Carnatic Music training for Bharatanatyam recitals

[Rsachi]

Dear Rasikas,
After seeing a film, 'Laasya Kaavya' on Vid. Alarmel Valli, I wrote the following to her. I did not get any reply, but would like to share this question with you in the hope that some subject matter experts will give valuable ideas in this regard:

QUOTE
Dear Ms. Valli,
I was in the audience yesterday with my wife and we thoroughly enjoyed the HD presentation. I would not call it so much a movie on you but a movie presentation by you. It has all the attributes of an Alarmel Valli presentation inasmuch as it has a theme, a flow, a current of music and a very one-to-one expression- all done by you. The tributes from Zubin Mehta, Ravi Kiran and Bombay Jayashree are almost like the enthusiastic comments by rasikas in the intermission or at the end of your dance recital. So congratulations on another wonderful exposition.

Something I found missing was any comment or mention by you about what you feel is still 'unfinished' in your journey and what you look forward to. Yet we felt you had a transparent humility and 'graciousness' in all your expressions rather than at any time an arrogance born of your great success. So our obeisances. Of course I won't call you Amma as I am slightly older than you.

I wanted to ask a question which I couldn't yesterday.  I remember your dance in Music Academy in the 70's or early 80's when I could only get to stand in the side wings.  I was astounded by the energy and precision not only of your dance but also your lady nattuvanar. I wonder who that lady was- she was like a hydraulic hammer in her energy and precision.

I also remember another recital in 2003 at Krishna Gana Sabha. You had pointed out how you always have top concert-class musicians accompanying you. I remember the wonderful violin interlude that day by Akkarai Subbulakshmi. I totally subscribe to your idea that your dance is visual music and visual poetry.

Now my question is this. What do you think ought to be done or is being done to groom and prepare musicians to become top class Bharatanatyam musicians, as I think their contribution is around 45% to the success of a recital, especially in the echelons where artistes like you perform.  What is the focus, special training, and team dynamic that should be inculcated into vocalists, nattunanars, instrumentalists? How can Bharatanatyam music also become a career like Carnatic music?

I hope you will find the time and inclination to read my email -and respond!

I wish you many many more years of great artistic endeavour and a soul-enriching  journey.

Regards and thanks
Sachi
UNQUOTE

[rshankar]

Sachi, I may be mistaken, but from your description, it looks like the 'lady naTTuvanAr' you mention is Smt. Indra Rajan.
Can you please post the details of the movie you mention?
And keep us posted if you hear from Smt. Alarmel Valli. These days, I see a lot of the troupes that sing for dancers have a person on the rhythm pad - producing all kinds of 'novel' sounds. Wonder what the true value of this is. I also wonder what the ideal accompaniment is for a dance performance - does the vINa accompaniment sound better than violin, or vice versa...
PS: On a related note, I truly wonder how many of her students are able to perpetuate her style, which although strictly pandanallUr, was the result of an experiment where her gurus (as she describes it) wanted to make the 'rigid lines fluid' - and she has managed to do it with elfin grace, quick-silver movements and effortless ease - and, IMO it is this 'fluidity' that seems to make her dancing meld with the music.

[narayanan88]

I dont think dance singers can be "trained" for some very simple reasons...

Firstly, the basics of shruthi and laya are the same- hence there is no need for a singer to get special training for that to sing for dance!

The dance singer must be able to adapt to different styles of dance- for that, all he can do to get trained is to see different styles of performance, and learn from them!

As for the bhavam in singing, it is based on individual perception of the song/raga, his own interpretation, and also his involvement/rasanai in the lyrics! That can simply not be taught...

[varsha]

A beautiful Subject and a very apt question .
One can look at it from many angles . Absence of long alapanas , a larger number of repetitions in cyclic formats (than in vocal concerts ) , zeroing on a select range of ragas that find prominence in Bharatanatyam , Ragas with smaller statures in vocal concerts acquiring larger than life images in the dance .Smaller numbers of songs to handle in the same three or so hours ( and so elaborations taking hindusthanish colors in modes of treatment ) . Songs that are thukkadas here becoming main pieces there .
And finally the singer subjecting all his virtuosity to the main spectacle on stage and not to glorify himself ( should it not be that way in vocal concerts too ?)
It is is a totally different world .
You are right . A fine subject for deliberations .

