A free flow of the inner voice

Ten Bharatanatyam dancers recently presented a unique production that brought to life 'nayikas' created from a tapestry of dance, music, art, and poetry.

‘And She Spoke’, a dance and theatre production, indicates a wealth of possibilities in its very name. It turned out to be an evening of women’s stories, their perspectives, in their voices, narrated and nuanced with a certain sensitivity and vivacity.

Directed by Vaibhav Arekar and Sushant Jadhav, ‘And She Spoke’ was presented by Sankhya Dance Company, Mumbai, with 10 talented Bharatanatyam dancers taking the stage — Eesha Pinglay, Indu Venu, Keerthana Ravi, Lalan Desai, Meenakshi Grama, Prachi Sathi, Preethi Bharadwaj, Rama Kuknur, Shruthi Gopal and Swarada Bhave.
Poetry, painting, dance, and life — the dancers drew from all sources to create a tapestry of ‘nayikas’ outside the familiar; ‘nayikas’ who live and breathe in the world we live in.

The rendering of Maya Angelou’s ‘Phenomenal Woman’, by the dancers set the tone for the evening, to tell it as it is. It started over the top, literally, with breasts. A few minutes of silence and simple movement, rich in symbolism, highlighted the customary attribution of either sacredness or seductiveness to what is just a functional part of a woman’s body.

Layers of violence

The oft-discussed association of beauty with the colour of the skin came from the point of view of a little girl in this production. It was a reminder that a doll or a rhyme is all it takes for a notion of perfect appearance to creep in early. Through the relatively unheard voice of saint-poet Bahinabai, the many complex layers of domestic violence unfolded. With nothing apparently extraordinary about her life to talk about, the narrative coursed through the mundane life that led her to light, her Tukaram.

From a seemingly ordinary life, the story transitioned seamlessly to an everyday concern in a woman’s life, the insensitive male gaze. Normalising and tolerating inappropriate advances and non-consensual touch found a moment of artistic expression in the prescribed pure classical, as a dancer stopped to wonder at the way a Padam such as ‘Thottu thottu pesa varaan’ is typically choreographed. ‘Kadha Kadhayaam Kaaranamaam’, had a group of dancers grooving to a spirited rap that spelled out everyday situations and excuses that disguise inappropriate behaviour towards women. While the audience was being drawn into the sensitively crafted stories right from the word go, it was a riot from this point on. A laughter riot, alternated by a riot of emotions.

Dreams, desires, and distance from societal prejudices have remained far from being spontaneous choices for any woman and almost always entail a big step out of her comfort zone, in a social construct guarded by patriarchal boundaries. The intersection of gender with several other deep-rooted social issues, further leaves the woman’s voice muted, even as she screams her gut out. This was portrayed poignantly through movement, layered by Amrita Pritam’s poetry.

The incessant but quiet rain in the dark night, as a companion and a witness to the everyday wear and tear of a woman over years, was delineated through Vachika Abhinaya with Sugandha Kumari’s poetry and a silhouette of movement in the background. The mood and tone of the dark night extended into an improvisation of the desire of a woman, through Ahalya, a cursed rock in the Ramayana. The story moved from the dark night into darker territory through intense movement imagery of molestation and rape, with Tishani Doshi’s poetry ringing a disquieting alarm.

As uncomfortable as the narratives of the evening itself made one feel, ‘And She Spoke’ created an air of safety and solace and a sound dialogue with the audience.

Vaibhav Arekar shared that his attempt to keep dance alive and bring dancers together during the pandemic, materialised in the form of a dance laboratory and that it was Sushant Jadhav who first saw this work as a performance. “Every experiment is a success, even one that fails,” Arekar added. ‘And She Spoke’ seemed far from an experiment. It was a bold, beautiful, and brilliant production, conceptualised, choreographed, and directed with a vein of inclusivity and authenticity running through its artistic choices.