Tradition and Innovation In Dance
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Sketches from Ram Gopal’s personal Scrap-‐book
Reproduced: Classical Dances & Costumes of India by Kay Ambrose
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Tradition and Innovation in dance
Dr. Rohini Dandavate
July 10, 2012
Innovation in traditional dance is often a topic of debate and controversy. While
some seek new experiences others resist change. However history records that
changing social and political contexts, the need to attract audiences and above
all the basic human urge to move beyond parameters drawn by traditions, has
inspired dancers to innovate and experiment in their genres of dance. Innovation
is the introduction of new things, methods or services.
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Innovation and experimentation in dance is seen either in the technique or in the
kind of music employed, or in the themes, stage lighting, costumes and sets. For
example Sergei Diaghilev, who started the original Ballets Russes, was a pioneer
in adapting new musical styles to modern ballet. George Balanchine, the founder
of New York Ballet, as a choreographer, generally de-emphasized plot in his
ballets, preferring to let "dance be the star of the show," as he once told an
interviewer. Martha Graham popularized modern dance by introducing a different
technique that used jarring, violent, and trembling movements. She believed that
movement originated in the tension of a contracted muscle, and continued in the
flow of energy released from the body as the muscle relaxed. This method of
muscle control gave her dance an angular look unlike the smooth, lyrical bodily
motions of other ballet dancers of that time.
In the context of dance innovation in India, one is reminded of Chandralekha, a
choreographer who fused Bharatnatyam, Yoga, Chau and Kalaripayattu, Astad
Deboo, a practitioner of modern dance who collaborates with artists across many
genres, Mallika Sarabhai, a Bharatnatyam dancer who often fuses multiple
disciplines of arts to promote social change and Daksha Sheth, who draws from
her experience in Kathak, Mayurbhanj Chhau, Martial art of Kalaripayattu from
Kerala, aerial technique of Mallakhamb (malla denotes a gymnast or a man of
strength and khamb which means a pole. Mallakhamb is pole gymnastics) to
combine tradition with Contemporary Indian Dance. This list of names is not
exhaustive. There are many more dancers and choreographers in India who
have experimented across genres of dance, drama, music and sports. The
collage given below displays a few examples of innovative works in dance:
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1
3
2
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1.Daksha Sheth http://www.visitingarts.org.uk/archive/casestudies/02daksha.html 2. Mallika Sarabhai http://www.darpana.com/darpanapage.php?id=4 3. Astad Deboo http://parsikhabar.net/individuals/astad-deboo-awarded-padma-shri/581/ 4. Chandralekha's choreographic production Sharira http://www.thehindu.com/arts/dance/article55803.ece
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Universally, innovation in classical dance forms is inimical to traditionalists and
tension between tradition and innovation continue. Across all cultures, there are
artists who have moved beyond the codes of the traditional genres and illustrated
their own imagination fusing both conventional and unconventional methods in
dance.
Garry Stewart, Artistic Director of Australian Dance Theatre, known for his
innovative choreography said ‘Nothing is completely in its own bubble of new
existence that it always emanates out of something that we already know.’ True
to these words, it is observed that often dancers and choreographers experiment
and innovate based on their expertise in one genre of dance. The difference in
their work stems from their motivation to explore new concepts and the way in
which they integrate novel methods. The works of Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan
and Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham appropriately explicate this point. These
dancers and choreographers created a new language of dance based on their
training in classical ballet. Tired of conforming to the norms of the European
tradition of Ballet, these choreographers experimented in costumes, lighting and
technique while presenting themes and plots linked to the existing social, cultural
and political conditions during their lifetime.
Loie Fuller:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Loie_Fuller.jpg
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Fuller choreographed dances in which she used silk costumes illuminated by
multi-colored lighting of her own design. She held many patents linked to stage
lighting using chemical compounds for creating color gel and chemical salts for
luminescent lighting and garments.
Isadora Duncan performing bare foot. Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Isadora_duncan.jpg
Duncan believed that movement originated in the solar plexus. She moved away
from the rigid ballet technique and integrated natural movements in her
choreography. Duncan was particularly influenced by the Delsartean system of
expression, which emphasized "harmonic poise," "artistic statue posing" and
"plastique." Her Grecian inspiration and American love of freedom inspired her to
create a different technique seeking connection between movements and
emotion. Delsarte developed an acting style that aimed to connect the inner
emotional experience of the actor with a set of gestures and body movements
based on his observations of human interaction.
