New idiom in dance

ANNE MARIE Gaston is a familiar figure in Chennai. She can be spotted everywhere. At dance and music programmes, in meetings on conservation and in events related to education events. This Canadian dancer roughs it out mostly... taking autorikshaws and buses.

"Anne Marie is hardworking and consistent in her approach to dance," says Usha Srinivasan, a disciple of K. N. Dandayuthapani Pillai in Bharatanatyam, who has known Anne Marie for more than three decades and who is now guiding Anne Marie in her latest work.

Anne Marie Gaston came to Chennai in 1964 to complete the social service obligations for her university degree in Canada. She taught science at the Vidyodaya school and was smitten by a dance programme she saw. She befriended the American musician John Higgins, who took her to meet Balasaraswathy. Since Balasaraswathy was travelling a lot, Higgins suggested Anne Marie study Bharatanatyam with Guru Ellappa Pillai. "It was an incredible experience. He was such a gentle but tough teacher and would teach only one pupil at a time. I was besotted with Bharatanatyam."

Once, in Canada, while she was practising, an Indian professor in the campus who happened to be attracted to the music, walked into the room and watched her practise. He immediately arranged for a programme in the university. A few more programmes followed and Anne Marie felt she just had to get back to India. She applied for a scholarship and came to India. She did extensive interviews with several gurus, nattuvanars and dancers to understand the art form better. She once watched an Odissi performance and wanted to learn that too. So she went to Delhi and learnt Odissi from Guru Mayadhar Raut. It was there that she met Usha Srinivasan, then Usha Arunachalam.

She met Tony Gaston in Egypt. Tony was interested in birds and came to India to do his doctorate on Indian birds. He is also an excellent photographer and the two of them began a life-long project of integrating dance and the visual arts. Tony Gaston even learnt Odissi music and sang (including the Asthapadi) for Anne Marie's performance! "Tony shares with me a great respect and appreciation for artistes trying to survive in the modern changing world. Both of us view artistes and the ecosystems as endangered species worthy of preservation. It is his ability to share my passion for Indian dance, music and art that helped me", says Anne Marie.

Anne Marie learnt Kathakali from Guru Balakrishnan at the International Institute of Kathakali, Chau dance in Orissa and went about integrating her interest in environment and her dance came up with several choreographies that have been performed all over the world. Anne Marie Gaston then decided to call herself Anjali. She says, "Dance, music, mask and images are all part of my artistic canvas. I see my creative work as starting with traditional Indian dance and music (in particular rhythm) as its inspiration. I innovate with themes, costuming, sets, projected images and other theatrical techniques, while maintaining my traditional techniques by performing and teaching the classical repertoire."

She selects broad themes with the spirit of Indian dance and places them in unique visual and musical environments. This experiment has been the basis for her choreography for over 20 years. "In the process, I am convinced that South Asian arts can make a huge contribution to world theatre" she says.

Anne Marie is a walking dictionary on Bharatanatyam. The recordings she has made over the years not only with Bharatanatyam artistes but also with Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra and Chau artistes etc., show how dance has been changing in the last three decades. Her extensive interviews with everyone connected with the art also have a lot to tell. Her books "Siva in Dance, Myth and Iconography" (OUP, now in third edition) and "Bharatanatyam - From Temple to Theatre" have been very well received by the dance world.

V. R. DEVIKA

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