Traditional Indian dances of Bharatnatyam and Kathak will soon blend with European classical ballet and music in an upcoming opera performance in Norway.
Paris-based dancer Rukmini Chatterjee’s choreography “Recontre” (Meetings), which mixes European ballet and music with Indian dances and the drupad and khayal style of music, is set to premiere at the Oslo opera in October this year.
“This is the first time that an Indian dance will be performed in any Scandinavian Opera,” Chatterjee said in an email interview.
The danseuse of Indian origin who has been living in Paris since 1990 had previously showcased the dance production at “Bonjour India,” the cultural festival of France in India in December 2009.
Traces of western classical music of Handel, Grieg and Bach on the cello accompany the beats on the tabla as Chatterjee fuses elements from different traditions and styles in the upcoming one-hour long opera production.
Born in West Bengal and brought up in Gujarat, Chatterjee says she believes in bridging the gap between the culture she comes from and the culture she lives in.
Her most recent choreography “Hung” that debuted in Paris this March has been inspired by the energy and the aggressive feminine force of the Hindu goddess Kali.
“‘Hung’ is a meeting of dance and theatre, where the texts of the French playwright ‘Antonin Artaud’ echoes strongly with some of the essence of Kali,” says the danseuse.
Chatterjee’s upcoming project “A meeting with ‘Black Metal Music” which she advertises as a coming together of Bharatnatyam, Kathak and black metal music.
“I aim to make the bridge between Indian and Nordic culture through this project which will be performed in Norway, August this year,” says the dancer.
The Bharatnatyam dancer who is well known globally says, “I don’t believe in ‘fusion’ with regards to the dance forms, because I like keeping the specificity of each style.
What interests me, is that the same themes are explored through various different styles and because of this, the styles, as well as the artists come together.”
For her dance is not culture specific, but instead a process of understanding the self through exploration of various forms of energy, rhythm and sacredness.
“My work is based on themes that have universal resonances and is about ‘meetings’, with different cultures, art forms and artists.
“So instead of culture specific connotations, I try and bring forth the “other dimension” which emerge from the meetings of all these different styles and which goes beyond the traditions” adds Chatterjee.