Dance of life

A prodigy who picked up a heritage that her mother was associated with, Menaka PP Bora is a name to reckon when it comes to counting on the connoisseurs of Assamese art and culture. She is presently doing her PhD research in Global Media and Communications from London University and is also teaching Indian dance at Kingston University, London. Her efforts are to take Sattriya to the mainstream of world art. TE spoke to the versatile dancer and was floored by her views.
How did you get into dancing?

I think the interest in dance was genetic. I use to watch my mother dancing or teaching her students; and then practice it myself with the helpers of the house or my friends. I was also privileged to see the performances of great dancers. Gradually, I started getting trained by my mother. I did my graduation in Bharatnatyam at the age of nine years. The ceremony was at Chennai in front of an invited audience – reputed scholars and my mother’s gurus. That was when people said that I had the potential to take it up seriously. That was a turning point for me. It encouraged me to take dance on a really serious note and delve deeper into the subject.

What does dance mean to you?

In a way, dance is a way of life for me. A profession that has become a passion. I think I have just realized that dance is my oxygen! (Laughs) But yes, there comes a social responsibility when you’re particularly presenting traditional classical art form, from a country like India. And that responsibility is not only about performing the dance correctly but also about the culture that you represent. In some way, it gives you immense satisfaction, because it is about identity. I still write letters in Assamese because my mother prefers to do that even in the age of the internet. These little things bring me closer to my roots as a person. And dance, helps me look into these things.

You have grown up as a daughter of a National Award winning classical dancer. Did that always influence you in becoming a dancer?

There will always be comparisons and expectations, being a daughter of Indira PP Bora. When you are born to famous people, you might have doubts if you have only been a daughter of a renowned artist or if you have been able to do something on your own. In one way, this comparison makes you work harder which is good. But again, there comes an age when you realize that both of you should have your own individual identities. My foray into London, with Media and Communications began from scratch. I did what I could in my own way, of course with the blessings of my parents. But I always feel that being the daughter of Indira PP Bora was a mixed blessing.

As a student of global media and communications, what is your research basically about?

I’m looking at contemporary Indian music in the context of globalization in the 1990s when India was moving into economic liberalization and a huge media boom, which we see even now. I strongly feel that with this explosion of media, there have been new responses of the classical musicians – new ways of promoting music and of expressing themselves. With television music channels, FM Radio, internet forums and blogs, people are able to promote their own products. That reflects how Indians are caving into globalizing India.

You’ve performed Sattriya in different places across the world. How has been the response?

Sattriya is a very lyrical form, especially its music. Most often I’ve found people who’ve come to my workshops asking – ‘Where’s the music coming from? Can we buy a CD?’ People are instantly attracted to it even if they don’t understand the language. They like the graceful way the dance is done and also the costumes. They are very fascinated by the rich texture of the mekhela sador that we wear for Sattriya. I think it’s the simplicity that attracts the people – the way the dance talks about gods, and the way the communication is so simple.

You have contributed quite commendably in upholding the Assamese culture before the world audience. What is your main idea behind this endeavour?

It began as a personal ambition to find out what there is in the Assamese culture, apart from Bihu - whether it is Sattriya, Sankardev’s literature, or the different kinds of rich and vibrant folk music of Assam. When I was in Chennai, people told me that they knew our culture as a ‘tribal’ one. They asked me – Doesn’t Guwahati have universities or is it a 5 km radius city? It is this kind of ignorance and prejudice that people have towards Assam or Northeast that we need to break. So when I get on the stage, people realize that there are other beautiful dance forms also in Assam. That basically took me abroad, and so far the responses have been quite positive. What needs to be done is to put the things we have, in the right context and at par with other forms of dance. I think once people start watching good dance, they start appreciating. And that helps a long way to break these prejudices and notions about Assam and Northeast India.

Since the age when you had started learning till now, have you noticed any change in the number of young girls and boys who have taken up dancing?

There’s a difference in the interest for dance in Chennai, compared to Assam. Still, I’ve seen that the children of Assam are eager to learn different forms of dance. My mother’s dance school - Kalabhumi - has hundreds of students. Now since Sattriya has got a classical status, people want to learn it. But considering that there are so many platforms nowadays like Boogie Woogie and other shows to perform on, many just want a quick way to learn the dance form, rather than really wanting to know about it. I think Assamese girls are really talented and given an opportunity, can do very well. The only thing that I’d like to see is that even after the kids get into an academic life, they can still stick to their dancing. I think parents should encourage their children to keep up both. Dance after all is good for health, apart from being an interesting art from.

You have also studied classical ballet and jazz from Laban Centre of London. Do you find an equation between both the forms of dances – Western and Indian classical?

Very interesting question! Just last semester at the Kingston University, I had written this module called Classical Forms along with my colleague, where we are contrasting Indian classical dance and Western classical ballet. I think both the classical forms obey rules and there are structures. The hands or the legs have to be moved in a certain way; you can’t do anything you like. Indian dance is closely related to religion in some ways, which is not necessarily applicable for ballet. Ballet is generally performed as a group; Indian dances are solo. I think the most unique thing that I have noticed is that the amount of respect we’re taught to have towards our teacher, or guru, is incomparable. There needs to be some sort of respect for your culture and for the people you learn from. Then we can be more humble.