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The dancer Ruth St Denis was influenced by dance dramas of eastern cultures.
Intrigued by the image of Goddess, she read about the Indian and Egyptian
concept. In her production “Radha”, she translated her understanding of the
Indian culture in the portrayal of the story of the mortal maid.
Ruth St. Denis Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_St._Denis
In the book The Opposable Mind, Roger Martin describes Martha Graham, as
“one of the century’s most gifted integrative thinkers, whose thought had far
reaching results”. Martha Graham integrated harsh angular movements filled with
emotion and anxiety in contrast to the fluid technique of ballet. She replaced the
traditional costumes with long skirts or leotards, and dropped the use of the plain
backdrops, and utilized three-dimensional sculptures as stage props for dancers
to touch, hold and interact. She collaborated with Lewis Horst and he composed
music for the dances she choreographed. Unlike the ornate style of classical
ballet she focused on the power of communication in dance. Her costumes were
designed in a way, which would force audiences to notice the movement of the
body and the emotion. For Martha Graham, as Roger Martin said, “composition,
choreography, costumes and sets were all part of an interdependent, integrated
whole”. Her innovation gelled elements of theater, emotion and motivation.
Initially the changes she introduced shocked and confused audiences. But later
her repeated efforts of demonstrating simple American realities through her
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dances continued to amaze her audience. Though most times a dancer’s
questioning the basic tenets and age old canons of movements of traditional
dance styles raises eyebrows, gradually people’s eyes get trained to appreciate
new creations with frequent presentation and by understanding the
choreographers perspective.
Drawing a similar example from Indian dance is the work of the Chandralekha,
the legendary dancer from Chennai, in Southern India. Trained under the
renowned Bharatnatyam teacher, Guru Kancheepuram Ellappa Pillai,
Chandralekha, is often described as an iconoclast, and is known for
reinterpreting classical traditions and developing a unique sequence of signature
movements. She fused Bharatanatyam dance movements with yoga and
Kalarippayyat, a martial art form from Kerela. As described by Ananaya
Chatterjea, in her article, Chandralekha: Negotiating the Female Body and
Movement in Cultural/Political Signification, “ the hallmarks of Chandralekha’s
choreography are her radical re-envisioning of the classical body of Indian dance
and her seamless overlaying of the aesthetic and the political in movement”.
Chandralekha explored the vocabulary of Bharatnatyam during her training and
then worked for ten years in women’s movement before she made a comeback
on to the dance stage as a dancer and choreographer. For her dance was more
than just an expression of bhakti (devotion). The dance productions she
choreographed were ”Celebrations of the human body”. Chandralekha explored
and expressed ideas relating to body and mind, and issues of sexuality,
sensuality and spirituality. Her productions Angika, Lilavati, Prana, Sri, Yantra,
Mahakal, Raga, Sloka and Sharira, were based on themes relating to time,
space, form, spiritual and sexual manifestations of the body, and feminism.
Another dancer and choreographer Astad Deboo is recognized for blending the
Modern with traditional styles of dance. Trained in Kathak, Kathakali, and in
Modern dance at the Martha Graham School as well as with Pina Bauschhe, his
choreography combines Indian classical and Western modern dance. Over the
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years, he has collaborated with practitioners of the Manipuri martial art form of
Thang-ta, and students from the Clarke School for the Deaf in Chennai. His latest
production, Interpreting Tagore comprises pieces set to different poems by
Tagore and features a variety of practices, drawing in elements of Kathak,
Chhau, Puppetry and Sufi whirling. In addition to these names there are many
more Indian dancers both in and outside of India who continue to experiment and
bring forth innovative works. While some continue to express their ideas using
established traditional forms, others chose to use traditional dance techniques as
a springboard for innovation and the starting point for advancing their own ideas
on issues of the contemporary world.
