Dance India Dance

Rival Indian concepts of ‘traditional’ and ‘contemporary’ face each other in a dance-off

01 October 2010
Gati’s program director Mandeep Raikhy teaches a morning class at their Studio.
SAMI SIVA FOR THE CARAVAN
Gati’s program director Mandeep Raikhy teaches a morning class at their Studio.
SAMI SIVA FOR THE CARAVAN

LET'S CONDUCT A SMALL EXPERIMENT. Extend the index finger and thumb away from the palm, as the remaining digits fist inward. Now, is this the yogic expression of chandrakala, the representation of an evanescent moonbeam, or is it the American ‘L’ for ‘loser?’

The first interpretation is a part of the vocabulary of Indian dance, in which socio-historic, spiritual and artistic influences intersect. The other is a mimetic form of Western slang—current, terse and expressive. When this single physical locution is performed on stage, in a dance that intends both meanings, there’s a cultural collision.

But as an element of dance, is the archaic amplified or attenuated by the overlay of the colloquial? Are we cheapening the ‘traditional’ notation or deepening the ‘contemporary’ meaning?

Aditi Saxton ADITI SAXTON is a features journalist and television scriptwriter currently living in New Delhi.

Keywords: New Delhi Dave Besseling Aditi Saxton Gati dance forum Nizamuddin East Mandeep Raikhy Anusha Lall Bharatanatyam Odissi End (of) Days Max Mueller Bhavan Navtej Singh Johar Maya Rao Aditi Mangaldas Chandralekha Astad Deboo Justin McCarthy Martha Grahan Alvin Ailey guru-shishya param
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