In a world with clearly defined borders, it is refreshing to come across an event that promises to blur the lines between geographies. In a unique cultural collaboration, dancer Aditi Bhagwat will meld three diverse art forms — kathak, flamenco and jazz — in one evening. Spectrum 2020 is ‘A Festival of Dances from Around the World’ being produced by the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) on the evening of February 16.
Ms. Bhagwat was initially drawn to flamenco three years ago, “I tried understanding the roots, rhythm, and complexities [of flamenco] through the eyes of kathak,” said the dancer. Ms. Bhagwat, who has not trained in flamenco, believes the art form traces its roots to India’s desert State.
“The gypsy tribe of Rajasthan travelled across eastern Europe and then finally settled in the caves of Andalusia in Spain. It was then that this art form was joined by guitar and thus became a very specific dance form,” Ms. Bhagwat said in an interview with The Hindu. She said it is the modern form of flamenco that we witness today.
Ms. Bhagwat also believes modern flamenco is closer to the Jaipur-style kathak, of which she is an exponent.
Ms. Bhagwat, who has trained under Roshan Kumari and Nandita Puri, has collaborated with various musicians from different art forms during her stay in New York from 2007 onwards. She has previously worked with Hungarian jazz pianist Béla Szakcsi, Louis Banks and sitar maestro Ravindra Chary. “I believe these collaborations have been my schooling for my future works,” said Ms. Bhagwat, who has also worked with the percussionist Shivamani.
‘Flamenco jazz’ as a concept was popularised by artists like Paco de Lucia and Camarón de la Isla during the late 1960s. When Ms. Bhagwat met Bettina Castaño, a flamenco exponent from Seville in Spain, at a concert in Bhopal in December 2019, she decided to take up her idea of building a melange of flamenco-jazz and kathak. “The consul general of Spain in Mumbai were thrilled by my idea and they [have] helped in every way they could to make this collaboration happen for the sake of art,” she said.
Susan Mazer, the Philadelphia-born guitarist who is also part of the performance, believes the history of instrumental music and dance is so intertwined that it is difficult to see them as separate. “Combining flamenco with kathak and Indian-jazz fusion would be a rich experience. How much richer can the experience be for the audience?” Ms. Mazer asked.
Spectrum 2020 will also feature guitarist Sanjay Divecha, who is set to perform his original compositions. Hindustani musicians Swapnil Bhise and Shruti Bhave are the Indian counterparts for the performance along with U.S.-based jazz musician Dallas Smith.