Curating a world of dance

When the Delhi Government took over Ananya, it was diluted to become just like any other government-propelled festival, and this showcase event lost much of its glitter and branding.

For the past 13 years, World Dance Day—observed on April 29—has been a peg for a two-day festival of dance that I curate. Curation is a word that is only now finding its texture in the performing arts. While we may have (rare) event managers who organise festivals, very few of them engage with curation. The singular example I can quote is that of Sanjeev Bhargav, whose brainchild Seher conceptualised and conducted the Ananya Dance Festival at Purana Qila. He would curate the fest not only in terms of identifying artists who were invited, but in pushing them to create new work to be unveiled at Ananya. 

Bhramari

No wonder, that festival had immense branding then. Subsequently, when the Delhi Government took over Ananya, it was diluted to become just like any other government-propelled festival, and this showcase event lost much of its glitter and branding, leading to a bemoanable loss of committed audiences.

Eclectic curation requires many skills. One has to identify talents, who are at the prime of their creative energies. I also insist that artists I invite are not frequent visitors to other fests in this city. This unique combination of high-octane talent and relatively unknown faces makes Natya Vriksha’s Young Dancers Fest a happy zone for those who enjoy classical dance and are committed to being good audiences. 

So how do I 
select? Definitely not through applications that jam my inbox. Nor through phone calls from strategically placed people. Both, in fact, help me freely cancel names to be considered. So how, then? 
I see as much as I can and that gives me the best idea. The Chennai festival held in December is a 
happy hunting ground. Also, there are Gurus I trust, and whose aesthetic credentials complement my own standards. So I run my choices past them for further fine-tuning. 

Once names are decided, the artists are told to create their best classical repertoire for the festival. Plus I insist on live musicians accompanying the dancers, and this greatly adds to the enjoyment of the art. I am deeply committed to curating and organising the Young Dancers Fest, since I believe that seniors must open opportunities for generations that follow. This is my motto.

Apart from the fest, the mornings and afternoons are devoted to related dance activities. They could be either lectures, workshops, panel discussions, biographical ‘down the memory lane’ chats, film screenings and book discussions. Each year the patterns vary, providing energy and oomph to the festival.

I was amazed that on a Sunday morning, 66 dancers showed up at the India International Centre for a ‘Bhramari’—spin movement—workshop conducted by the superbly talented Odissi Guru Sharmila Biswas. And the artists came from all dance disciplines: Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak and even theatre. I felt reassured. My dream of welding a dance community in India had moved a few paces ahead.geetachandran@gmail.com