration of rhythm in our performance. Even our movements will be different. Classical has a particular language, here we are going to extend its language. We are creating a special set for this, where we are going to be using levels, different backdrops, play with water pools and rhythm. It’s going to be something new for people to watch.

Will the show also comprise the set traditional forms?
Some of the compositions will have all traditional content. One scene is going to be of Radha and Krishna, their last night of seeing each other. For this we are doing a unique composition. Apart from that, we will be doing solos and duets. We have various theme-based compositions – valour, love, nature and water. We also have a funky composition, where there’s a lot of drumming involved. We are bringing in fresh content, inspired from the classics. We are keeping the content, collaboration, movements new, but with identifiable rhythms.
    Apart from using this music with our dance, we are also going do a dance in silence. Also, for one of the music compositions, we are going to become percussionists, where only our footwork will be giving the rhythm. We are challenging ourselves in different ways with this endeavour.
   Dhaara, a musical dance journey, will be held on October 20, 7 pm, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall. Tickets are available on bookmyshow.com. For donor passes, call on +91 95388 28589. For sponsorship, call on +91 93432 16765.