Even though abhinaya is an integral aspect of classical dance, it’s not very often that we find ourselves engaging in intense discussions on various aspects of abhinaya. Moreover, the complexities of abhinaya too are daunting and challenging for most dancers. In order to understand the finer nuances of abhinaya, renowned Bharatnatyam dancer Justin McCarthy is holding a three-day workshop at the Gati Dance Forum in Delhi. The workshop basically aims to focus on an abhinaya piece, a javali and explore various expressions around it.
Given the practical parameters, there isn’t enough time to focus on abhinaya portion in most workshops, admits Justin. “I wanted to explore another method of understanding and making others understand abhinaya. Moreover, given the contemporary platform of Gati, it would be interesting to see the classical approach the contemporary and vice-versa. “There are several things I would love to experiment with and a classical slant in a contemporary space is pretty rare and exciting, which is why I’m all the more excited about it,” he says.
He says that it’s not just another workshop where you look at another item (for the lack of a better word and something that’s commonly used in the world of dance). “You end up thinking about the abhinaya, what could have been the other possibilities and what significance it actually has,” he says adding, “We intend to have various discussions and interactions on how to produce bhavam (expression) from within. The music too is an important aspect of the dance piece and one has to carefully understand its finer details too.” Theory of dance is another exciting element in this workshop. The understanding of nayika, rasa theory is important and is very often ignored by many dancers. “I would want to explore it in an impartial manner and give students the freedom to figure which nayika would suit which dance piece and mood,” says Justin.
Javali will be the focal point for several related strands — i.e., the actual teaching, exploration of creation or improvisation within its framework, the literary content of the javali, its relationship to theories of aesthetics, and finally its historical context as both a form of music and a dance form. Justin’s guru and renowned Bharatnatyam dancer Leela Samson is known for her brilliant rendition of the javalis. “Needless to say, she made javalis look so simple and beautiful. And the fact that she would sing so beautifully and patiently in order to teach us made half our job easy,” he says. But beyond that he would want to explore various schools of abhinayam as every guru has his/her distinctive style of presenting it before an audience. “Generally you would expect your audience to be aware of certain aspects of dance and understand the sahityam. What happens today is that in order to make it simpler for the audiences we change the repertoire. Sometimes in the beginning you have a long item and suddenly you include another piece,” says Justing calling for a holistic approach to abhinaya.
Music and rhythm have changed in today’s day and age.“The concept of speed has changed radically and now it is important to understand how your music and laya will make a difference on stage,” says Justin.