Dancing is a form of art – expression art. And expressing yourself through your body movements isn’t only possible when met with the beats of music; dancing and spoken word goes well together too, really well. Expression through dancing can also be achieved when combined with the rhythm and pace of the words spoken. We bring you three dance pieces from some talented performers who beautifully mine gorgeous moves from dark corners of our minds and allow us an escape.
Bharatnatyam is one of the most expressive dance forms; with its tiniest detailed technique for performing, it is one of the dance forms that go really well with spoken word. Although Performing Bharatnatyam on spoken word is going beyond the traditionally set boundaries for the dance form; Isha Parupudi and Sophia Salingaros take their craft beyond the boundaries and perform this piece so beautifully. With the help of abhinaya the two dancers beautifully paint a picture of the struggles of a person dealing with depression or poor mental health.
Kathak is another traditional dance form that carries its beauty within the details of the performance and the swift coordination of the different parts of the performers’ body. The word ‘Kathak’ literally means ‘Story’ hence the performers often weave a story within their performance.
With the stigma that surrounds mental health, many struggling with it do not dare open up as it can be really overwhelming. Every weight is bearable when shared; hence normalizing conversation around mental health is so important. Anindita Neogy moves her feet for people struggling with their mental health alone and through her performance urges them to open up.
Normalizing conversation surrounding mental health also include opening up about our own struggles, assuring others struggling that they are not alone and their struggles are valid. ‘A Brighter Place’ is such a step by 5 Indian artists who use their craft to express and share their own struggles with mental health the lockdown of previous year brought them. Performed by Harsha Maheshwari, Priya V Kumar, Nenita Praveen, Preeti Bharadwaj and music composed and performed by Tao Issaro, the piece is beautifully put together. Raw expressions of self-struggles, the artists have done a commendable job. Each story is different in its own form yet they fit together to form ‘A Brighter Place’ like puzzle pieces.
