Natyashastra, Nitray, Naach; the three different words combine together as one, to define the ultimate – the cosmic world of dance and beyond. But talking of dance, one could wonder and ask how spirituality continues to play such a huge role in classical dance form?
“Spirituality is knowing yourself and your inner potential in the best way possible. Spirit helps your roots to be strong and then comes the body. Dance as an art form is showcased through the human body on stage. And if we talk of the craft in 2019, the blend of traditional roots can be seen very well in creations across television shows like MTV Coke Studio, dance festivals across geographies.
Would like to state in a nutshell, there cannot be any art form without soul and spirit infused it in. This has been seen in countless generations in the past, present and future,” avers Chirantan Banerjee, an established professional singer of Kolkata film industry for years.
Taking the flavour of fusing spirit and classical art as a moving motion, we have the voice of famous Bharatnatyam dancer Rama Vaidyanathan. Vaidyanathan shares that she has been in a deep karmic relationship with her art form. A blooming love affair with Bharatnatyam, with whom she travels around the world. Not to forget, the par excellence danseuse has bagged the 2018 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
International World Dance Day is a ‘day’, dedicated to the global celebration of dance worldwide. The day is created by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute, which is the main partner for the performing arts unit of UNESCO. The event takes place every year on 29th April, the anniversary of the birth of Jean-Georges Noverre who is the creator of the modern ballet of 21st century.
Married to classical arts and rhythm divine, Kathak practitioner Sanjukta Sinha weaves her spiritual stories with her signature technique. Sinha shares, that she feels responsible for the younger generation to grow and evolve as open-minded artists. She has bagged the elite Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by Sangeet Natak Akademi in the year 2017.
Last two parallel voices are of the modern racing corporate world. Delhi based, senior partner and planner Ogilvy India Arghyadip Datta, says spirituality keeps the central balance of any artist in place. On the other hand, Kolkata based Odissi dancer, Angira Chakravorty Dasgupta glorifies the inner spirit of a dancer as the prime component to maintain the grammar of ‘movements’ in sync. She is a certified movement therapist and the founder of her own company Healing Rhyyithm in the ‘City of Joy’.
*Disclaimer: This article has been contributed by Srija Mukherjee. The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and views appearing in this article do not express the views of the Deccan Chronicle and Deccan Chronicle does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.
