Dance embraces drama

WHO said the twain shall not meet? The East and the West will indeed do so on May 17, when a modern version of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest", with strong Kathakali influences, will be staged at the Bremen Shakespeare Theatre, Germany, as part of the programmes to observe the 436th birth and 364th death anniversary of the Bard.

Among the Kerala Kathakali artistes to perform in it are K. Krishnadasan, Unnikrishnan Nair, Manoj Kumar, Bhasi Puligara, A. Manikandan and P. K. Haridasan.

Organised jointly by Association Keli, Paris, and the Bremen Shakespeare Company, the troupe plans to tour India by the end of this year, with the support of the German Embassy, Goethe Institute, French Embassy, Alliance Francaise and the International Centre for Cultural Research.

Association Keli is Annette Leday's labour of love. While learning Tamil and Indian civilisation at the University of Oriental Languages, Paris, she longed to know more about South Indian dance and music. She came to India and first learnt Bharathanatyam, but later switched over to Kathakali. Her long association with Kathakali stalwarts such as Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair and Killimangalam Vasudevan Namboodiripad moulded her into a versatile artiste.

Annette, who speaks Malayalam, cites three reasons as to why the younger generation shies away from learning Kathakali. "Only star performers and members of renowned art institutions are called on to give performances. Secondly, the training is tough and of a long duration. And, finally, they question the contemporary relevance of this ancient dance-drama."

Asked why foreigners show an unusual interest in Kathakali, Annette replies that they see a strange and mysterious power in this art form. Westerners are attracted to the mystical and spiritual image of India because it takes them away from mundane material life.

Annette's presentation of "The Tempest" in Germany will be a fusion of oriental and occidental dancing. The Kerala artistes play the Fairies, whose main role is to bless the married couple, Miranda and Ferdinand, and the duo in the Royal Box, Princess Elizabeth and the Polish Count.

In June 1999, Association Keli had performed "King Lear" at the Globe Theatre, London, with Padmanabhan Nair, Annette's mentor and former principal of Kerala Kalamandalam, playing the lead. Annette donned the role of Cordelia. It was pure Kathakali. In all, the troupe presented 17 shows, all to packed houses. As Kunju Vasudevan, troupe manager and coordinator says, the entire play, especially the last scene, the dying moments of Lear, was painstakingly rehearsed and enacted.

"Lear's crumpled face when rejected and gone mad...his attempts at hauteur that collapse in seconds, these are emotions that speak across the gulf of cultures," wrote Jeremy Kingston of The Times.

Biblical stories and classics such as "Dr Faustus" have found their way into Kathakali. However, Annette and her Australian playwright husband, David McRuvie, wanted Kathakali to try out something more dramatic. The result was the "King Lear" production of 1989. It had toured all over Europe and Singapore and has been staged 60 times so far.

Annette has to her credit also "La Sensitive", a contemporary dance piece inspired by a Shelley poem. It was performed in 1993 and 1994 in London, Leicester, Bristol and Leeds. In 1995, she did another contemporary feature, "Trans-Malabar", and this was presented in Leeds, Leicester and Birmingham. Yet another choreography of hers, "Cinderella", blended Kerala dance movements and western ballet. It was staged in 1998 in various Indian cities.

"Art knows no cultural barriers," she says. "Shakespeare in Kathakali amply proves this."

HELEN MENDEZ

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