Often unfamiliar expressions make it difficult for audiences to appreciate
innovation and creativity. The only way to recognize and acknowledge novel
creative expressions is by understanding the choreographer’s perspective and
creative process by asking questions regarding:
• the idea which inspired the work
• the approach used to expand upon the idea
• the creative process used in the new work
• the strategies employed to translate the idea into dance and
• the steps used to refine the work and overcome the limitations
Much like Astad Deboo believes, “Coming from old tradition and presenting
under a contemporary umbrella…tradition also moves on. There is a lot of
reverence; there are a lot of things that are not dispensed of. [Tradition] is still
there”. In the field of traditional dance, some will continue to practice, preserve
and promote the classical dances in its pristine form, while others will interpret
their imagination by expanding their creative expressions using different
disciplines. Traditions will continue to be practiced alongside the development of
novel artistic experiences.
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David W. Galenson, an economic historian and a professor of Economics, in his
analyses of the careers of French and American painters of the 19th and 20th
centuries discovered two types of innovators: conceptual and experimental.
According to Galenson, the experimental innovators are “seekers,” because they
typically innovate by continually seeking to improve without knowing exactly what
they are looking for. He called the conceptual innovators “finders,” because they
typically know what they want and they find it. Galenson adds that an
experimental innovator gradually gains expertise and flourishes late in life while
the conceptual innovator employs new ways of doing things very early on in their
career and their creativity is acknowledged soon enough. Though Galenson’s
study focused on painters only, I think his discovery of the two types of artistic
innovators are seen in the field of dance too. While Martha Graham and
Chandralekha can be included in the group of conceptual innovators, and Loie
Fuller, Ruth St Dennis and Astad Deboo, Daksha Sheth and Mallika Sarabhai
can be called experimental innovators. Martha Graham introduced specific body
movements such as the contraction, release, and spiral. Her theory of
contraction, the foundation of her technique, became central to the development
of Modern dance in America. For Chandralekha “the body was the sole
resource”(Malcolm Tay) which she used to communicate her ideas on feminism
and social activism. The form and structure of her choreography was set to
explore body, energy (both physical and spiritual) and self-realization. Like other
conceptual innovators both these choreographers formulated a unique language
of movement to express their revolutionary ideas. In comparison the
experimental innovators in dance used the trial and error methods in their
creative expressions. While Fuller experimented with stage lighting, Duncan
incorporated the Delsartean system of expression in her work and Ruth St
Dennis borrowed themes from the eastern cultures in their creative break-
through. Astad Deboo’s collaborations, Mallika Sarabhai’s use of different genres
of art and Daksha Sheth’s amalgamation of movements from Kathak style, Chau
and Mallakhamb added new dimensions in their innovations.
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I conclude this discussion on tradition and innovation in dance by quoting
Winston Churchill, who said, “ Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a
shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse”. Tradition and innovation are equally
important. Tradition provides the discipline and base of long established methods
for instilling creativity, and innovation initiates and shapes imagination and
therefore innovation must develop from tradition.
References: Websites: S. Garry. (2009). Garry Stewart on Innovation. Dance Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.danceconsortium.com/content.aspx?CategoryID=1506 Rosendorf, Elizabeth A. (2012) Dancespiration: Exploring Innovation in Dance. Corcoran College Of Art + Design, 2011, 112 pages; 1506388 Retrieved from http://gradworks.umi.com/15/06/1506388.html Martha Graham. Retrieved from http://www.pitt.edu/~gillis/dance/martha.html Terhune, Lea. (March/April 2008).Blending the Modern with the Traditional: Astad Deboo, Span, page 59. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ytmL4PfaVWkJ:span.state.gov/wwwfspmarapr0859.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESj9iYcjwnZaHWl4O7zbatMT_iROPEtdoGHJIKkhovCT-j6nNbt51ZUSL7opQF3GYkjJt5pwNBbGtSMAk2-W9MN00781DF4bu10Pd8WT4816sMGAmIO7cYqwMDxSzJ8KFRxl8fA9&sig=AHIEtbSh5cCragKVa9ALVqH1pDP7qwr_rg Galenson, David. (2007). Painters as Seekers/Finders Retrieved from http://www.artsofinnovation.com/painters.html Print: Holland, Suzanne. (2001). The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. MIT Press, Boston. Ed. Ann Dils and Ann Cooper Albright. (2001) Moving History: A Dance History Reader, Wesleyan University Press. Connecticut. Martin, Roger L. (2007). The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking. Harvard Business School Publishing,Boston, Massachusetts.
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