KOCHI: Elegance and subtlety are the perfect words to describe young Bharatanatyam danseuse Radhe Jaggi, who was in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the recently held Nishagandhi Dance Festival.
The sole child of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Radhe trained at Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, and nurtured her skills under the tutelage of several Bharatanatyam exponents, including Padma Shree Leela Samson. Rooted in traditional style, Radhe’s language of dance is a blend of abhinaya (expressions) and adavu (body movement).
Radhe held sway as she showcased some traditional pieces at the Nishagandhi fest. “I have performed in Kerala before, but this was my first performance on a Swathi Thirunal keerthanam in Bharatanatyam,” says the dancer and choreographer, who is based in Chennai with her musician husband Sandeep Narayan.
In her 30s now, Radhe started training in Bharatanatyam at the age of nine. By the time she turned 16, she had developed a deep passion for the classical artform. It took her to Kalakshetra.
A prolific performer of the current young generation, Radhe says she enjoys taking to the stage more than choreographing new pieces. However, she adds, her goal is to educate youngsters on classical dance forms.
“It is important to take the art to the next generation, and also educate audiences on how to appreciate it,” says Radhe. “I plan to educate more people on how to enjoy classical dance and music. There is a large segment of people across the country who have not been exposed to classical dance forms. Taking traditional art to them is a challenge I have taken up.”
‘Spiritual journey’
On her personal evolution, Radhe says she “moulds” herself through interactions with people and watching the other dancers’ performances. “Reading plays a big role too,” she adds.
“I am fascinated by Indian literature, especially the Mahabharata. Furthermore, each stage performance helps one evolve. Every dancer must love the stage and learn how to involve the audience in the art form. Interaction with the audience through the art is a must for an artist’s growth.”
Radhe says art is a “unique spiritual journey” for any artist. “Having grown up around a brahmachari ashram, I think everything I do is a form of spiritual growth, including dancing,” she adds. “Dancing is at the core of my life journey.”
As a word of advice for youngsters, she says artistes should never give up dancing even if not performing on stages. “Whether you become a performer or not, as long as you love to dance, you should make it a part of your life even if you get into other professions,” adds Radhe.
“Be it on stage, home or even as part of an audience, keep the dance alive in yourselves. There is something special about dance as an artform – it is a holistic practice with a blend of various aspects such as poetry, dance, music and acting.”
‘Contemporary piece on Mother Nature’
Radhe explains that she does not follow a pattern of choreographing pieces and performing them on stages. She rather weaves out special performances based on the occasion. “I do not have a particular choreographed production. Sometimes I dance, sometimes I talk about dance at venues. I choreograph pieces according to the venues and my audiences,” she says.
“Recently, as part of Sadhguru’s Save Soil campaign, I made a contemporary piece on Mother Nature. It was a different experience, as we had an international audience, and the recital was a mix of poetry and dance. I intend to do more such projects.”
Her next big plan is to create a small series on the Mahabharata. “Any kind of character, incident, or person that we witness in our daily lives, in some way or the other, resembles those of thousands of characters and situations in the Mahabharata. It is a treasure trove of characters, and I look forward to exploring it in dance.”
Radhe adds she has observed the trend of highlighting contemporary issues through Bharatanatyam, and welcomes it as a sign of the artform’s growth. She, however, follows a different philosophy.
“There are many prolific dancers highlighting contemporary issues. I am more into educating people on dance forms. Even if there is a social cause, I try to use traditional pieces to talk about that,” she explains.
Does the tag being Sadhguru’s daughter cause pressure on her? “Never,” she smiles. “But being his daughter gave me many privileges and advantages. For instance, I have travelled a lot with him. Thus, I got the opportunity to meet different people, and that influenced my evolution into who I am today. Sadhguru has never expressed what I should or should not do. He has given me the freedom to be who I am.”