To cope with a strong topic, you need a strong dance form that matches up to it. And when you talk about the cycle of the Universe, then classical Bharatanatyam is what comes to mind. Avartana, a solo dance recital choreographed and presented by Sanjana Rajesh, is a culmination of all that she has learnt during the past five years at the Upadhye School of Dance.
Her guru, Parashwanth S Upadhye, talking about the idea behind this show says, “At this presentation, we are presenting Sanjana with her own choreographies and rhythmic creations. At her age, we did not want to deviate from the margam structure of Bharathanatyam. The concept of Avartana or the cycle, binds the margam format, where the trinities of Sanatana Dharma are being portrayed.” Parashwanth says that the USP of this show is the fact that it is pure, authentic and keeps the traditional values intact. He says, “Sanjana, who is all of 14 years old, has been given complete liberty to create something which is beautiful and engaging.” Young Sanjana shares her profound vision, “Avartana is about the cycle, the cycle of the universe, and not confined to the birth and death of the mortals. The cycle of the victory of light over darkness, good over evil is constantly going on in the universe as well in as our minds. Brahma creates, Vishnu protects and Shiva destroys. As said by my Guru, opening your mind is being Brahma, accumulation of knowledge and preserving it is Vishnu, and destroying ego is becoming Shiva.”
Taking inspiration from what she learnt, Sanjana talks about how she has been preparing for this show. “I have been composing jatis for a long time out of my own interest with no formal training but I kept receiving good encouragement from my dance mates and teachers. When I learnt a varnam for my arangetram, I understood the pattern of jatis set in that piece. Taking inspiration from this varnam, I set my own rhythmic patterns, which have been brought to the stage in Avartana. This performance was conceptualised by my Guru and, as this concept was getting developed, it gave me a very good insight into conveying stories through creative ways in a classical art form,” she explains. Did she face any hurdles? “I never felt the workload as I was given small chunks to choreograph and show to my gurus and the corrections gave me a better perspective to every new idea,” she says.