[Rsachi]

Yes, it does seem to be Smt.Indra Rajan! I found her profile here: http://www.narthaki.com/info/profiles/profil81.html

My poser was more with the expectation that better training and rehearsals would raise the standard of music for dance. Most accomplished musicians avoid participating in Bharatanatyam recitals. Maybe by creating a new breed of good musicians who make a career in Bharatanatyam, we will address these issues.

[Rsachi]

By the way, i have enjoyed Raghunath Panigrahi's singing in Odissi, Zakir Hussian's tabla in Kathak, and occasionally even great music in Bharatanatyam. I find the music for Nrityagram recitals outstanding. So something to look into...

[Rsachi]

About the movie: http://is.gd/l9Gqa1

[varsha]

http://www.mediafire.com/?499c4d4481c99hh
To put things in proper perspective .
Two fine gentlemen singing .
When such voices sing , the dance is a bonus .

[Nick H]

And finally the singer subjecting all his virtuosity to the main spectacle on stage and not to glorify himself ( should it not be that way in vocal concerts too ?)
It is is a totally different world .
You are right . A fine subject for deliberations .

The singer is so much not the star of a dance performance, that [s]he sits 'behind' the percussion --- and yet, dance-specialist mridangists are thought less of than kutcheri mridangists. In some ways, their skill set has to be greater, encompassing all the awareness of songs, laya and mental rhythmic maths of their concert cousins, but requiring them to understand dance as well

[vasanthakokilam]

a larger number of repetitions in cyclic formats

This is a big deal indeed. And it is not easy. In one instance I am aware of, a very good singer was roped in to perform for a dance. Even after many rehearsals, the singer slipped up in a place or two causing major issues for the dancer. There is that tight lock between the singer and the dancer in terms of format and sequence, with very little room for error. When I talked to the singer later on, he said those numerous repetitions are indeed so different from straight vocal concerts. In addition, the main adjustment he had to make was to deeply realize the loss of independence and freedom when he is there, the fact that there is a dancer there who is so dependent on him while at the same time being expected to take subtle clues from the dancer.

The dancers have thousand things to concern themselves about the dance itself and the last thing they want to deal with are issues emanating from the vocalist. They want the vocalist to be confident and smooth and stick to the rehearsed format, while artistically being inspired by the dance to bring out the subtle variations on the bhavam. Each repetion is not the same of course and he said he got may be a 10th of what was required. An experienced singer for the dance is the under appreciated asset indeed.

[Nick H]

They want the vocalist to be confident and smooth and stick to the rehearsed format...

Words that seldom apply to concert performances...

[rshankar]

The singer is so much not the star of a dance performance

Nick - you'll agree (and I do too) that this statement doesn't hold when the singer is Pandit Birju Mahraj!
As I understand it, the talai sAmAn of a female dancer include the sUrya prabha and the candra prabha - to symbolize that the dancer has the blessings of the sun and moon to dazzle in their own right (like the sun), and to reflect the glory of the ensemble (like the moon) - so, a good ensemble is essential, and not negotiable.
In addition to the examples mentioned by Sachi (I loved Sri Panigrahi's accompaniment for his wife), the ones I have enjoyed immensely are:
1) The late Smt. Syamala Balakrishnan singing for Dr. Padma Subrahmanian
2) The late Sri Visveswaran singing for his wife, Smt. Chitra
3) Pt. Birju Mahraj singing for Ms. Saswati Sen

[rshankar]

About the movie: http://is.gd/l9Gqa1

Thanks.

[Rsachi]

Shankar, Birju Maharaj, whom i have had the privilege to meet In his house, looks at all life as a laya-studded canvas on which the artist paints his art through MUSIC+DANCE.

I waited to see if someone else brought up Smt Shyamala's name. She sang inspired, and Padma's impact was highly enhanced by her music. Your story shows how great CM+B'Natyam is an expression of yogic synchronicity. Surely a big deal in rasaanubhava.

Remember that wonderful CD on Vyjayantimala's dance music- Madurai Krishnan and Madurai Srinivasan?

We don't have to seek far for more examples. Rukmini Devi realized this way back, roped in the all-time greats; and Vasudevachar's music sung by Sitarama Sharma and Rajaram made the Ramayana ballet a timeless classic.
Is music any less important to B'Natyam than it is to movies? Dev Anand's marvels of the '50s - and SD Burman!!!!

