Kathak dance shows are common in India; many dance teachers and gurus have had performances of their style for decades now. But recently Shringar Mani and Hirkani awardee Guru Vijayshree Choudhary asked me to be a part of a kathak show. I have known Vijayshreeji for about 10 years now, she is a disciple of the legendary padma vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj and was also the Cultural ambassador of India to Indonesia, so a call from a diva like her always a wonderful feeling.
She told me that she was having a show Katha Kathak Ki, where she wanted me to perform a kathak piece. At first I was reluctant but then her charm took over me and I had no option, but to give in to the demands of this graceful dancer. I had always read in my dance books during my dance education that Spanish Paso Doble and flamenco had Indian roots from kathak, but as soon as our rehearsals began, I started to realise the similarities.
In the dance, I was to play the character of the mischievous Lord Krishna and she was Radha, and the song she chose was Hori by her Guru Pandit Birju Maharaj. I remember when I met Maharajji over coffee in Delhi sometime ago, and he had told me about his Hori composition and how dear this song was to him. He had told me that he had danced to it many a times. Thinking of the conversation with Maharaji and dancing the same piece with one of his favourite students, I was very nervous.
I have always admired and appreciated kathak and witnesses many shows, but this was not going to be a cakewalk I was sure. Guru Vijayshree made me relax a bit and patiently gave me time to teach me the finer points to the compositions we were dancing to.
I remember one part in the dance where I was just not able to understand the beats, as they were different from western beats and the style of counting was different too. Vijayshreeji had also called live musician to explain it to me. When she realised that I responded better to live music as compared to recorded music, she decided to do the show with live musicians. I thought it was a great idea, but it made me more nervous. Even a small mistake on the part of either the dancer or the musician could make the act look bad. Our rehearsals began and each day, I grew more nervous and she grew more confident of me. It was a strange situation.
Then came the night before the show, I got a call from her again asking me to host the evening as her compere for the evening could not be present for the show. My heart sank, I was anyway nervous of the kathak I was going to dance for the first time ever and now, I was hosting the event too.
I stayed up all night to rehearse the script and then came the evening of the show. Chief guest, the legendary actress Padmashree Asha Parekhji lit the auspicious lamp with guest of honour actor-director Saurabh Shukla. Vijayshreeji and miss world runner-up Parvathy Ommankuttur hosted the evening with me.
There were many performances, from Shiva Stuti to story of kathak, from tarana to Nriytakeli, from Sufi-mixed kathak to kathak in film, as each performance got done I grew more nervous. Dressed in my Deepak Shah and Neeta Lulla-designed gold brocade shervani with red patyala shalwar, I tried to look like Lord Krishna. On the other hand, Vijayshreeji in her traditional gold and red lehenga choli was a splendid Radha.
Our dance was the finale piece and when the music began I remembered what my ballroom dance teachers always told me, “Dance, be it western or Indian, dance is dance, it has the same language. The ways of expressions may be a bit different.” That was it, I don’t remember what happened after that, the only memory I have is that post the show all the guests present there, be it former director of national school of drama Ramgopal Bajaj or yesteryears actress Shammiji, another Birju Maharaj student Neelima Azim, actors like Sameer Dharmadhikari, Vijay Raz, Jesse Randhawa and more congratulated Vijayshreeji and me for the show and the dynamic finale. One of them even came and told me that the dance looked as if Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha had actually descended on stage to show their naughtiness to the audience. I guess that is the beauty of dance and the dancer that they can transcend you into another world and make you believe in all that they do.
I am specially writing this piece to thank Guru Vijayshree Choudhary for believing in me and asking me to partner with her for the finale dance of her show. I surely cannot
reach the perfection that Birju Maharaj has inculcated in her, but being on stage with her and sharing the same dance act humbled me.