Dr Srinidhi Chidambaram: Contemporary, yet rooted in classical

Dr Srinidhi Chidambaram shares with Akhila Krishnamurthy her intent and vision for Sri Krishna Gana Sabha’s annual dance conference, Natya Kala Conference, where she will wear the Convenor’s hat for the first time. In the winter of 1981, at the inaugural ceremony of the first-ever Natya Kala Conference convinced and executed by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, 11-year-old Srinidhi was presented as a child prodigy. For nearly a fortnight, that conference, convened ably by Dr Padma Subrahmanyam was pioneering in more ways than one. It unfolded the possibility of talking and discussing dance and brought under a single roof, performers, practitioners, teachers and scholars of the art form.

Aside from the fact that Srinidhi has vivid memories of attending the conference on almost all days, with her grandmother, the conference left on her very young mind, a lasting impression. “There was a buzz about that conference that I will never forget,” she says. Thirty-five years later, in exactly a week from now, between December 26 and December 30, Dr Srinidhi Chidambaram, acclaimed dancer and choreographer is gearing up to convene the 36th edition of the prestigious Natya Kala Conference that has grown in stature and firmly stood the test of time.

As a dancer with a performance career spanning over four decades, Srinidhi is recognised both for her very classical bent of mind and her ability to draw inspiration from life and the real world around her to create work that is relevant and contemporary in its content. The conference she will convene is a lot like her — classical in its roots but contemporary in treatment. Sthiti Gati, as the conference is titled, is an exploration and investigation of the journey of Bharatanatyam; each day will shed light on a particular aspect or nuance of dance and the dancer and will trace this from the point of view of the past, present and the future.

Needless to say, Sthiti Gati is inspired by Srinidhi’s love and loyalty to the art form she knows best - Bharatanatyam. “That choice was almost natural,” she says. In a sense, I’m hoping to re-create the buzz of the early years of the conference.” That’s not going to be easy and Srinidhi is conscious of that. “Ours is a busier, distracted world but as a knowledge-sharing platform that has been curated with utmost care to ensure quality and enrichment, Srinidhi is hoping for more participation and interaction.” In an effort to enable that, she has been collaborating with a team to reach out to students of dance, young, aspiring dancers, teachers of dance, and encouraging them to engage with the conference. For over a month now, social media has been abuzz with trivia and information about the conference. To ensure those around the world don’t miss the buzz, the conference will also be live streamed.

As the singular catalyst for magic to unfold, Srinidhi has been working, overtime, adding to her already many roles. “I started thinking about the conference just as the year dawned and a great deal of effort has gone into realising it,” she says, “And even though there’s a nervous anxiety that is enveloping her, Srinidhi acknowledges how privileged and honoured she is to be able to fulfil this role.

“It has truly been an amazing experience to string it together; reaching out to the old and the young in the arts and deliberate with them about ideas and how they could be executed.” We speak with her on the morning of her first performance for the season. She has taken the day off and even though she has meticulously planned everything, she has a lot on her plate. “Back in the day, I’d be very tense about the music, or what the violinist would play, etc,” she says, “Of late, I’ve learnt to let go, and just immerse myself in the dance.”