Tracing the steps of an icon

Active since the 1980s, actress-dancer Shobhana, is a much-demanded artist on stage.
Tracing the steps of an icon

KOCHI: Active since the 1980s, actress-dancer Shobhana, is a much-demanded artist on stage. For her, dance is passion and pleasure. Shobhana, who was in Palakkad recently, performed before a tightly packed audience at the Gowri International Festival, which she has been associating with for the past eight years. The dancer sits down exclusively to speak about her dance.

Q: Artists are trying to be versatile, but still many discussions are going on about styles or Bani in classical dance. How do you define your style? Are you a strict follower of any Bani?
In my opinion, nobody can follow anybody’s Bani or style. We are using that term only to learn, not to perform. Every person has a different mindset and body language. What looks good for one, does not necessarily be good for someone else.  There will always be a fragrance of one style or the Guru’s Bani. But we can’t follow it throughout our entire dance journey. The Banis only help in getting a perfect training.

Q: How have your gurus influenced your performances?
My guru, the veteran dancer Chithra Visweswaran, is technically from the Vazhavoozhar Bani. But she is not the exact copy of Vazhuvoor Ramaiyya Pillai. Her influence is there on my dance. I would always say that Dr Padma Subrahmanyam is my Manasa Guru and a very good family friend. For a very short period, I had trained under her. She taught me some Karanas, and we had associated with some productions and dance dramas. I use this knowledge in my performance and choreography. More than getting trained under a guru, the knowledge we get from them helps in enhancing creativity.

Q: As a guru, how do you explain the pattern of transmitting knowledge in Kalarpana?
I have been training my students. After the 15, they will be able to do what they want to. They will be mature enough to discern the good and bad. I guide them in a strict codified pattern, after which they have the liberty to select or design their own way of performance and choreography. I never insisted on my students to perform like me.

Q: What is your technique of choreography?
Selecting a theme and the pattern of presentation is an artist’s freedom. I am always interested in mythology. Other performers may be interested in other themes. My art is my quest to go deeper into the concept and express what I found through my medium. The training I had and my strong base in dance helped me accomplish this.

Q: Practice and presentation differ in the context of the presence of the audience. What is your notion of making presentation interesting to the audience?
Several factors are involved. Dance is the only art form which totally co-relates everything like body, heart, brain, emotions, ambience, sound, light, space etc. Every time you practice, perform as if on a real stage. When we perform on stage, we have to know people are in front of us, who can create a favourable ambience for the performers to do their best. Usually, traditional arts are exciting only to a certain group of people.
 So first we have to know the type of audience. The audience always needs something from us. We should select pieces to satisfy them. It will help cultivate some sense of ‘Aswadana’ among the people. This is an important responsibility of a performer.

Q: Have you ever felt that your audiences were treating Shobhana more as an actress than a dancer?
Yes, for Malayalis across the world. On stage, I will be a complete dancer. People used to ask me to perform a particular production, to dance for film songs or perform with recorded music. Even though I enjoy this, I am always grateful to those who ask for a traditional recital and also to perform with live music.

Q: You have done many fusion projects, but is there still a demand for your traditional recitals?
I don’t have a notion that fusion is bad. Fusion alone is not good for art. If my audiences need it, I have to present. But I am very selective in choosing the platform and the pattern of the show. Because I don’t want to deviate from my own way of art.

Q: Any new projects?
New projects are actually new attempts. I am planning to do a documentary and a book about my art. For the book, I am waiting for a good time to start.
The documentary will be a creative visual piece, comprising many aspects of dance. It won’t be just a historical documentary, not something filled with only performances and not based on anybody’s life. History, mythology, spirituality, research, architecture, temple spots and performances will be discussed.

Swetha Mangalath is an artist, researcher and freelance writer of art and culture. She can be reached at mangalathswetha@gmail.com.

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