Jugalbandi between dance and art

A story about a young Warli girl’s love for nature becomes the platform for a cultural meeting of Bharatanatyam, animation and Warli folk music

At a time when the debate over gatekeeping in art and the need to diversify forums is gaining credence, there is a need for artistes to step up and embrace experimental mediums. Prachi Saathi’s upcoming performance at the NCPA later this week is a similar experiment that is in its second year. The voice artiste and Bharatanatyam exponent will perform her one-person production, When Walls Dance.

The story, she reveals, began in the pre-COVID days. “I had wanted to create something that blends Warli art with the mainstream of Bharatanatyam,” Saathi shares. A key influence was a debate between urbanisation and deforestation that germinated the story of a young girl, Champa, and her love for a tree. “I have a close connection with the community. The language is also a familiar one. In fact, as dancers, when we draw stick figures to choreograph Bharatanatyam routines, it is not very different to Warli figures. That struck a chord.”

Bohada masks

The Warli community and their culture became the bedrock of her performance. “Theirs is a living, breathing tradition in the midst of our city. They have rituals, music, costumes and culture that is unique,” says Saathi. These elements were woven into the story one by one starting with the cotton-based, printed fabrics worn by the community.

“During my first research visit to the Jawhar Wada in Palghar, I didn’t even have a story. I remember telling my guide that I don’t know what I am going to perform, but I know what I will wear for it,” she recalls. This flowed with the theme of Ahaarya at this year’s NCPA Mudra Festival. The term refers to the key aesthetics of traditional Indian dance performance including costume, expression, ornaments and make-up. Another element used in the performance is the traditional masks. “These are used in a ritual called bohada, a specific ritual where they invoke the rain gods,” the Santacruz resident explains. Throw these in with the folksy music of the community infused with thillanas and korvais of Bharatanatyam, and you have a unique experience to say the least.

Artwork by Rajendra Chaudhari; (right) A Warli woman draped in traditional attire

Yet, to bring in a younger audience required some creative thinking. This is where the collaboration between fellow dancer and animator Upasana Nattoji proved effective. Founder and director of Switch Studios, Andheri West, Nattoji shares, “As an animator and dancer, I was able to understand the grammar and shape the animation to the story.” Over multiple zoom calls, the duo set to work with the script and designed it according to the folk music from the community. The result is a 35-minute long animated sequence that moves in tandem with the choreography.  

The art, Saathi remarks, is not just a production design but an interactive part of the performance. “The music is designed to certain cues that spark the animation.” Nattoji adds, “My practice is an amalgamation of art, dance, technology and film. While we are bringing the aesthetics of the artwork to the stage, there is also a sensitivity towards what the art form, and its tactile nature, can evoke.”

Upasana Nattoji

For the project, animators worked with hand drawn artworks created by artist and researcher Rajendra Chaudhari. Nattoji shares, “Often, in animation, the medium will affect the aesthetic. In this case, the aesthetic influenced the medium just as much, and left us rejuvenated.”

While they have travelled with the show, including to hardcore classical dance centres like Tiruchirappalli, Saathi calls it an ongoing process. “The effort is to constantly draw and build audiences for traditional art forms, while adding to them the richness of these indigenous stories,” she concludes.

Women in the Palghar wada creating Warli art

On April 4; 6.30 pm
At Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Log on to in.bookmyshow.com
Entry Rs 200 onwards

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