By Jahnvi Sreedhar
Photography: Courtesy
Shrijith Krishna & Ananya
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Dance and Design share an intense, complex and surreal relationship.
Also, both, with time, have come to acquire a larger connotation. IAnD delves
into the realm of design in classical Indian dance performance…
The stage is set, crisp curtains, aligned wings, perfect indigo blue
backdrop, idols of ‘Nataraj’ the deity of dance and ‘Ganesha’ the harbinger of everything auspicious to the right and
the orchestra to the left of the stage; on come the lights and the dancer rules
the space. This is a typical scene of an Indian Classical dance stage. “The
prime focus is the dancer; the stage, orchestra, lights, make-up, costume are secondary,
but aspects that just cannot be neglected,” says V.V. Ramani, veteran stage designer
and multi-faceted personality.
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Ramani seamlessly talks about all the aspects of design vis-à-vis
dance, “One has to internalize design within the parameters of dance; it’s the
age of experimentation -keeping in mind its aesthetics and most importantly, by
not overdoing.”
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In terms of elements, dance and design overlap quite a bit. Just like a
choreographer, a designer needs to visualize
what he wishes to convey, what elements (lines, point, colour and
texture) would highlight the message, etc., since the basic aim of both is to
communicate. “The vision for dance and design is an integrated one; the
audience sees the performer in a frame; and if it isn’t at its ambient best,
the beauty is lost,” says Sheejith Krishna, dance-choreographer.
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With constant exchange and evolution of new ideas on the global
platform, one needs to strike a balance to harmonize all aspects - costume, set
design, stage décor, lighting, make-up - and connect to the masses. With audiences better-informed and artistes open to innovate, the one thing that remains
sacrosanct is the beauty of simplicity - not over-doing, not over-shadowing the performer, not
screaming for attention but seamlessly blending in…
Brilliant! If the information in the article is extrapolated, I guess you can Dance about Architecture......
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