ART RESEARCH - "Establishing a balance between Performance and theory in the modern curriculum"

Writer: Nilesh A Parekh.

[ A paper presentation at International Seminar on “Indian Performing Arts: Theorization and Pedagogy” on 29th and 30th March, 2016 ]

Dance Scholar Dr. Sandhhya Purechhaji believes that for a practical student of Indian Classical Dance, it is necessary to examine and understand the theoretical basis on which the tradition of dance and the traditional techniques have been built.

Related to it here the researcher has quoted a dialogue between Lord Indra and Saint Nandikeswar – author of Abhinaya Darpana and Bhartarnavam.

Dialogue between Indra and Nandikesa:

Indra: I bow to Nandikesa who resides on the auspicious Kailasa Mountain, who is the embodiment of compassion, and who (being an expert) is always willing to teach Natyashastra.

Nandikesa: O Indra! Welcome to you. Are all the Devas in heaven doing well? Tell me why you have come all the way to meet me.

Indra replied: Through kindness, I already possess a well-decorated and fully equipped Theatre. I being the owner of that theater, further request you for a favour.

Nandikesa: O Indra! Tell me clearly what I can do for you.

दैतेय नात्यशालायां नर्तको नटशेखरः ll

तम् विजेतुं आयम् नात्यविनोदैः क्रमवेदिभिः l

भवद्विरचितं ग्रन्थं भरतार्णव मिच्छति ll

Indra replied: In the theatre of the demons, there is one dancer called Natasekhar. I wish to conquer him by acquiring competence in dance and for this purpose, I request you to teach me the treatise called Bharataarnavam, composed by you.

In olden days also competitions between actors / dancers used to take place. The dances being presented by Natasekhar and his disciples were enriched by the knowledge of theory. So, if Indra were to conquer him, he had to be well-acquainted with the theory. That is why he has now approached Nandikesa for a perfect knowledge of the theory. Even the dances being presented by Natasekhar are not fully theory-oriented; they must have been very popular due to their expert presentation. Even then, to conquer Natasekhar, Indra should be well acquainted with the theory. Indra had already learned dance the traditional way. Now he wants to learn theory as well, as Sampradaya (tradition) and Shastra (science=theory) are inseparable.  So, the important point to be noted in this story is that a thorough knowledge of the theory is essential for a perfect and faultless presentation on the stage.

Looking at the dialogue between Indra and Nandikesha the researcher notices that though Indra was well versed in practical, then also he had to learn theory to get the victory over the dancer demon Natasekhar.

Today whatever an artist performs on a stage is the practical form of theory only. The researcher gives an example of one of an ancient text of Indian Classical Dance i.e. Abhinaya Darpanam of Nandikeshwar. In it, Chapters 18 to 36 gives a detailed information on Aangika Abhinaya like various types of Head, Eye and Neck movements and their uses, various types of Single and Double Hand Gestures and their uses, Hand Gestures for various Gods and Goddesses, Standing postures, Different types of Jumps, Circular movements and Walks. A performer uses this theoretical knowledge only in his or her dance performance to communicate his or her idea or theme to the audience.

In the modern curriculum, the researcher felts the need to coordinate Shastra and Sampradaya. Through the researcher’s experience in the dance field, he founds a big gap between the theoretical tenets and its application into dance practice. The researcher sees that dance students know the shlokas but how to apply them to the traditional repertoire is unknown.

The researcher has attended a dance workshop conducted by Dr. Sandhhya Purechhaji at the Faculty of Performing Arts. She taught the students how to bring the Sanskrit verses from the text Abhinaya Darpanam onto the stage along with its application into a traditional Bharatanatyam repertoire and fill the bridge between Shastra and Sampradaya which is very essential today in the modern curriculum.

Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam has written a book called “Karanas-Common dance codes of India and Indonesia”, based on her research of karanas from the temples of Prambanan(Indonesia), Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Chidambaram, Thiruvannamalai and Vriddhachalam. In the 20th century she was the first dancer to reconstruct the Karanas as movements, which were considered to be mere poses earlier. Here she had given a practical approach to the Karanas of Natyashastra and tried to maintain a balance between the theoretical and practical concept of Karanas. Dr Padma Subrahmanyam has made a tremendous contribution to the dance world by studying all the sources describing the Karanas and reconstructing and documenting them.

The idea behind attempting work of such a nature is to generate a more serious approach to the study of dance so that a deeper understanding of the theory of dance can lead to a more mature and perceptive level of performance and appreciation.

The researcher gives definitions of the following words:

Theory – a set of principles on which the practice of an activity is based.

Performance – an act of presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment.

Looking to the definition of theory the researcher sees that practical is based on the concepts of theory only.

Curriculum – The subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college.

Concepts of curriculum:

                                                            Traditional           Modern

Traditional concept of curriculum: In the past the second name of curriculum was “course of studies”. This term was considered to be a program related to various subjects only. However, the terms “curriculum” and “course of studies were, sometimes interchangeable but were used in a very limited sense. As a matter of fact, this viewpoint was a static-view which emphasized only the text-book knowledge or factual information. In those days it was correct because the main objective of education was to help the learner to memorize the contents. Furthermore, curriculum was a body of preserved factual knowledge to be transmitted from the teacher to the pupils and mastered by them through memorization, recitation and drill; and to be reproduced on the demand of the teacher.

Modern concept of curriculum: With the passage of time and refinement of mind the traditional concept of curriculum (which was limited in scope) was replaced by a dynamic and modern concept. Hence, it is now considered to be a broad cumulative and comprehensive term including all the curricular and co-curricular activities. It is the totality of all the learning activities to which we are exposed during study, i.e. class room experiences, play ground, school building, study tours, association with parents and community. Now it is more than the text-books and more than the subject matter selected for a particular class.

In the modern concept of curriculum the use of computers and latest technologies should be encouraged to preserve ancient musical scriptures; one must not forget that it is an interpretation – based performing art which is heavily dependent on practical. So, the UGC should be more pragmatic in its approach while setting a balance between theories and practical modules. A holistic approach of knowledge in performing arts comes with both practical demonstration and proper analysis of theory.

References:

Rao Appa, Abhinay Darpanam of Nandikeshwara, Hyderabad: A Natyamala Publication (1997)

Purechha Sandhhya, Theory and Practice of Angikabhinaya in Bharata Natyam, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Nilesh A Parekh

Nileshji is a founder and director of Pranav Performing Arts Foundation. He is a Gold medalist in Performing Arts- Bharatanatyam from M S U Baroda and recipient of National Scholarship from Govt. of India, also pursuing PhD in dance.