Dancer, choreographer and writer of Bharatanatyam Lakshmi Viswanathan, who will showcase her work, Navarasa Sita, this Margazhi tell about her awards, abhinaya and Sita.
You’ve spent nearly three decades in dance. What do awards and titles
really mean to you?
Awards and titles always surprise me because I have never sought them. Receiving an award from a reputed organisation gives me the satisfaction of knowing that sincere work does get noticed.
Tell us about Natya Padmam, the title that Brahma Gana Sabha is conferring on you this year.
Natya is ‘dance’, and Padmam is a ‘lotus’ — a metaphor for everything auspicious, ever-growing, centered, luminous. I have been associated with Brahma Gana Sabha for over two decades now. All ten of my new productions, both solo and group shows, were premiered in this Sabha. So, that is another cherished lotus memory!
You dance and also write on dance. Has the objectivity of writing shaped your subjectivity in dance?
My dance is a personal aesthetic statement. The energy in it is driven both by imagination and a subjective view of what is meant by ‘classical’. My writing reflects my inherent cultural sensibility. My writing has to have that sense of beauty in language. As with dance, my goal is to communicate my ideas, and coax the viewer and reader to ‘think’. I am not against intellect in art.
This year, you are presenting Navarasa Sita. Do you like engaging with the epic?
The epic engages performers and writers from Kerala to Bali and beyond. With the help of a senior fellowship, I followed the footprints of the Rama story. The infinite variety of the many Ramayanas is a phenomenon worth studying. Every narration, every enactment is different. I love the whole gamut, from Kripananda Variar’s Kamba Ramayanam discourse to Rukmini Devi’s innovative musical dramas to Hanuman’s antics in the Prambanan temple, Java.
Dancers have constantly engaged with Sita. What is your treatment of her?
My treatment of Sita is clear and simple. I am showing her different moods in different situations. There is scope for ‘Navarasa’ in this treatment. Since my speciality is Abhinaya (expression), I am enjoying this exploration of a significant character in the epic.
Is there a paucity of content in Bharatanatyam? Why, for instance, do dancers keep referring to age-old texts; have you felt restricted at times?
I began my choreographic adventures with the Banyan tree — the story of Bharatanatyam from pastoral war dances to the modern stage with meanderings through temple and court. Then in ‘Chaturanga’, I explored four aspects of freedom. In ‘Vidya Sundari’, I worked on a biography of Bangalore Nagartnammal. I make my choices according to the ‘muse’ of the season. I cannot speak for others.
Your last word on the Margazhi season and how it has evolved over years.
We must feel happy that this season has become rich with new talent cropping up every year. I like the idea that some of it is moving to the suburbs and to college campuses and temples. It is basically a ‘community’ festival, with a few formal events. It is socially vibrant, but remains exclusive in the sense that it is not drawing an eclectic variety of people to come and enjoy. I have friends who gym with me and they know nothing about ‘our’ season!