"BHARATANATYAM and Kuchipudi exist like flesh and blood in me,’’ says Sailaja N., who has had 18 years of training in Bharatanatyam under K.J.Sarasa and 16 years of tutelage in Kuchipudi under Vempati Chinna Satyam.
An exponent in both the styles, Sailaja was in the city to present Kuchipudi at the Nishagandhi Festival on Sunday, along with the students of her school, Saila Sudha, in Chennai.
‘’The greatest blessing for me has been that I have been trained by two great gurus- Sarasa and Vempati Chinna Satyam,’’ said Sailaja at the meet-the-artist programme.
Though she is now known more as a Kuchipudi dancer, back in Chennai, last year, she was chosen by the Government to give a Bharatanatyam presentation based on two poems by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi.
She is all for innovation in art form, without compromising on the tradition. ‘’Modernisation has taken place in Kuchipudi only in keeping with the tradition. Every time we are asked what novelty we’ve introduced in the dance form. I am a person who keeps track of the tradition and I think it is the most wonderful thing for an artist. Our duty is to make the items innovative and contemporary,’’ she said.
The original style of Kuchipudi is seen in the Kuchipudi village where it had originated. There is no dispute over that. It was originally a drama tradition, but gradually got developed into a solo performance, she said.
Talking about innovation, she said, the best example was ‘Suryashtakam’, presented by her school at the Nishagandhi Festival. The item, choreographed by herself, had music by S.R.Veera Raghavan, a disciple of Balamuralikrishna.
‘’Nobody could have thought about presenting ‘Suryashtakam’ in the format,’’ she said. It was the maiden performance of the item by her school.
A surprise of her performance was ‘Swaravandanam’, a Malayalam composition.
‘’I don’t know whose lyrics it is. I just happened to listen to this cassette which had a different concept, i.e., swaras and aksharas. It was sung by Dr K.J.Yesudas. I got it translated and adapted it to the Kuchipudi format. This is the first time I am doing an item based on a Malayalam composition,’’ she said.
Sailaja had a lot to share on her experience of holding the first national seminar on Kuchipudi in Chennai, last September, in connection with the 20th anniversary celebrations of her dance school.
The seminar based on the tradition, translation and transformation of Kuchipudi had the presence of traditional dancers from the Kuchipudi village and even had a day dedicated to other dance styles.
‘’We could get many great artists and so we’ve decided to make it an annual event. This year, the theme will be the classical art forms of India,’’ she said, adding, ‘’It was my dream to hold such an event. I took it up as a responsibility to do something for the art, as part of giving something back to it,’’ she said.
The danseuse has high regard for Kerala audience. ‘’I think Kuchipudi is admired very much here. This is a place which respects artists and shows care and concern for them. Lots of students from Kerala learn Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam at my school,’’ she said.
