Saturday, 16 November 2013

World Pain Symposium and the power of self.

Hello everyone,

So firstly I want to tell you about another amazing opportunity I got last night. Being a student of Kalamandalam and staying with Aunty means I get to go to loads of dance programmes as part of the artists' team, which means I get good seats, I don't have to buy a ticket and I get to go backstage. Last night I went with Kalamandalam's secretary, aka Somnath Uncle, who is Aunty's son and Ilina to the World Pain Symposium 2013's WIPF 2013 Symposium Dinner. It was held outside in beautiful grounds, with a water feature in the background and tables set all over the lawn. There were three performances; Tanmoy Bose, a famous Tabla player, performed three songs with his group. They mix western music with Hindustani classical music. This was followed by two Bharatanatyam items and a Kuchipudi item by the one and only Mallabika Sen and then finally a breathtaking Kathakali performance by the head of department and one of his teachers from the Vishva Bharati University of West Bengal.

I got to sit in one of two rows of seats right in front of the stage. The Hindustani parts of Tanmoy Bose's compositions took me right back to my Kathak classes in Reading. There is something about Tabla and Hindustani music that is very comforting, it makes me picture Kathak in my head. Mallabika Sen was, as per usual, amazing. She performed Sangeetham and Kali Kavutwam in Bharatanatyam, both pieces I have seen her perform on the two other occasions I've had the chance to watch her performances. In between the two she performed Krishna Shabdam, my all time favourite Kuchipudi item. Krishna Shabdam tells stories of the young Krishna and it is an absolutely beautiful piece. Then finally there was a Kathakali performance. Kathakali is a dance-drama from Kerala, South India. It's beautiful and the amount of history behind it is amazing. I've never seen it performed live before. Traditionally a Kathakali performance is spread over 3 nights, it'll start late in the evening and go on until the early hours of the morning. For last night's programme though they had condensed it to a short half an hour performance. It was still amazing to watch. It's only when you see Kathakali in the flesh that you can understand beyond doubt how someone can devote their whole lives to it. It's an art that has thousands of layers, there is no limit to it's expression and beauty.

My seats :D

Tanmoy Bose and group

Kali Kavutwam in Bharatanatyam by Mallabika Sen

Kali Kavutwam in Bharatanatyam by Mallabika Sen

Krishna in Kathakali by the head of the Kathakali department at the Vishva Bharati University of West Bengal

Krishna and Arjun in Kathakali


It's funny you know, no matter what happens in my life, no matter how happy or sad I am. I always find that, in time, I realise that I am by biggest power. India thus far hasn't been easy and I've made no secret of that but I find myself able to pick myself up again and find the deeper meaning within what I do. I think the first time I realised that dance was a permanent part of my life, the first time I realised I wanted to do something with dance was whilst co-running a henna stall with a friend at a tiny outside fair in Leighton Buzzard. There was a local dance school; Leanne Hughes Theatre School. They performed a number of items but one of them stuck with me. It was a contemporary dance to the song When Mermaids Fly. A male dancer started and was later joined by mermaids. There was something about it that struck a chord in me and I have remembered it ever since. 

Each day is a challenge, not just for me here in India but for the entire world. In Islam followers believe that this entire life is a test given by God. I like that view. People often question me when I say I'm a dancer because I don't have a dancers' body but then that is not all there is to being a dancer. Being a dancer is about letting your body express you innermost feelings about the world around you. Bharatanatayam began as a temple dance form and today much of the repertoire is based on Hindu mythology but it is much more than that. The stories in Hinduism have one message underlying all of them, the victory of good over evil. The idea that no matter what may come our way it is a pure heart, good intentions and truth that will ultimately win, you don't have to be a Hindu to relate to that. Bharatanatyam allows me to connect with a history of over two thousand years but also connect to a inner part of myself.

Every time I watch a class or go to a performance I am inspired to work harder the next day. Not to please those around me but to give myself piece of mind. When I work hard I feel good about myself, dance is not about others primarily. It is about yourself, your power, what you can do and what you feel. Other dancers inspire me to be a better person not just a better dancer. Until I have pushed through the boundaries and limits of my body to feel the beauty and spirituality of dance I am not giving up. No matter how much I miss home, or how much I'm learning here about who I am, or even the new things I'm seeing and experiencing, dance is the thread connecting everything I do. Dance is what makes it all make sense. 

"We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. One becomes in some area an athlete of God." - Martha Graham

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