Swarashri Sridhar

When you think dance do you think Kathak? What comes to your mind?

Pitter—patter, raindrops and jumping to the bold drums of Barso Re Megha ! As a child, I was fascinated by movies and the dance sequences in them. I would mimic all of Saroj Khan ji’s choreographies. To me, that was dance, an exhilarating experience of expression.

When I joined Kathak classes, I found the same type of exhilaration — not only in the movement, but also in the community, my gurubehans and performing on stage. To me, ‘dance’ encompasses leadership, teamwork, management, crisis control, spontaneous decision making and so much more.

Tell us how you are starting to carve your own style of thought and practice of the art?

Growing up in the guru—sishya style of training, under my Guru, Dr Pali Chandra ji, I was always encouraged to be a “thinking dancer”, a term she uses a lot. She would always begin or end classes with a creative exercise which allowed me to apply the knowledge that I learnt into a short creation on my own.

This process helped me assimilate the training into my style of understanding and learning. Creativity was always encouraged at home as well. My mother, Smt Rajani Shridhar, being a musician, once gave me the idea of giving my guru ‘dance birthday gifts’. Every year, I would challenge myself to create a new choreography and gift it to my Guru on her birthday. I would get feedback, and work on it to develop it further. A lot of my solo choreographies have stemmed from this.

Having trained in the ‘Gurukul’ style, where the sishya stays with their guru, Pali ji also gave me insights on “how to choreograph”, empowering me to develop a voice of my own. From a young age, developing an individual style of thought was cultivated both at home and in class. Now, as I show the world my ideas and interpretations, I am backed by my Guru’s feedback and training.

You have trained in Carnatic music, Konnakol and Nattuvangam as well. How has the knowledge and expertise of these allied arts created a difference in your dance?

It has made me sharper, and more receptive to other styles. I find myself drawing parallels, be it in the text or the rhythm patterns. This has allowed me to deepen my research in finding similarities in the works of composers. Recently, I have started exploring music production, and these allied arts are the basis of structure and foundation. It has not only enhanced my current absorption of ragam and taalam, it has also made me an educated audience member!

Why do you think it is important to voice out issues relating to mental and social wellness through art and how easy or challenging has it been to express such sensitive subjects through Dance? Talk about your new production that puts the spotlight on mental health!

Coming from a family of stage performers, our value system prioritizes communication. I have always believed that I should use my voice to start a conversation about any topic that I feel can be addressed in a safe space. If my dance can provide that safe space, then I am satisfied.

Art has and will always reflect society, as it is. There is so much to interpret and communicate through it, and the benefit is that it is driven by abstract emotion. It gives each of us the freedom to experience multiple feelings, all at the same time. Hence, when it is about wellness, conveyed through art, it becomes more personal, allowing everyone who is experiencing that art to reflect, feel and heal.

When creating pieces around wellness, finding topics is the easy part. However, the crux of the choreography should be rooted in a balance between research and human behaviours. When my gurubehans and I created a production on Dissociative Identity Disorder, titled Aneka:Identities Dancing Within, we made sure that our script and dance choreographies were verified by two Mental health Clinics in Dubai. Being the choreographer and artistic director of ANEKA, I wanted to ensure that the disorder is represented as authentically as possible.

Hence, I feel, research and representation are key elements when trying to showcase sensitive subjects, through a fluid form, such as dance.

You have spoken about the idea of prioritising happiness and subtracting stress. What tips would you like to give to dancers in and around your age who go through various forms of stress and anxiety while practising their art?

Watch this video to hear Swarashri answer about dancers around her could minimise stress and anxiety that come as a part and parcel of their dancing career.

I would first ask them to close their eyes and imagine what dance is to them, and why they started dancing in the first place! That happiness that our younger selves received from it should be recalled, each time we feel overwhelmed in this field. I would encourage them to take one or two days a week where they dance just for themselves, for some this could mean practicing their favourite piece, for others it could be dancing to something that is not genre specific.

For me, these personal dance days boil down to putting on the Lehra in raag Kalavati and just doing pure technique, and some days, dancing to the Bunty aur Babli soundtrack! It helps me refresh and reset because I have expressed all that stress through pure dancing. In this age, where posting on social media adds to the stress of being known — I say speak your mind and be authentic. Plan out your posts, or schedule shoot sessions after your riyaaz — it helps it get out of the way.

Most importantly, do another activity that is not dance — be it yoga, breathing, meditation, art, music, sport — anything where you can be in the moment, in alignment with yourself. Of course, dance gives us that as well, but if the one activity we love and are trying to pursue as a career is stressful (because we cannot avoid it all the time), find time where you can just be “you”. For me, I take out time to meditate either in the morning or at night. It helps me consolidate my thoughts, visualize my dreams, breathe and be!

Your recent work, The Artist’s Drawing Board is your take about the idea of a creator’s block. How did you come up with this idea?

Each composition was taught to me by my Guru, each being distinctly different from the other, however, the similarity was that it all conveyed human emotions. Once, when I was practicing, I was not able to emote the easiest of emotions — love/ Shringar. Over the next few weeks, I kept trying, and slowly, I was facing a challenge with the other pieces. The fact that I was not able to connect emotionally to the pieces threw me off. I stopped dancing for a month because I felt as though I was forcing myself to ‘feel’ and it felt fake.

During this time I tried to reflect on why this was happening. In that process, I documented what it is like to feel, to understand, to mimic, to internalise and to express.

The concept of The Artist’s Drawing Board came out of these conversations that I had with myself. I slowly started listening to the music again, and every piece started having a conversation with me, re—kindling my emotions. I threaded it into a script, and created a production.

Photos from Swarashri Sridhar's recent premiere of the artist's drawing board at Medai:The Stage,chennai

Tell us about an artiste you look up to and how they inspire you.

So many artists have left a lasting impact on how I view various art forms. Two artists I look up to on a daily basis are my Kathak Guru, Dr Pali Chandra, and my mother, Smt Rajani Shridhar. For me, it's the similarity in their presentation, their relationship with the audience and pedagogy. Within their presentations, there is always a sense of reality, something to hold on to, because it is so relatable. They both have taught me the importance of the “rasik”, the audience.

Growing up watching them perform, I have seen how to build a relationship with the audience and how to converse with them through art. They have inspired me to reduce the distance between the performer and the audience, a skill that I will always hold close to my heart.

In the South of India, there are fewer stages and opportunities for Kathak. How do you wish and intend to popularise the art form more in this part of the country?

Recently, I have started exploring and experimenting with Kathak to Carnatic music. I blend it to ensure that the technical aspects of Kathak are relevant to the kriti/padam/ composition that I am using. I performed two such pieces in my recent show in Chennai and the feedback I received was extremely satisfying. In addition to that, Kathak, being a storytelling artform, encourages the dancer to speak on what is being shown.

Please watch this video to see a glimpse of how Swarashri brings together the beauty of Kathak and Carnatic music through her dance film, Aagama.

As a Dubai kid, I primarily speak in English, which is lingua—franca in southern India. At the same time, being a Tamilian, I also integrate Tamizh into my explanations to be able to reach a wider audience. In my opinion, it comes down to communicating human emotions and connecting with the audience, in different ways, story by story!