BENGALURU: The first sign of COVID-19 in town came on March 7 at a concert. Instead of giving programme books, face-masked and latex-gloved ushers squeezed sanitisers in our palms! In just a few days, the amusement of that evening turned into what my friend Lynne Fernandez of Nrityagram describes as being “in the midst of a sci-fi horror film with the projector out of control”. My first panic call came from Gowri Ramnarayan, who creates a unique blend of theatre and dance. She had invested a huge sum into creating two productions for tours which stood cancelled.

With no guaranteed rescheduling in the near future, she pondered if this will lead to her company having to close its doors.Bengaluru’s Parshwanath Upadhye who has had his US tour of sold-out performances cancelled, wondered whether the US government would consider extending artistes’ visas. Fernandez added that tours of October-November are looking precarious too, with one presenter even doubtful about a date in February. 

The adverse ripple effect of the shutdown is far-reaching, because dance is a collaborative art form that sustains other allied artistes, such as musicians, costumers and more. While dancers have recourse to online workshops, the light and sound technicians are daily wage earners who get paid only if there are performances. Lighting designer Victor Paulraj of Chennai acknowledges this. “Technical support staff have no other choice, nor chances. We have to just weather this storm for the unforeseeable future,” says Paulraj.  

However, since the first ‘janata curfew’ day, the community has shown its grit in spectacular ways. A casual idea to stay connected with the community grew into a popular social media event. The ‘Janatha Curfew Online Festival’ found a large number of dancers, singers, instrumentalists and storytellers from 16 countries coming together to share thoughts and works. This has been followed by several digital performances and events that have enriched the community in other ways. Dr. Anita Ratnam has created a month-long column called ‘Pandemic Ponderings’ where handpicked international dancers and women artistes share ways in which they are dealing with the lockdown.   

Post-COVID, the impact on the community will last longer. Audience will not return to the theatres with ease, due to caution or financial strain. With the stock market plunging, will philanthropy towards artistes be forthcoming? However dire the scenario might appear, dancers continue to nourish themselves and their students in innovative ways. Fernandez says with a laugh, “Our dancer Pavithra comes to Nrityagram to rehearse wearing a mask, which is so bizarre!”My friend Nirupama Rajendra of Abhinava Dance Company says: “We can’t live without art – whether we’ve events or not, we are dancing or creating. Good artistes will always give back to the world. Historically, dancers have faced adversities, and survived. We will survive this too.” Yes, we will. So happy dancing.-- The writer is a city-based performer and writer, and the dance-director of Chinmaya Naada Bindu Gurukul, Pune

Mark your calendar 
March 23 - April 14, 6pm every day: SAMARPANA Arts & Well Being presents Arts Heals concerts on Insta 

Natya Kala Conference is re-airing Nirikshana sessions every day on YouTube 

NCPA@Home is re-airing several popular music and dance performances of 2019 on YouTube

Every Sunday till May 17, 3pm EST: Virtual talks by Jiva Performing Arts of New York on subjects like stage presence, cross genre experimentation, spiritual connection in dance, etc.  

Bengaluru dancer Divya Ravi’s popular Instagram page hosts her Sangati Series at 6pm IST, with has artistes, composers and scholars in conversation. I too will share choreographic perspectives with her followers soon. 

Dr. Swarnamalya Ganesh sheds light on concepts such as Rasa, Dhvani and Srungara via her free weekend Facebook Live classes and webinars on her page, From the Attic.

Ramaa Bharadvaj