Love is a universal concept, and has always been important in the canon of art, across art forms, mediums, time and space.
This is no different in the Indian classical arts.
However, love in bharatanatyam is often traversed through only ancient literature, mythology and folklore.
Abhaya’s debut production Love All Around aims to explore the concept of love with experiences that today’s people encounter and relate to, leveraging the nuances of the traditional art form and its vast storytelling potential.
Using the language of bharatanatyam, the story pivots on one question: What is love?
“Bharatanatyam has limitless storytelling ability, and we’ve taken our first step in trying to tap on this to tell a story that is relatable to today’s generation,” said co-creator and dancer Krithika Soma. “Our aim is to address and encapsulate ideas and notions we have of love – from stereotypes that we have encountered through pop culture and songs to figuring out if we can truly ever grasp what love is in all its magnitude.”
According to co-creator and dancer Madhuri Suresh, bharatanatyam has a wide range of vocabulary that can be repurposed to communicate any message.
“The push to use the traditional arts to examine life, for introspection and subsequently catharsis, has begun in selected fields, and we want to advance this meaningful trajectory in Singapore’s local arts scene”, she said.
With an original concept, choreography and music, Love All Around is a full-length bharatanatyam production.
“All three of us passionately believe in the role love holds in our lives and thus Love All Around came to fruition,” said co-creator and dancer Varsha Vishwanath. “This production is our humble attempt to journey with emotion and take us into spaces we wouldn’t otherwise traverse.
“It has given us space to explore our art form with a new lens, explore our emotions and build camaraderie, making this process intriguing and daunting at times but wholesome.”
V.K. Santosh Kumar
Love All Around will be staged at the Esplanade Theatre Studio on Feb 12 and 13 (8pm) and Feb 14 (3pm). For more information, visit: https://tinyurl.com/LoveAllAroundAbhaya
