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A Fair for Dance

'Dance Jathre-2009,’ conceived as an artistic hub for dance professionals and for the art spectators, was the second International Dance Fair organised under the auspices of Shambhavi School of Dance, Bangalore in December, 2009.

There are countless festivals for dance and music, especially in the classical genre,  taking place all over India.  Apart from the mega events organised under the patronage of Governments or business houses, quite a number of local initiatives have also sprung up in the recent times with the aim of promoting the heritage of our classical dance and music. Most of the festivals are accompanied by workshops, where young and emerging performers get a chance to interact with the established masters and expand their horizon of knowledge and experience.

However, a ‘Dance Fair,’ where everything related to dance, not only the performances and workshops, gets assembled under one roof must sound like quite a novel concept. When the celebrated Kuchipudi dancer Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi, based in Bangalore, came up with the idea last year, it sounded quite innovative and adventurous.

But, Kashi is a dancer who thrives on challenges. Her concept of the ‘Dance Fair,’ was inspired by the village fairs of yore, when people from neighbouring villages used to gather themselves at a particular spot, to sell their wares. Dancing and singing were invariable parts of such village fairs. Travelling singers like the Bauls or the Sufi singers and folk performers would reach such fairs and perform there.

So, Kashi thought, why can’t we have a modern-day fair, where all the dancers can congregate, interact with each other, hold discussions, exchange information and get to examine or purchase the paraphernalia like costumes or make-up.  The possibility was infinite. Thus, the first ‘Dance Jathre,’ was born in 2008, as the first international dance fair of India, organised under the auspices of Shambhavi School of Dance, run by Kashi.

The Dance Jathre – 2009, was held for two days in December, 2009 at Freedom Park, Bangalore. ‘Jathre,’ derived from the Sanskrit word, ‘Yathra,’ implies travel. It is difficult to translate the exact meaning of the word into English, according to Kashi. Though it obviously means, ‘travel,’ and reminds of the weekly village markets, it is more than that. Its meaning is intertwined with the great culture of India that goes back to thousands of years, said Kashi.

The concept of a fair for dancers is also connected to practical necessitates related to the dancer’s career, Kashi pointed out. “We need to promote not only the young dancers, but dance teachers also need promotion. Some guru-s do not care for even getting their own photographs. But, these days people want at least a CD of the performance. So, its extremely important for the young dancers to develop a sense of professionalism,” she highlighted.

So, this year’s Dance Jathre had around 20 stalls, 16 workshops and two evenings packed with performances. It was conceived as a get-together of dance companies, choreographers, dance schools, dance teachers, colleges, dance academies, dance educators, dance scholars, journalists, dance critics, dancers, parents, presenters, cultural institutions agencies, directors of theatres and festivals, technicians, costume designers, light designers, set designers, cultural institutions and an encouraging audience.

There were stalls by dance schools, stalls selling ornaments, make-up and costumes, stalls selling books where dancers could put on display their own publications and stalls selling dance journals and publications. One stall was dedicated to the costumes of Gujarati folk dances like ‘Garba.’  There was a nutritionist who could give advice on health matters to the dancers. Even a tailor who could help with designing costumes.

The ‘Dancer’s Wall,’ was another innovative concept where a long wall was put up at the venue on which young performers could display their portfolio. It was part of the effort to help dancers get known to others. Subodh Poddar, an artist from Mumbai who specialises in painting dances and other performances alone had also participated.

Various competitions for children and young dance students were held, including dance and dance painting.  

The workshops, focussing on a wide range of topics, included Voice Culture by  Devanand, Bangalore, Sufi Dance by Zola Dubnikova, USA,  Aesthetics and Mathematics of Rhythm in Dance by Prakrit Bhaskar from Mumbai, Contemporary Dance by Arunima Gupta, Kathak  by Ashim Bandhu, Kolkata, Kuchipudi by Vyjayanthi Kashi, Eshkol – Wachmann Movement Notation by Yael Tal, dancer from Isreal, Nattuvangam by Pulikeshi Kasturi, Bangalore, Salsa by Minuti Ram and Rohin Uniwala, Bangalore and Mohiniyattam by Sunanda Nair. There were also sessions of meditation led by Guru Prasanna of Nishane School of Spiritual Sciences, Bangalore.

The performances included Odissi by Ratikant Mohapatra and Srjan Group, Bhubaneshwar, Bharathanatyam by Sandhya Purecha and Group, from Mumbai, ‘Rasa,’ the contemporary presentation by Arunima Gupta and Aangik Group, Hyderabad., Sufi Dance by Zola Dubnikova, USA, Yakshagana and Kandyan Dance, by Devika Rao, UK and JMRC Bandara, Sri Lanka, Mohiniyattam led by Sunanda Nair, Kuchipudi, by Vyjayanthi Kashi and Shambhavi Dance Ensemble, Bangalore, Kathak by Ashim Bandhu and group, Kolkata and ‘Suryanamaskara,’ a Bharathanatyam performance, by Vasundhara Doraiswamy and group from Mysore.

The workshops had participants from all walks of life, including IT geeks, professionals, college students and housewives.

The organisers hope to expand the scope of the fair to a larger extend by the next year.

- From A Correspondent.