A Kathak performance at Padatik Little Theatre

Classical dance is not sterile, static and stagnant. There is the traditional thinking that it is enough if it survives in the pure, untouched and unchanged form. This seems to be a myth now-a-days. No creative mind can feel comfortable and satisfied in the arena of strict grammatical regime and mythological content, which have hardly any relevance in the contemporary context. This restlessness to find her own expression on the basis of her long-nurtured idiom and experience of several decades has led Chetna Jalan, a dedicated Kathak artiste, in a different direction ?A New Horizon in Kathak. It was a collage of experimental work presented by Chetna and her troupe at Padatik Little Theatre on April 22.

Rooted in Kathak style, the director choreographed few pieces based on poetry by Shakti Chattopadhyay, Shankha Ghosh and Sangeeta Bandopadhyay and some original compositions as well. Strong footwork and scintillating chakkars of Kathak along with yoga, rope work and pillates etched the mood of the poem with a great care. Her exposure to contemporary dance, traditional western dance exercises and mime helped her to create a new vocabulary of choreography, which was traditional in spirit but modern in presentation. If in Abani bari achho masks were used to convey the feeling that the inward knocking is universal, in Rakho tomar udhhata pa dancers on ropes conveyed the feeling of suspension. Durga, a composition by Chetna and Ronnie Sambik Ghosh, was a manifestation of shakti or power which is present in every woman and which helps her to demolish evil. Interesting group composition with smart and precise body movements brought out the true spirit of the theme. A score composed by Baloo Dutta blending Western and Indian classical tunes effectively united the readings in Bengali and Hindi, done by Basant Rungta. The most remarkable presentation was Pain, one of the emotions of navarasa with Sangeeta’s restrained and delicate recitation of her own piece Ei to dhire dhire kachhe ele. It touched the heart with all its subdued nuances and finer sentiments. However, Chetna’s body language was sometimes jarring. Deb Kumar Pal and Ronnie Sambik Ghosh gave a great support in training the dancers in this new approach. To create a new vocabulary, one must have the mastery over the traditional format on which the new style would grow and that is the key to the success of the production.