BENGALURU: The changing face of dance is, after all, an indicator of social change. And dancers should be its agents, asserts Bharatanatyam dancer Mithun Shyam, who has been creating awareness on societal issues through dance.
The corporate professional-turned-dancer, who has trained over hundreds of students, is probably one of the rare-performing male dancers of the Vazhuvoor Parampara of Bharatanatyam. His repertoire comprises a number of critically-received productions focusing on gender, sexuality and religion, blended with mythology, often drawing inspiration from the recent social and political controversies or debates.
“In Purushantaragatah, I’ve tried to bring out the gender fluidity by portraying the inherent emotional qualities of both genders within an individual. It showcases the story of Thaayumanavar where Lord Shiva comes as a midwife and delivers the child of a devoted young girl. The concept of Vishnu in the female form as Mohini and the union with Shiva, which leads to the birth of Aiyappa is also portrayed to show the liberal and broadmindedness of our ancestors who never thought of the union of two men as unholy or unlawful,” says the founder of Bengaluru-based dance institute Vaishnavi Natyashala.
“In mythological stories, transgenders were treated with respect. Bruhannale (Arjuna) was a dance teacher; Shikhandi (another mythological character) was in the army. From that to now making a living at traffic signals – I always wondered how. I try to rake up discussions on these issues through my dance,” he says.
His latest choreography ‘18 Golden Steps’ is about Sabarimala Temple controversy.
“Before choreographing this, I did some research about Sabarimala. Earlier, women could not go because of practical reasons such as walking for long distances and trekking through thick forests day and night. Also, until recently, it has been respecting Aiyappa’s choice who, according to mythology, preferred to not marry and stay away from women. It is a belief that Ayyappan is a celibate warrior-yogi deity and that’s why women, by themselves, stayed away from entering Sabarimala. Not allowing women to enter Sabarimala has got nothing to do with anti-feminism. Ultimately, once the court permits, it is an individual choice – to go or not to go.”