BENGALURU: Breaking the notion that classical art forms are difficult to understand for the ordinary person, Divya Ravi and Sharan Subramanian are interpreting Bharatanatyam through narration of love between two individuals, inspired by their own life story. Titled Poems of Love, the production to be presented by the couple is an amalgamation of Bharatanatyam, music and works of different poets like Jelaluddin Rumi, Jayadeva, Pattabhiramayya, Sripadaraya, Subramanya Bharati, and Pakistani poet Fayyaz Hashmi. “Art has no boundary.
We wanted to explore poetry, classical dance and music and present them to the common people. We wanted to do it in different languages,” says Divya, who has been practising the dance form for 23 years.
While the solo performer has taken part in various music and dance festivals, including the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and Thiruvaiyaru festival in Chennai, the Kala Ghoda Festival and Nalanda Festival in Mumbai, and in many countries like Sri Lanka, Kuwait and Singapore, Sharan is a paediatrician by profession. However, his love for music and arts is the main source of inspiration for Divya.
“Sharan has not learned classical dance or music. He always tells me to do something that can relate to every person, not just people who know Bharatanatyam or follow it,” she says. “With his support, we conceptualised Manjari and Sarvasya, my two full-fledged productions. In Manjari, the protagonist was a flower and the production included the everyday situations where we use flowers to express our different feelings,” she adds.
Sharan proudly says he is the judge of Divya’s works. “I interpret her productions from the perspective of a layman. I was never initiated into classical dance, but I always had a keen interest in classical music. Dance is a dynamic expression of music, so I can connect a lot with the dance not from a trained person’s point of view but from a common viewer’s,” he says. Even in his busy work schedule, the 29-year-old doctor takes time to follow his love for music. “I take classes from my aunt Vidya Raja, who is a Carnatic music teacher,” he says.
Divya’s abhinaya, Sharan’s vocals and their love towards poetry are the foundation of Poems of Love. “The production discusses the different emotions of a couple, including joy, affection, care and sorrow. We thought of bringing it to the audience through poems in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Hindi and English,” explains Divya. The performance will be held at The Courtyard, Shanthi Nagar, on September 15 at 6.30pm.