Hyderabad, February 16: The Russian ballet, the Spanish flamenco, even Turkish whirling dervish dancers, there are not too many people in the world who can claim that they that have seen them all.
And yet a few lucky Hyderabadis will have the chance see all three and more, and within the span of five days too! The Raja Radha Reddy Institute of Kuchipudi Dance is hosting Shreyasi, an international festival of dance in the Parampara series that will be held in both Hyderabad and Delhi. Here is what Raja Reddy has to say about the festival, his own performance and his unconventional family:
Parampara
“Parampara is a festival of dance that we have been hosting in Delhi since 97,” explains Raja, “We wanted to bring to Hyderabad, the city that is closest to our hearts. After all, this is where we chose to make our homes.” Raja, Radha and the rest of his family wanted to take forward the parampara of hosting the festival in Delhi and bring it to Hyderabad. And that is how Shreyasi, which means “universal prayer for the welfare of mankind” came to be. “We were invited to host the festival in Mumbai as well, and maybe we can do it next time. But this time we are hosting the festival only in Delhi and Hyderabad.”
But what is the purpose of this extravaganza of dance?
For Raja, the entire festival is for the benefit of the youth. “Youngsters today have no sense of their cultural roots and traditions. Shreyasi will have five performances — one by my family and I, and four others by performers from other parts of the world. Our performance will be a way for the youth to reconnect with our own cultural roots, the other performances will be a way for them to explore others,” says Raja, with a twinkle in his eye.
Shiva Tandava
Talk to Raja about dance, and immediately his face lights up, his feet start tapping a merry rhythm on the floor and he is suddenly far more verbose than before. He certainly is excited about his upcoming performance. “It is an all new production, nothing anyone has seen before,” he exclaims.
For Shreyasi, Raja and his family will be performing the Shiva Tandam, a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. Raja uses the term family loosely. “My students are like my family. And so when you ask who will be performing alongside me on the stage, of course I will say family! This particular performance will see ten of us on stage, including my wives, my daughters and I,” he says excitedly.
An international dancer’s life
“When I was in Sweden for a performance, an old lady approached me once the show was over. She was full of admiration. ‘You are emoting with your eyes and your facial expressions, you are creating a rhythmic beat with your feet, you are twisting and turning your body and then you are manipulating your fingers. How can you possibly be doing so many things at the same time?’ she asked me,” says Raja, “I merely replied, ‘I am Indian!’. Foreigners are always so amazed with how graceful and flexible we are.”
It is obvious that the adulation and admiration that Raja receives in his travels all over the world is one of the biggest motivators. And yet, Raja manages to keep his eye on the game, or to be more accurate, the dance.
“I have learnt so much watching dancers from other parts of the world perform. Take the Russians for instance. They are true experts of dance — true artistes. When we invited them to perform for Shreyasi they were so particular about everything! We have spent around Rs 50,000 to get the lighting perfect,” says Raja. And it is something that he has tried to incorporate into his own performances.
“Lighting is so important. Before we would just perform in flat lighting. But then I saw how other performers were using lighting to emphasize just one aspect of the dance, and then another, and I was amazed. Now we too have started using lighting to enhance our performances,” he explains.
A tale of two wives
But dance is not the only reason why Raja Reddy has found himself in the spotlight. While Raja and his first wife Radha are often referred to as the ‘devoted dancing duo’, once you look at the bigger picture you realise that tells only half the story.
For Raja has two wives, his first Radha, and his second Kaushalya, who is Radha’s younger sister, and one daughter from each — Yamini and Bhavana. Though unconventional, they make it work. “Both my wives came to me out of love for dance. Radha came to me as she fell in love with my dance. And when Kaushalya wanted to marry me, it was because she knew that only by marrying me would she be able to live the life of a danseuse. And now my daughters too are following in our footsteps,” he says, continuing, “Nandikeshwara once said that ‘Dance is the only thing that satisfies all five senses, helps us forget sadness and gives you happiness’. I am in complete agreement — dance is our whole life.”
Days of dance
February 16: The Moscow Classical Ballet featuring Natalia Kasatnika and Vladimir Vasilyov at Shilpkala Vedika, 7- 8:30 pm
February 17: The Spanish Flamenco with Jose Porcel at Shilpkala Vedika, 7- 8:30 pm
February 18: Kuchipudi dance with Raja and Radha Reddy at Global Peace Auditorium, Brahmakumari Campus, Gachibowli, 7- 8:30 pm
February 19: The Turkish Whirling Dervishes featuring Istanbul Live Ensemble at Global Peace Auditorium, Brahmakumari Campus, Gachibowli, 7- 8:30 pm
February 20: Contemporary dance featuring The Paul Taylor Dance Company at Global Peace Auditorium, Brahmakumari Campus, Gachibowli, 7- 8:30 pm
–Agencies