Odissi dancer Shagun Butani talked to Divya Kaushik about her fondness for movement and she explained Western styles like the Graham technique
When she began learning classical dance forms at the age of seven, it was movement that fascinated her. But when Shagun Butani learnt traditional dance forms, she realised our classical dances are a metaphor for life. “Every traditional dance is bound by rules. When we follow the natyashastra, be it traditional music or dance, we have several strict rules, when it comes to the technique. For instance, there must be a certain bhava on your face. for a certain dance form. Mudras are equally important. If your hand or feet are meant to be in a certain posture, they should be.”
She added, “You cannot change that. If you notice, even we individuals are bound by certain rules. However much we want, we cannot change that. For instance, we do not choose what we are born as. Or where we are born. We live with those facts, whether we like it or not.”
Butani continued, “likewise, we face situations that we cannot change. All we do is live with them. Make them part of our lives. Or criticise. When you learn the forms, such questions come to mind.”
The dancer was trained in Odissi under masters like Aloka Panikar and Guru Gangadhar Pradhan.Shagun learnt Seraikella Chhau from the late Guru lingaraj Acharya and Guru Shashadhar Acharya.
She shared, “Although I was being trained from childhood, I felt that I need to enrich my understanding. I got an opportunity to be in New York for two years and decided to learn American contemporary dance. I had two teachers. Mary Anthony gave me insight on contemporary movement, while Bertram Ross told me about American contemporary dance and the Graham technique. Modern dance was born from this movement, which had begun as a revolt against ballet.”
Butani went on, “Americans thought that ballet was very European. So the history, development and the origin of contemporary American interested me. The Graham technique made a remarkable impact on modern dance. Martha Graham invented it. One’s entire energy lies in the pelvic region, and is generally known as Kundalini. They call it ‘contraction’ and ‘relief.’ So Kundalini is the centre of movement. The Western way of teaching dance forms, is different from ours. They talk about how movement affects muscles and parts of the body. In India, classical dancers develop styles later.”
Shagun who practices yoga said, “We all begin by imitating our gurus. Focus is on the face and body. But in Western forms, they tell you to focus on the body. So after learning from Western masters, I began understanding movements in classical dance forms better and why they exist.”After learning every classical form, Shagun shifted to Odissi and Chhau and is a known name now.
The dancer will perform at IIC on April 19. She presents a new choreography, Squares and Circles, which has been inspired by the geometry inherent to Odissi.
“Squares and Circles is based on a technique in Odissi called Chowk, where you form a square. And the Tribhangi, which is a curvaceous position. So the choreography revolves around these two techniques. Most pieces I do, highlight this aspect. Dance forms are just a medium. The sensibilities can be traditional. This is why I call my choreographies abstract,” explained Shagun.
She ended, “Most of my choreographies are abstract. I love the language of movement. As you become an evolved dancer, you realise this only conveys a message. Your body is only a vehicle that helps connect to others. Most of my choreographies bring out essence of these movements. They are integral to any dance form, be it traditional or contemporary. One should learn more about them to understand the vocabulary of any dance in a better way.”
