She reflects a certain kind of alluring charm and grace, perhaps rarely seen in any of the new breed of dancers. The calm composure, the soulful face and the serene demeanour is what sets Madhavi Mudgal apart from the rest. While she many not need any specific introduction at this stage in life, Mudgal continues to enthrall everyone with her dance productions with the same consistency and lyricism over the years. She will perform a traditional Odissi recital at NCPA in Mumbai on Friday, where she believes the tradition provides the root to expand and explore.
Paramparaa Vistaar, will have a traditional repertoire in the first half while the second half is an extension of the first. “The format is traditional but I’ve taken a slightly different approach here. Mangalacharan, which is the invocation of the almighty, is the first item for the evening. Here, you won’t see the typical entry as we have been seeing in the dance items over the years,” says Mudgal.
The second piece for the evening is a Pallavi which Mudgal beautifully and aptly describes as the visualisation of the raag. A Pallavi is probably the most lyrical of all the other items in Odissi, which is designed and choreographed in various layers of the raag and has a definite pattern. What Mugdal will present is a pallavi set to the the raag Madhuvanti and Durga. While she will present these pieces with her group, the abhinaya is going to be a solo act. “I will be performing three ashtapadis from the Gita Govinda. Somehow, I feel the purest form of abhinaya is best done at an individual level. With a group, the natya element too comes into focus. But at an individual level, the real essence of the abhinaya is brought out very well,” Mudgal explains.
The second half of the production, which is called Vistaar, is a more contemporary form of the traditional. Set to raag Kalyan, this group dance piece is about invoking the presence of the ultimate and the shloka reaffirms the presence of the divine being within us. The last piece for the evening is a dance piece on the percussion instruments. “I’ve tried to incorporate the four instruments of Orissa, which are the pakhawaj, nagada, khol and kartal. What excites me here is the structuring of the piece and the rhythm too, in its own way is interesting,” she says. Mudgal who has been trained in Bharatnatyam and Kathak, took to Odissi much later under the tutelage of Guru Hare Krishna and then under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Apart from the lyricism and grace of the style of Odissi, what moved Madhavi to take up Odissi was the essence of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. “It was his approach to dance that made me think and look at it from various perspectives,” says Mudgal.
Known to be a perfectionist of sorts, Mudgal is extremely meticulous about her aesthetics. “Presentation is an extremely important factor when it comes to any performing art. For me, everything about the stage matters, whether it’s the costumes, the lights or the colours. I like to keep my aesthetics subtle and simple,” says Mudgal. She says that lighting is a sort of a tool for choreography.
“Most of the times dance is also an impromptu and intangible expression,” she says. The recent hype over contemporary dance slightly worries Mudgal. “As dance is an evolving art, one can have myriad definitions of contemporary dance. The word comes from the West and in India; our dance has undergone so much of refinement. What I am worried about is merely copying any art form,” says Mudgal stressing on the fact that each person needs to find his/her expression. She laments how mediocrity has set into the upcoming dancers. “One needs patience to go deep down into any art form and understand the fundamentals. I see many young dancers lacking patience today, which in turn reflects in their quality of dancing. However, some do take the effort and as a result stand out,” says Mudgal.
Even though opportunities over the years have increased and offer a wider platform, the number of dancers too has increased. “More opportunities have resulted in more number of dancers and again somewhere we see creativity and talent lacking,” she says. “Dance is so much about sensitivity. Very few take to the sensitivity and also pursue it. Even the audience that comes to watch a performance is sensitive to the performances. But, eventually things will come around,” she adds.