Contemporary Dance in India

Exploring is what I most like in a dance. I think that’s what makes dance interesting and keeps it fresh. The freedom to interpret any style of dance or art in any form that speaks to the dancer and his/her audience is what I consider being contemporary in a dance – a form of expression and communication. That I think is the beauty of contemporary dance.

India now has quite a few contemporary dance schools doing some brilliant work throughout the country. Their works build awareness on topics that range from homosexuality to politics. I am very lucky to be acquainted with one such dance group from Kolkata who have been getting acclaims both nationally and internationally in their attempts to break barriers through the medium of dance – Sapphire Dance Creations. Their artistic director, Sudarshan Chakraborty is a visionary and it was my honor to meet him during my last visit there.

Below is an excerpt from one of their works: Purush Prakriti, performed by their principal dancer Dibyendu Nath and co-director Paramita Saha who is also my friend from college.

A short history lesson - TDC style!

Caller: Hello! Is this TranceFusion Dance Co.?
Me: Yes
Caller: What kind of dance do you teach?
Me: Contemporary (Indian Style)
Caller: Like Bollywood?

I get that from almost every caller. No doubt Bollywood can also be categorized as contemporary but modern dance in India has come a long way and most of the India population in Sacramento are not aware of this particular style and most don’t consider it a credible form of an Indian dance style.

Having been brought up in the cultural capital of India – Kolkata, I had been exposed to contemporary dance from a very early age. More commonly known as ‘creative dance’ it was largely inspired by philosophy as well as movement. This dance style was formed as a break from the tight structure of classical dance and that is what made it so fresh and appealing.



History
Ref: artindia.net; culturopedia.com

Modern Dance in India has a relatively short history. Since the perception of 'modern' or 'contemporary' can vary from dancer to dancer, this dance form cannot be defined as easily as the classical dance styles of India. It is also not codified in a detailed manner, as are the classical styles.
Uday Shankar, elder brother of Pt. Ravi Shankar, who was born in the early years of the 20th century, is widely accepted as the Father of Modern Dance in India. This great dancer had a very wide vision, and he appreciated the wonderful variety and scope of expression afforded by the different classical and folk dances extant in the country.
His search for a personal expression led him to incorporate different dance styles, such as Bharata Natyam and Kathakali into his choreographic productions. He established an idyllic institution in the hills of Kumaon, where he invited teachers from different genres to train his troupe in order to groom their bodies to a state where they could produce a varied, rich and contemporary dance vocabulary. Uday Shankar was an idealist as well as a wonderful showman. He was a catalyst in the renaissance of interest in Indian arts during the 1930s and '40s, and he introduced audiences in the West to Indian dance and music through the performances of his troupe.
Today, in addition to the line established by Uday Shankar, there are many other practitioners of modern dance in India. With growing interaction between dance practitioners all over the country and the world, and awareness of important contemporary issues, many classical dancers have also stepped into the realm of contemporary dance through exploration of one or many dance styles. Often martial arts such as Kalaraipayattu of Kerala and Chhau of eastern India are incorporated into dance choreography, lending greater vigour and variety to the artistic expression.

Coming up: My take on Contemporary dance in India