Bharatanatyam exponent aims to make classical dance inclusive

CHENNAI: Vidya Bhavani Suresh, a talented Bharatanatyam dancer, prefers to be known for her passion in this art form, despite being accomplished in various fields like company secretarial work, writing, public speaking, and Carnatic music. On International Dance Day, she discusses with DT Next her mission to simplify Bharatanatyam concepts for universal understanding and appreciation.

Vidya has dedicated her life to Bharatanatyam from the age of five. But after her arangetram, she felt she had to strike out alone. “I was not very keen about the compositions that prevailed back then. If I want to do something radically different at the ideological level, I must do it alone. I deeply appreciate Tamil literature and selected Thirupugazh for my first composition. It has all the elements that will fascinate and challenge a Bharatanatyam performer, as the rhythmic patterns are testing,” says Vidya.

The musicologist broke the conventional path and staged her first composition in 1989. “I feel that the traditional compositions are out of place with the current ideologies, where women carve their path and career,” she adds. Vidya and her team started experimenting with different Tamil texts. “The moment that pushed me to think that Bharatanatyam is for everyone is while composing the ‘Oru Thiram from Paripadal’, which describes the beauty of sound. Whenever this production is performed, the audience feels touched and it is a kind of emotion that everyone can identify,” Vidya shares.

She started with an elaborative compering that grabbed the audience’s attention and created a connection. “Once, I received a letter from an art enthusiast stating that my composition was very much understandable but requested to avoid the usage of English words. Compering is as important as dancing because it helps in tuning the audience. That motivated me to move forward,” she states.

Organisations started inviting Vidya to talk about the art, and that is when she realised how crucial it is to discuss the subject. She started a YouTube Channel called Appreciating Bharatanatyam where she breaks down basic Bharatanatyam concepts like bhava, rasa and also costumes. “In my videos, I explained how a stage should be set up and in which direction the orchestra should be placed. The focus should be on the performer and not on the artefacts,” elucidates the 54-year-old.

Vidya has authored many books, of which a couple act as a dictionary of the art form. “My target is to make 80 per cent of the people understand 75 per cent of the performance. I simplified the concepts using the communication theory of sender, channel and receiver. People were happy that we delved deep into the concepts. I see a positive change in the last 10 years that people have started sending their children to pursue dance as a hobby,” Vidya reflects.

“Parents need not be an expert in the art and should not take the role of a teacher. With the knowledge gained, they should not intrude on the teacher-student equation. At the same time, they should be informed of what their child is learning,” she remarks, noting that Bharatanatyam is also a form of fitness.