[Nick H]

Nick - you'll agree (and I do too) that this statement doesn't hold when the singer is Pandit Birju Mahraj! ...

Yes, I suppose I have to agree on that one!

I don't mean to suggest that any any of the musicians are not vital to the whole ensemble, and I certainly do not mean to belittle in any way the vocalist's contribution, but, in dance, they have to contribute to the picture, rather than being the artist of it. They, even Pandit Birju Maharaj, are subject to the additional disciplines and requirements that have been mentioned by others.

[keerthi]

There is no doubt that that singing for dance is a very different kettle of fish from singing in a vocal concert. This will be endorsed by musicians that have sung for dance, as well as had concert careers; as well as by audiences who have seen dance performance with the singer-dancer being long term collaborators.

Sensitivity to, or even better training in dance adds a special dimension of both laya and bhAva into one's singing. More so, in these times where the worlds of music and dance are fractured and only interesect at points of convenience; it makes for a mutual enrichment of repertoire and content.

The dance of Vyjayanthi Mala and Balasaraswati, the dance as well as the productions of Adyar Lakshman, and his classmate Pasupathy. The nuanced singing/ abhinaya of Swapnasundari; the Shyamala-Padma- Subrahmanyam duo, and the Balamma-Jayamma-Gnani set were indeed magical.


It was Adyar Lakshman who told me in a 2009 interview [after singing MoratOpu, TAmarasAkSa and manci dinamu - three padams from Gowri Ammal's repertoire] that he could see all the nuances of Gowri amma's abhinayam in M.D.Ramanathan's bhava-purNa develo[ment of the kritis.

Other witnesses have told me about how Kancipuram Gnani, who was a regular singer for Bala, was trained by Bala, Viswa and Jayamma so well that, as he developed avartam after avartam of repetition of a line from a padam in response to, and inspired by bala's abhinayam, she would even stop performed to acknowledge and apllaud his singing.

They never had a fixed number of repetitions for the lines of song, as is done a lot now.Both singer and dancer, depending on the inspiration afforded by the milieu (and each other) would explore as many avartas as seemed suitable.


People who sing for sing for dance need to pay special attention to voice modulation, and coordinate the volume, sangatis, gamakas employed and tempo to suit the mood of the song and the dancer.

Vocalists who sing independent concerts can also do very well to pay attention to all these details minus the last one, but can get away with not doing it, more easily than the dance-singer.

[rshankar]

Keerthi -you are right about not having fixed number of repetitions. I have noted the very subtle but distinct communication between Dr. Padam and Smt. Shyamala that would communicate the end of a sancAri....I have always felt that for such a free flowing format to work well, the dancer and her ensemble have to have a great bond. Many of the combos you have mentioned have that. But these days, there is nothing like a set ensemble for many performers...especially when they are touring. They go with who's available. Under such situations, it is probably better to set the number of repetitions....
And you're absolutely right in that a singer for a dance should be able to emote with their voice...occasionally, when the emoting by the dancer on the stage, and by the ensemble on the side harmonize, the effect is awesome...almost like the 'forced vibrations' concept.

[Rsachi]

Thanks to extremely pertinent observations of keerthi, i think the case is well made for us to create some standards and avenues for training and collaborative excellence in Carnatic Music vis-a-vis Bharatanatyam.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Thanks to extremely pertinent observations of keerthi, i think the case is well made for us to create some standards and avenues for training and collaborative excellence in Carnatic Music vis-a-vis Bharatanatyam.

I completely endorse this recommendation from Rsachi.

Having witnessed many arangetrams in the U S, I have been saddened at the level of the performances (both dance and music) presented. Anyone can easily see that some are just "rush jobs" - to be done with during the arangetram season (mostly the summer time).

I have even seen a video of an arangetram where one of the items featured was the song "Bumbro Bumbro" from the movie Mission Kashmir!

[ramdas]

T.M.Krishna sang for Priyadarshini Govind at Kochi.Read the review

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/dance/article2496649.ece

[rshankar]

T.M.Krishna sang for Priyadarshini Govind at Kochi

And in the past, Smt. MSS has sung for the performances of Smts. Radha and Anandi, and Smt. MLV accompanied her daughter, Ms. Sri Vidya etc. These are all one-off examples, IMO.