Ahuti blends India’s Odissi and Sri Lanka's Kandyan styles with contemporary dance and accompanied by live musicians. Photo Courtesy: NCPA
Inspiration
Talking about the performance, Surupa Sen says, "Ahuti, which loosely translates to “offering”, is a cultural dialogue delivered through movement and music, which further pushes the boundaries of both dance styles. It is an artistic marvel that blends India’s Odissi and Sri Lanka's Kandyan styles with contemporary dance and accompanied by live musicians." The performance premiered in 2019, and after a hiatus of three years, was revived with a new group of dancers. Over the years, the performance has evolved, with the ensemble growing and embracing new creative dimensions. "The addition of an expressive invocation, such as Ravana’s Shiva-Thandhava Sthothram, demonstrates the willingness of the ensembles to explore and expand their artistic vision. Artistes from both the dance companies – Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company - have been staying at Nrityagram for over a year to create this presentation." To bring these two dance forms together, she says, has meant having a conversation respecting these two cultures. "It is not a mere fusion dance, we are having a conversation, completely being independent in our dance styles, yet finding a seamless way to contribute to each other, embrace and encompass each other’s cultures in the dance idioms," she adds.
Collaboration
Chitrasena Dance Company is one of the foremost dance companies in Sri Lanka, says Sen, continuing, Chitrasena and his wife, Vajira, pioneers of the stage form of Kandyan dance brought this dance from a ritual in the temples on to the stage. She explains, "Our relationship with the Chitrasena Dance Company goes back over 15 years to when the duo, along with their daughter and principal dancer, Upeka, visited Nrityagram in 2003. The encounter between Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company cultivated an enduring friendship that laid the foundation for the collaboration." Interestingly, it wasn’t until 2011 that it blossomed into a tangible project called 'Samhara', says Sen, which was their first collaborative production. "I believe that India and Sri Lanka have a rich, yet overlooked, common cultural history that dates back centuries," she highlights.
Exploring the dance forms
Sen says India and Sri Lanka are very similar, being Asian countries, we are both bound by our traditions and the arts. Our cuisines, sartorial styles, musical instruments, and sense of rhythm are very similar. This makes it interesting to collaborate, draw from one another’s cultures and build on each other’s strengths. Even though our dance forms are starkly different, they came together so beautifully that it almost looked like the masculine and feminine energy of the same form. This delicate balance is at the heart of Ahuti, demonstrating that collaborations can serve as catalysts for the preservation as well as revitalization of traditional dance, ensuring its relevance for future generations. It is not unique to showcase different dance forms in a production but the difference here is that we are not dancing against each other, in some dance-off. It is more like we are dancing for each other and to each other, holding close our own dance tradition.
Challenges
Combining two culturally different languages of dance to tell one seamless story was a substantial challenge for the dancers and the choreographer, the Odissi dancer says. It is simply because in a collaboration of such magnitude, Sen says the dancers have to navigate a complex web of roles and responsibilities. She explains, "They are not mere performers, but also students, collaborators and much more. It is a demanding landscape that requires adaptability, versatility and a steadfast commitment to continuous growth and discovery." The challenges encountered while merging these diverse dance forms in turn helped it become integral to their learning process. She says, "A notable challenge was when we were trying to understand each other’s rhythm cycles. For the Kandyan dancers, it was challenging to dance to music, as Kandyan is a percussive dance form, and they don’t have a classical music tradition that’s associated with their form. It typically consists of 7-8 drummers who also dance in an extremely athletic manner with high-powered movements." Odissi, on the other hand, has a full-on ensemble including violin, flute, mardala, and singing. Their understanding of music is rhythm, while ours is rhythm woven into the music. "It was interesting to see the artistes dance to musical instruments besides the drums. It almost felt as if this masculine athletic dance style began to be nuanced by different colours of melodies and instruments. The effect of the confluence was such that it softened the tough Kandyan form whilst enhancing the vigour of the delicate Odissi movements." The rhythm composer from the Chitrasena Dance Company, Guru Prasanna Rupatillake, managed to create new rhythms and add to the existing phrases and complete the rhythm cycles. The artistes also had to conduct their own research and learn and understand each other’s dance forms, music traditions and rhythm patterns.
Interest around traditional Indian dance forms
At Nrityagram, Sen says they are dedicated to expanding the vocabulary of Odissi. Having said that, for any art form to survive, it is important to evolve organically and with the times. "Through the cross-pollination of ideas, dance forms can transcend their individual confines and find new avenues for creativity, ensuring their longevity in a dynamic artistic landscape," she concludes.
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