To mark the 32nd anniversary of nad-roop — a Kathak dance institute started by Guru Shama Bhate, and also to honour the legendary performer Madame Menaka, Shamatai’s disciples will be presenting four proverb-based choreographies on Friday, August 30.
So far, Shamatai has hosted two festivals revolving around Madame Menaka Choreography Movement — to highlight the work done by Madame Menaka, whose real name was Lady Leila Sokhey. A Western Ballet dancer, she had also trained in Lucknow style of Kathak and introduced new style in choreography.
“This year, we are paying homage to Madame Menaka and also celebrating the 32 years of nad-roop. My students will be presenting four proverb-based choreographies. Three of them were performed earlier in the Madame Menaka Festival. One performance based on Ekta mein hai bal or ‘unity in diversity’ was first created with a group of Chhau dancers. For this show, we have recreated it with only Kathak dancers,” says Shamatai.
The generation next dancers of nad-roop will be performing in two back-to-back shows at Annabhau Sathe Auditorium. “We have collaborated with a few schools as we want children to be a part of this experience. The first show will be held between 2 and 4 pm for school children and then there will be another show at six in the evening. This is an open invitation for the regular audience, those who are interested in watching classical dancers and a few school kids will be attending it too,” says the Kathak danseuse.
“This is an attempt to connect with the young audience, cultivating an interest in them about our heritage and classical dance styles. Though the performances will be on a simpler scale, as compared to our regular shows, by no means are we diluting the purity and classicism of Kathak,” adds the guru.
The four proverbs chosen for the performances are global, no doubt, but they also have similar references in our soil. “Avani Gadre has chosen to perform on ‘The more you see, the less you know, for sure’. The stress here is on ‘for sure’, that we are ignorant about in many aspects. Meghana Rao and Nikhil Parmar will be showcasing their work on African proverb ‘Until the lions learn to write, every story will glorify the hunter’. In other words, history is always written by the victors. Ameera Patankar, another senior student, will be presenting ‘A cloak doesn’t make you a monk’. This is a French proverb. I will be supervising the Ekta mein hain bal dance choreography,” informs Shamatai.
“Although the regional context is rooted in these proverbs, they also reflect the global cultural sensibilities. The proverb-based performances will also appeal to both young and old. They are simplistic on the surface, but there is a deeper meaning, if you care to look for it,” she adds.
All the pieces have been developed by students and Shamatai was happy to play the role of mentor. “It’s important to let the students develop their own thought process creative stimuli, imagery and visualisation process. I didn’t see their performances until the first Madame Menaka Festival. After the festival, I gave my suggestions and I left it to them to accept them or not. I will learn if they have absorbed and implemented my suggestions during this show. You have to give the young artists wings to fly... and then the sky is the limit,” she says on a concluding note.
ST Reader Service
Nad-roop is celebrating its 32nd anniversary by hosting a dance performance at Annabhau Sathe Auditorium, Padmavati, on August 30, 6 pm