You said that our dance forms are mainly based on religion. Then what are the Western dances mainly based on?

If you watch a typical ballet performance, you’ll see dance dramas. They generally do Shakespearean plays – Romeo and Juliet is the favourite, then there’s Macbeth. They speak of it through music and do it through dance, with large lavish sets. They also have contemporary ballet which could be set on any kind of text, about a particular scene. So they could be dancing to a scene called ‘Alienation’ or something like ‘Loss of Identity’. It’s about whatever you can understand through their body language.

Western dances involve a lot of gymnastics, while ours involve gentle moves. What would you like to say about that?

I met a person who has done research on body language and gender in dancing, and he looked specifically at disco dancing. He observed people at the discotheques in Goa, Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore and noticed that there is a very notable difference between how we dance here in India and how it is there in the West.
Indian classical dance always has a spiritual element in it. I’m not saying that ballet doesn’t have it. But it’s like their dances are meant for an age when you’re young and have a lot of energy. My mum is teaching dance in her mid-60s. I don’t think you’ll see that in the West. It’s good that in India we look for something more than just body. I think there’s an interesting research going on now, about Bollywood dance, and it is getting recognition as a separate dance form.

How about choreographing in a movie?

There were some talks about me doing an English film made by an Indian filmmaker, in the role of a classical dancer. It’s in a workshop stage and things have not yet been finalized. When we did the workshop, I choreographed a piece for myself. That’s when I realized that in Bollywood dancing, you just don’t choreograph for the dance; you choreograph for the camera. You must have a very good knowledge about what looks good on the camera.

That’s what the new genre films or the ‘dance films’ of UK are all about. UK is considered to be the pioneer in making dance films about 20 years ago. Then Germany did it and I think it’s also coming to India now. Basically you’re choreographing a film in photo-camera in a dance film. You get the 3-dimensional element there, which you never get in a live performance. I’m sure there are films being made on this. But there has been some serious work as well. I’m really interested in that and given a chance I’d like to create that.

How do you touch upon varied issues through dance?

I think I like interdisciplinary work. I have always seen dance as a composite thing, like a part of many things. So it’s like dance is related to religion, language, gender and many other things. Most of my contemporary work has been about issues that we see today. I took up Gender and Identity in Sattriya, because Sattriya has always been performed by male bhokots only. In the recent years, it has also been taken up by the female performers though. My work is about that – like, how is the Sattriya performance by the male dancers different to that of the females? Then I’m doing the Dance and Museum project in the UK now. They want me to interpret the relationship between different musical instruments. The Horniman Museum has a large collection of Indian musical instruments and in fact a whole section on Majuli Island. So as an Indian dancer, it is very important for one to know the history, language and culture behind the music and dance.

Are you presently involved in any new project?

My project on Dance and Museum is nominated for a knowledge transfer fellowship in the UK, which enables people with projects to benefit two institutions – one is the museum and the other is a university, apart from common people. I’ll have to prepare proposals for that. There’s another project coming up, which is a South Asian dance and music exhibition at the Clocktower Museum (from April to July), and they have selected certain Asian artists for that. I have been selected to represent Sattriya dance. I have to talk about what it means to perform an Indian dance in Britain. They’ll be putting up my costumes in video films. Then there are Sattriya performances in various galleries like Asia House etc. I am doing another project on a dance called Sungmu, in collaboration with a South Korean dancer and choreographer. It originated in the Buddhist culture and is a very meditative kind of dance.

Do you think dance, as an art form can contribute in any way in pacifying the global anarchy that the world is facing?

Well obviously, we have to teach Barack Obama some Sattriya; then probably we’ll be able to solve it. (Laughs) On a serious note, there’s a lot of suffering and stress nowadays. So people are switching to yoga and spiritualism. I think dance, and for that matter Sattriya, can help a great deal because Sattriya is about healing. I’ve always seen that people love to watch dances. It is visually attractive and has a certain spiritual element. I think if India can keep the right balance between heading towards being a super-nation, while keeping the spiritual side that it is so famous for, it’ll be great.

Tell us something about your hobbies.

I do some painting if I get time. I listen to world music. I like the drums, whether it is the nagara from Assam or the African drums. I’ve never been a very movie kind of person. I think the last movie I saw was Jab We Met. That was on the flight! I’m looking forward to watch Firaaq which is going to be screened at London Film Festival. I also liked watching Gandhi, My Father. As for books, I like reading Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf. I also read Girish Karnad’s plays.

What would you like to say to our readers?

I think you have to be close to your roots. At some point of time, you tend to look back at who you are and it is helpful to be close to your origin in some way. It’s not necessary that you have to be involved in dance or music for that. It could be any profession but it’s necessary that you have some attachment to your roots. It makes you feel stronger.

WORDS: Agamonee Barbaruah

Photos: Rahul Biswas

“the most unique thing that I have noticed is that the amount of respect we’re taught to have towards our teacher or guru is incomparable. There needs to be some sort of respect for your culture and for the people you learn from. Then we can be more humble.”

“in Bollywood dancing, you just don’t choreograph for the dance; you choreograph for the camera. You must have a very good knowledge about what looks good on the camera. ”

“I think you have to be close to your roots. At some point of time, you tend to look back at who you are and it is helpful to be close to your origin in some way.”

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