Shankar Kandasamy shows his dance style in two charity performances, writes Subhadra Devan
BHARATANATYAM dancer-choreographer Shankar Kandasamy will present two performances — today and on Sept 2. The first is a jugalbandi between Shankar’s dance style and kathak by India’s Nitin Shirale. Called Samaagath, it literally translates as “moving together”.
“I’m working with Nitin, a kathak dancer from India, who is attached to the Indian Cultural Centre of the Indian High Commission.
“I used to do a bit of kathak previously and have a feel for its music. The rhythmic phrasing is very different from south Indian bharatanatyam and to translate that into my dance vocabulary is a creative challenge. Also, the abhinaya of expressive dance uses interesting phrases, which is common to the south yet different,” explains Shankar, head of dance at the Temple Of Fine Arts in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
The traditional bharatanatyam choreography will be interpreted in new ways. The show will offer odes to Lord Rama, Krishna and Shiva. The pieces are both from north and south Indian dance repertoires. One of the dances is Pushpanjali, choreographed by Shankar.
Driven by the rhythmic beats, Nitin will match his movements to the bharatanatyam dance while Shankar will interpret the lyrics of the song.
Shankar and Nitin, who is the resident kathak teacher at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indian Cultural Centre in Kuala Lumpur, will offer a solo dance each.
“I will perform a north Indian dance in bharatanatyam and Nitin, a south Indian song in praise of Lord Shiva, in kathak,” says Shankar.
The audience can expect “an interesting creative collaboration which shows the parallel between forms and yet, the artistic difference which moves together — breathing a common Indian aesthetic”.
Catch Samaagath today (8pm) at TFA’s Shantanand Auditorium in Brickfields, KL. On Sept 2, Shankar will perform in aid of diabetes at the TFA auditorium.
“This is my own repertoire; I will be revisiting some of own choreographed pieces many years ago on Hanuman which I did as a varnam. I will start with the mallari, the traditional temple trumpet sound for deities to be taken on processions which has been converted into dance. I will explore this piece. Then move on to odes to Lord Vishnu. It’s a regular bharatanatyam concert and not thematically driven,” he says.
“I was asked to do this programme by Dr Rajesh Qvist, a leading scientist and a bharatanatyam enthusiast, to raise funds for research and to create awareness on the acutely rising prevalence of diabetes in Malaysia. It’s a noble cause.”
He says that the dance is not directly connected to diabetes.
“I plan to do a piece on Krishna, which talks of his divine sweetness, madhurashtakam. The metaphoric message being that if we were to seek the divine sweetness of the Lord within, then all external sweets lose their value. Also, a divine connection in our lives can help maintain health and throw into relevance the purpose of health!”
Call 03-2274 3709. Tickets by donations.