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Dance Drishtikon: 10 choreographies to explore the number game through Kathak
An upcoming show titled Dance Drishtikon: 10x10 will have 10 short duration performances by students of Kathak exponent Aditi Mangaldas.
What does a number suggest to you? When Kathak exponent Aditi Mangaldas asked this question to her disciples, the replies overwhelmed her with possibilities of a dance recital where mathematical figures can be explored. And this exchange gave birth to an upcoming event — Dance Drishtikon: 10x10.
“There will be 10 performances of about seven or eight minutes, each relating to a number. If the first performance is a solo recital, the second will be a duet, and so on. Though the duration of each performance is short, every aspect of the show — from the music to the content — is minutely thought out . I think it’s important for young people to find their voice, not be afraid to experiment and get a platform to perform,” says Mangaldas.
The students had a tough time conceiving the idea to interpret the concept of numbers in their act. Gauri Diwakar, who will be performing a solo for number one, says, “It’s easy to think about the sun and relate it to number one. But I had done a similar performance earlier; so, I thought of breath. For my research, I spoke to a lot of people and even doctors to understand the concept of breath, and how it is different at every stage of life. Kathak is about mathematics, and I’m going to play with numbers in my recital.”
Another performer, Rashmi Uppal, who will explore the concept of the number two in a duet with dancer Dheerendra Tiwari, says, “I once read a tagline in a newspaper about the idea of Kal, which is used to refer to both yesterday and tomorrow in Hindi. And that had stayed in my mind. When I was asked to represent the number two through my dance, I thought of exploring this concept. Throughout our performance, my partner and I will not face each other because yesterday and tomorrow never meet.”
The 10 choreographies at the show will explore a range of pure classical and contemporary renditions of Kathak. Some performers have also chosen concepts that are unusual, and creating recitals based on them isn’t easy. Minhaz Khan, who has chosen the idea of sixth sense to convey his thoughts about the number six, says, “Initially I thought six could also be represented through six seasons, but then I wanted to explore the sixth sense, which is more challenging. And Aditi didi helped us. We have added rhythm to the performance and the different sounds will be created with different body parts.”
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