When we think of “dance”, what comes to our mind? A beautiful woman, adorned with intricate jewelry and make up, swaying gracefully to the mesmerizing tunes in the background. She wants to say something, express something. Something deep within herself, that she is trying to bring out and flaunt to the rest of the world. When we think in “names”, a famous, world class dancer comes to our mind – Padma Subrahmanyam.
Padma’s relationship with dance goes a long way. She has strived to keep the fiery passion of dance alive, hoping the fire would catch on to those around her. But her commitment towards the art is far beyond her talent alone. She has done immense research in this versatile field, the result of which is the well known “Karana Prakaranam”. The “Karana Prakaranam” portrays dance as a language. And by language, I clearly mean it has syntax, semantics, codes, grammar and deep meaning. This language is common to the continent of Asia, especially India.
This particular work of Padma’s, serves as a guide to train the body, through a pedagogy system rooting from the universally followed dance code. The exquisite piece comprises of 108 Karanas (the basic units of dance) and Marga (grammar), portrayed with relevant sculptures dispersed through out it. The superimposition of the sculptures over Padma’s movements seem to convince the viewer that karanas are not mere poses, but intricate and graceful movements, with the ‘conjoining of hands and feet in dance’ in perfect conformity to the tenets of the Natyasastra.
Choreographed by Jatayu Moksham, this piece sends out a distinct message – “One can march from the past to the future, allowing for abundance of creativity without the loss of one’s aesthetic roots”.
Padma’s cross cultural research allows us to perceive dance in a more broader and respectable light. Having received numerous awards for her contributions and talent, she continues to keep the flame of dance burning bright.
