KOCHI: Trena Mihalkovich from Belarus, a graduate from Kalamandalam, has brought a whole new perspective to the graceful dance form of Kerala— Mohiniyattam. In an exceptional performance, she danced to one of the oldest varnam by infusing another ancient art form, Tholpaavakoothu.The visual illustration titled ‘The Shadows and Arrows of Love’ is a classical piece with slight experimentation. “The performance portrays the agony of a woman who is in love with Lord Padmanabha. Her devotion is at its peak. The heroine conveys her love and sufferings to a friend by delving into her inner self. She expresses her agony, anxiety, and longing, through many metaphors,” says Irena.
Dancing to one of the popular varnam Dani Samajendra, penned by Swati Tirunal in which he highlights a woman’s longing for Lord Padmanabha. Irena came to Kerala in 2013 to learn Bharatanatyam in Kalamandalam after securing the Indian Council of Cultural Relations scholarship (ICCR). During that process, more than Bharatanatyam, what intrigued her the most was the graceful, docile movements of Mohaniyattam. Irena was always fascinated with the multifaceted nature of the Indian art forms. She then proceeded to acquire deeper knowledge of classical art forms.
After studying Bharatanatyam for three years at Kalamandalam, she spent two more years studying Mohiniyattam. However, her thirst for knowledge didn’t end there. Continuing with her exploration, the Belarus native was all prepared to go to Budapest to study puppetry. However, prior to the trip, she went to Vishwanatha Pulavar, a member of the only family practising Tholpaavakoothu in Kerala.
Inspired by the shadow puppetry, the dancer decided to experiment with her two beloved art forms. “Shadows and Arrows of Life is a raw home experiment and I recorded the choreography in my house. But I never wanted to publish as it was shot as I felt it needed something more. Since I was taking puppetry classes at that time, I had the idea of clubbing them together. The leather puppets are more literal in their shapes, so I felt they could bring in the essence of the varna. When the idea was shared with Vishwanatha Pulavar, the family was excited, as this experiment was new for the age-old puppetry.
He named the performance Paavanaatyam,” shares Irena. First, she visualised how certain puppetry movements would work together with the dance. Irena then recorded the puppetry separately and layered the pieces on top like double exposure photographs, with the help of designers. “I had plans to collaborate with animators since the varnam is a classical piece. I chose Tholpaavakoothu as it is a perfect art form to bring out the world of the heroine to the surface,” says Irena.
To highlight each mudra and narration, Pulavar’s collection of puppets was brought to the fore. Elephants, bees, birds, Vishnu, snakes, human figures, all adorned the backdrop of the performance. “In some portions, I have made the puppets convey the narration. In others, I have tried to make it abstract. In the opening scene, the woman compares her friend’s gait to that of an elephant — signifying her beauty,” says Irena.
To submerge the heroine into the wilderness of agony, Irena explored other materials, including branches, hibiscus, mango leaves etc. “This was the first time, the puppeteers included such different props,” she adds.
UNRAVELS NEW LAYERS
Mohiniyattam being a fluid and subtle dance form, Irena kept the performance neutral, to bring in the aspect of shadow to the surface. Even her abhinaya (expressions) were reduced to a minimum. “Expressions were translucent just like the shadow puppets. I wanted the dancer to become the shadow eventually, and it could be achieved only by such a meditative approach,” says Irena. Unlike the usual Mohiniyattam’s white and gold costume, Irena wore a black saree to pair with Naayika’s agony and to blend with the shadow puppetry.
Revival of artform
“I hope this performance inspires more people to bring in new perspectives to different art forms. Mohaniyattam is alive with the support of institutions and the government. However, that is not the case with Tholpaavakoothu. Maybe this would be the last generation to take up this art form,” says Irena. Once the Covid situation gets better, Irena has plans to take the performance to bigger platforms.