Vikram Shridhar, performance storyteller of the Dancing Tales, tells us how the concept of performance induced storytelling is fast catching up amongst the cultural crop in the city, as he preps up for the next show to be held in August.
“Dancing Tales is an initiative where we combine three mediums of art— music, dance and storytelling. The act aims to connect one to our culturally rich roots. It’s a way of reminiscing and celebrating ancient folklore through meaningful performances,” says Vikram Shridhar, whose last show Krishna-The Friend which revolved around the mythological character Krishna and his friendly nature garnered a lot of attention.
“Throughout history, the character is a very lovable, child-like and friendly. So we used his streak of amicability to retell tales on friendship.” The show was put together by students of Bharatnatyam dancer Poornima Kaushik and the students of vocalist Aparna Chandar who runs the Dhavni School of Music. Choreographed by Vikram Shridhar, Poornima Kaushik and Aparna Chandar, the show saw about 200 attendees.
“In today’s context, it’s not often that one gets to take a leaf from our glorious heritage. Also, the art of storytelling holds so much relevance even today, as I believe the amalgamation of visual and oral medium leaves a certain impact on the viewer,” adds Vikram.
Elucidating about the series, which started out early in 2015, Lakshmi Shankar, the founding member behind the concept, mentions how the series were a product of a keen observation of the need for a platform for storytelling.
“When I casually discussed the idea with a couple of acquaintances who took art and culture as seriously as I did, I had no inkling it would grow to this extent. It involves months of effort, practice and research as we play around historically-significant themes.”
On quizzing the team about the kind of responses that the troupe has gotten so far, Lakshmi is quick to respond with a streak of optimism. “While we started this in a small way, we had no inkling that our shows would garner a housefull audience. It’s been a great journey and the biggest plus about the whole idea is the very fact that we have realised how the city is a boiling pot for the performing arts,” she says with a smile.
