Having qualified for the nationally televised dance competition, BBC’s Young Dancer, not once but twice in a row – making it to the South Asian dance final- elegant yet highly driven dancer, Anaya, is now getting ready for her first big show with Morph Dance Company. Recently receiving a bursary from the Imperial Society of Teachers for Dance, she has taken her life-long love of classical dancing back to its home ground of India, where she has perfected and modified her movements to appear in the three-woman show, currently dubbed Triple A: “we are in the intermediate phases of putting together the show, and that’s part of the excitement!” Very much like dance itself then, the process is constantly shifting and, of course, morphing. “Working with incredible choreographer, Subhash, the piece was initially called Triple A to represent the idea of women being objectified and used to serve very few functions,” elaborated Anaya. “At the moment, we are looking especially at how holy Indian scriptures will show women as revered, and their daughters as Goddesses, but that existing in strange contradiction. Why then are there so many horrible stories of rape and injustice? I am working with two other Kathak dancers to weave in myths and stories that expose the idea of unequal treatment, including a very powerful poem, written by actress Kalki Koechlin. This was about the machine-like proliferation of news stories reporting rape culture, where instead of paying attention, we often leave this atrocity and the pain of these women as unresolved statistics. Working under the tutelage of Subhash, we’ve been experimenting with how to display such messages through traditional dance (Bharatanatyam) and innovative physical movement. Though we are examining difficult matter, perhaps even controversial, the mood is very energetic: incorporating elements of the comical as well as the more meditative.”
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Anaya went on to explain how she’s enjoyed the practice of “breaking apart a selection of classical steps so that it emerges an entirely new artistic expression. It is the same conventional dance movement but selectively extracting it from the traditional routine and placing it within the show’s unique context makes it appear intriguingly different.” Indeed, as a critique of femininity, this dancer approach sounds true to the intense corporeal scrutiny to which many women are subjected. From her wrists, to the eyes to the adornment of necklaces and shoes, every little bit of the female form is isolated and in that sense, her identity fragmented. An experience of wholeness is undercut because women are forced to focus their energies so superficially. This shallow shaping is also extended “to how smart - or indeed not smart - you are,” Anaya aptly added. “Personally, I can remember aunties and extended family constantly enquiring about me: from weight gain and loss to academia. In a way, it's very condescending and I feel it's right to question that. That is, in part, why I was so attracted to the ‘Triple A’ project. Why should judgement be such a big part of our lives? Why are we constantly told who we should be? Women’s autonomy and freedom is an issue Subhash, the fellow female dancers and I feel very passionately about.” Here, the extra context of Anaya’s deep love for Bharatanatyam becomes particularly significant. A dance form that was first practiced by the respected Devadasis, it was moved from “the more sacred platforms of the temples to more staged spaces” during the British invasion, tainting them by a more sexualised male gaze along the way. However, with professional traditional dance academies on the rise, such as that of Anaya’s own mother, Chitraleka Dance, where the young mover first discovered classical dance, and South Asian women becoming increasingly confident, such as Anaya herself - she has also taught dance– the history is being made over in an emancipatory, modern way. “I have certainly enjoyed incorporating modern dance into my usual repertoire,” Anaya said. “It’s been great fortifying the revered traditional dance over the years, and growing from more contemporary influences. I’ve been opened up to a whole new way of moving. It’s very different to classical structure and certainly feels expansive. Every dance, I continue to strive for that feeling of devotion. Classical dance is there to show stories and tell people tales – this show symbolically breaks apart the traditional moves and puts them back together in an inspirational way. The instinctive classical dancing is still the foundation and wired into my body movements, but with a very gendered current twist.” Thus, through her incredible passion, Anaya doesn’t simply demonstrate the precise yet poignant nature of her art form, but incisive observational comments with which it is intimately linked.
When was the moment you decided to commit to dance professionally?
When watching one of my friends’ performances while studying Sports Therapy at university. I thought: ‘wow, this is really what I want to do.’ I’d been hiding from my more artsy calling. Obviously, Sports Therapy is closely interconnected with dance and physical movement already and my plan is to finish my degree, while continuing to dance. I want to push myself past my limits. After BBC Young Dancers, I know it’s possible to take my dancing to greater audiences, worldwide. I want to inspire more youngsters to take on classical dancing as a beautiful artform.
Tell us more about the critique of femininity in your upcoming show?
Different female characters and stages will be depicted; older and younger women. One who embodies great devotion to more modern depictions. We will unpack this more.
Why dancing as a passion?
Dance is another language; it’s a way for a person to speak without using any words. I have always used my hands to gesticulate what I’m feeling, and some of the best dancers can tell a story with just their eyes.
Will your show be using props? For example, masks?
Yes, we are currently playing with props to complement the dance. We do touch on being fake by way of survival for some women in the piece. Women are always asked to repress feelings, and though we are experiencing a lot, are not always allowed to articulate those difficulties.
Finally, who has been your biggest inspiration?
It may sound like a cliché, but my mum! She was the first ever Indian dancer I saw. Also: Rukmini Vijayakumar and Malavika Sarukkai.
Show Details: Sat 7th July, 7pm at Peepul Centre
Insta: anayavasudha_dance
