Mother-daughter duo Tanusree and Sreenanda Shankar have come together to pay a tribute to Uday Shankar and Ananda Shankar with the Udayananda World Heritage Dance Tour presented by Orange Corp that is set to tour countries like the US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia. All set to perform for the inaugural show in Calcutta on February 23, the duo chatted dance, legacy and collaborating with each other...

Tell us about the Udayananda World Heritage Dance Tour and how it will pay tribute to Uday Shankar and Ananda Shankar.

Tanusree: Both Uday Shankar (her father-in-law) and Ananda Shankar (her husband) believed in breaking barriers through dance and music, respectively. Their work was Indian in origin and spirit, modern in presentation and universal in appeal. This tour will be our humble tribute to both of them.

Sreenanda: Both my grandfather and father have made a tremendous contribution to Indian art and culture with their work. We get busy with our own projects and our own work all the time, but none of the Shankars would be who they are without Uday Shankar. I believe it’s high time something of this magnitude should take place just to pay homage to them. 

What is the format of the show?

Tanusree: The first half will be a collection of short dance pieces on Ananda Shankar’s music, based on the Uday Shankar style of dance, followed by one of our new works, which shows the progress from then to now. 

Sreenanda: I believe, keeping their sensibilities in mind, Ma has taken it to a different level! 

In terms of a mother-daughter collaboration, how do you demarcate the roles and what is the contribution of each?

Tanusree: It is teamwork. I take care of the choreography, artistic direction and overall planning, while Sreenanda takes care of the make-up, aesthetics, costumes, perfection of the dances and the overall look of the show. She is also the lead dancer. 

Sreenanda: We will give the audience something that will appeal to them. As my grandfather would say, which I heard from my father, “Give the audience what they want before they know what they want!” 

How has it been working with each other?

Tanusree: It is fun to work with each other. We do have our moments of heavy arguments but it is for the betterment of the show, nothing personal. 

Sreenanda: Oh, Ma and I work well together! We do have disagreements but we talk it out.

Anannya Sarkar

Picture: Pabitra Das?