Stepping up for dance

From the Kalakshetra school of Bharatanatyam, comes Vyuti Margam, an experimental, contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional dance form. Helmed by the talented Aranyani Bhargav, the 30-minute show aims to challenge the accepted ideas of a group performance in classical Bharatanatyam.

“Traditionally, in group dances, there’s a lead and the rest of the dancers perform around him or her, or they’re all performing the very same thing in unison. Sometimes, there are dance dramas where the dancers are not all doing the same things. Usually, there is no interaction between the dancers on stage,” begins Bhargav, adding, “With Vyuti Margam, we aim to break all these notions.”

The half-hour show will see a dance troupe of six (including Aranyani) take to the stage to perform three interactive pieces. Translating to ‘weave’ from Sanskrit, the word ‘vyuti’ captures the essence of what sets the performance apart. “Vyuti signifies the interaction, both physically and emotionally, of the performers while on stage. This is quite rare in Bharatanatyam,” explains Bhargav, who is also a teacher at Attakalari Centre for Dance and Movement.

While Bhargav is attempting to experiment with the nature of the group dance format, she also understands that sticking to tradition is paramount. “I felt strongly about sticking to the Bharatanatyam vocabulary, so we’ve not infused other dance forms into the performance. We start off with the natyarambhe or the introduction. Then, we have the antaram, which will be performed to an exclusively recorded track for the show. It’s a soft, echoey number without beats.

The rhythm comes from the feet and ghungroos of the dancers. And finally, the third piece is the Revathi, which is traditionally performed at the end,” reveals Bhargav, who is also trained in the contemporary dance style.  

The young troupe has among its ranks trained doctors and paramedics, who have put their careers aside to pursue dance, apart from students and professionals from the corporate world. “I can see the passion for the art in their eyes and that’s what will make this performance stand out,” she says.
Having been in production for a year, we can only imagine that this one is definitely worth a watch.

Catch the performance on March 12, 7 pm at the Shoonya - Centre for Art and Somatic Practices, Lalbagh Road.