Moving Bodies, Navigating Conflict: Practicing Bharata Natyam in Colombo, Sri Lanka by Ahalya Satkunaratnam - a book review
The book's theme is set quickly in the introduction Maneuvering Identity, Shifting Nations most eloquently. The opening description of the group of Bharata Natyam dancers sets the tone with the sudden shift from the Carnatic song to the popular melody of Gajaga Vannam. The book begins with questions of the practice of Bharata Natyam in a militarized nation, shattered with conflict of ethnic wars, and how different dances represent warring factions of the community. It is both fascinating and horrific simultaneously. The detailed explanation of ethnic divisions, language, religion, and culture provides the background against which the reader can understand and visualize this phenomenon.
Chapter One begins with a short,
descriptive paragraph that leads to a reflection of studying Bharata Natyam by
one of the main respondents Daya Mahinda, Satkunaratnam then begins to weave
the explanation of the dance form as a cultural marker for the Tamils of Sri
Lanka, and how it was transported from its original space of Tamil Nadu. She
couches her work in the academic writing of Homi Bhabha, providing a strong theoretical
framework for her research. Delving deeply into the concepts of
transnationalism and translational, she claims “Bharata Natyam is the cultural
sign in translation” (Satkunaratnam 2020, 21). These
ideas are further consolidated with the theories of Butler. What this even more
profound is the research locates the practice of Bharata Natyam against the
civil war of the nation, and this would be difficult for the reader to imagine
if not so eruditely written. The discussion about the prevalent class system, of
caste and social status, and the tensions for a female child drawn to the dance
form “the ideal Tamil woman was an ideal wife and mother, and dance did not fit
within those criteria” (Satkunaratnam 2020, 24). Social reform was taking place
in this period, as well as the national identification of Sri Lanka with
Buddhism, and the Sinhala language. The role of the women’s organization was important
in the resurrection and sanitization of traditional dance as the opposition to
years of colonial mastery and dominance. The chapter includes a robust
discourse on the role of Kalakshetra and its transformation from the dance of the
temples to that which is accepted within the upper castes of society. This is
of paramount importance for the readers to take away, that Bharata Natyam indeed
was reconstructed with a particular agenda. The importance and the evolution of
the All-Ceylon Dance Festival is significant in the shifting position of
Bharata Natyam and is well recorded in this chapter followed by the explanation
and description of the crises after the Black July event in 1983.
The
insightful chapter Public Aesthetics, Public Education follows with an
in-depth look at public education in Sri Lanka. This was an eye-opener since as
early as 1972, Sri Lanka became the first country to include the study of
aesthetics into the national education curriculum on par with language, Math
and Science. This was phenomenally progressive. The role of the government in
promoting the idea of the postcolonial mindset through the arts and aesthetics
of visual arts, dance, and music rooted in the local was a sign of their forward
thinking. The author sees this as a “type of development project for the
postcolonial nation, weaving cultural nationalism with neo-liberal
developments” (Satkunaratnam 2020, 53) while obtaining foreign aid is a common
feature within the Asian nations. There is included a debate about language, as
well as the privilege of the English education sector. Again, this is a similar
pattern seen in numerous nations colonized by the West. One of the most
important points that the author makes here is that it is “the female body that
is the repository for the interweaving, communal, and national identity” (Satkunaratnam
2020, 54) and its primary site, as the students and teachers of Bharata Natyam.
She takes us through four case studies with distinct experiences and highlights
some challenges and contestations they face. For example, the
examinations at O- and A-Levels for Bharata Natyam are available only in Tamil
while those of Kandyan dance are only in Sinhala. The limitations of the
curriculum are glaringly obvious where the dance steps learned are too
rudimentary, and students who are interested in these art forms see it only as
a means to review what they already know. This is far from the ideals of
education. Creativity too, is difficult to be taught and assessed as it
requires too much standardization, memory, and theorization. Nevertheless, for
the artists employed within this system, it provides financial stability that
is not easy to be had within the arts.
Chapter Three begins in a familiar writing style of description of a scene that sets the tone of what will be discussed, namely strategies of choreography during the war. The researcher is driven by two research questions that she addresses in this chapter which are connected to the choreography that situates itself within conflict zones, and how “the bodies as producers of movement and markers of ethnicity” (Satkunaratnam 2020, 78) impact the works. This contemporary approach to understanding dance as relevant in our times is vital for the continuation of a dance form. The two case study choreographies are Draupadi Sabatham by Chandran, who was asked to present a piece on war, and selected this excerpt from the Mahabharata epic to do so, and her other work, Shakti. The researcher records the inspiration, and the thought processes of a Tamil woman to use Bharata Natyam to navigate and negotiate ethnicity, geography, and a political crisis. The researcher herself was reflexive in her analysis and personal response to war and wondered if her own emotions were heightened when compared to those who were literally living through it. This chapter will particularly resonate with choreographers who are working in areas of conflict and undergoing similar challenges, making compromises, or choosing which battles to fight themselves. This calls to mind the work of Rose Martin, whose book Sustaining Dance in Turbulent Times: displacement, identity, and the Syrian Civil War where she notes that the element of war as a backdrop for making or working in the arts, could often be overlooked. The author parallels the character of Draupadi whose “body was the prize for the highest wager in the game between family members” (Satkunaratnam 2020, 89), stating that in war, sexual violence against women is a cruel device.
In
Chapter Four, the author-researcher looks to further the analysis of
choreography and draws from the experience of performing in the nationally
televised dance show Shakti Superstar, a Tamil language, Sri Lankan
program like American Idol. As with popular entertainment the world
over, the author describes the need to combine the traditional dance of Bharata
Natyam with commercially assessable Bollywood dances. She notes that “the
confluence of global forms like Bollywood and Kollywood with Bharata Natyam and
Kandyan dance produces a uniquely local experience” (Satkunaratnam 2020, 109). As
a participant in the work Title Dance, the researcher provides a cogent insider
perspective to all the negotiations that were taking place – from the challenge
of selection of dancers to the music and the vocabulary. Most importantly too,
what this choreography would represent, inscribed on the female dancing bodies.
This valid reflection and analysis are useful to the practitioner who straddles
these two worlds quite often out of necessity and sustainability.
In
conclusion, this book is an excellent example of rigorous fieldwork, extensive
literature reviews, academic theories as well as embodied research practices
written by an author with tremendous command of the English language. It is
highly recommended for practitioners of Bharata Natyam, and beyond. Any
researcher and practitioner working in areas of conflict and working with art
forms that have a wide diasporic practice will find this a must-have in their
libraries. The language of the book and its contents would be particularly
resonant with artists and choreographers working within Asian dance forms, or
in countries that have been colonized, and all the negotiations that come with
keeping the practice alive.
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