Page 61 - Tehelka Issue 8&9

column dance

Winning world through mance, Verdy mentored

her. “Her first advice was to
contemporary dance relocate to New York City.”
After a mega 28-city tour
for the ‘The Mahabharata’
in the US with the Dhanan-
Preeti Vasudevan’s work brings Indian classical dance into dialogue jayans in 1999, which she
Culturati with other dance forms as she seeks parallel and contrast in her orchestrated and managed,
Preeti “made a millennial
own practice and ballet, postmodern and contemporary dance transfer to New York and
ArshiyA sethi called on people I didn’t
he year, 2018, began on a soon became their favourite and recalls know but had heard of —
bright note for Preeti Vas- with affection how her guru used to call Matteo , the great Spanish
udevan, a New York-based her “my little monkey” even while he dancer who long years ago
Dr. Arshiya Sethi writes dancer and choreographer, kept pointing out how talented she was. had learnt Bharatanatyam
on cultural issues. with the announcement Their plans for her Ranga Pravesh- the from Kalashetra and had
After a rich career of T of the Lincoln Centre formal debut on the stage as a soloist- established the Ethnic Dance
working on tangible Awards for Emerging Artistes. These were cut short by her father’s reloca- Foundation in NY; Jacques
and intangible aspects awards honour the outstanding artistry tion to Madras. Her guru advised Preeti d’Amboise, the legendary
of the ecosphere of the and promising future of artists from to continue her training under the ballet dancer and muse
arts, she runs the Kri the eleven constituent organisations Dhananjayans — VP Dhananjayan and of Jerome Robbins and
Foundation that of Lincoln Center. The line up this year his wife Shanta, both alumni of Kalak- Balanchine who since has
promotes arts, included Preeti, founder and artistic shetra and personally trained by none become a dear friend and
activism in the social director of her dance company Thresh. other than Rukmini Devi Arundale. mentor to me.”
and development Preeti, the first artiste of Indian descent Here, she caught the eye of Dhana- In 2001, she went on to do
sector, especially via to get this honour is a repeat META janyans who created a next-generation The last part of the statement may her Masters degree in dance from
‘artivism’, and the (Mahindra Excellence in Theatre duo with her and their son Satyajit. At sound odd to non dancers, but a The New York- Laban Centre, London, one of the
generation of knowl- Awards) nominee and has multiple the India International Dance Festival, dancer would instantly understand based dancer and best-known schools for dance stud-
edge on intersecting awards in her credit. held in 1991 in Delhi, she was selected what she meant. ies. Two important developments
issues. Linda Murray, Curator at the Jerome to represent her guru’s style. Seeing the Few days after he returned, she choreographer occurred in this period. The first was
Robbins Dance Division of the New York global line up representing styles as married Sanjay, and went off to recently bagged that senior dance scholars Valerie
Public library for the Arts, the Lincoln varied as Jose Limon and Hanya Holm, Indianapolis on the HB1 spouse the Lincoln Centre Preston and Ana Sanchez Colburg,
Centre organisation that nominated “I realised that there was a different visa, as per the rules of which she who have written a book on the
Preeti, says that their choice was driven world out there for dance,” recalls Preeti couldn’t even volunteer. Only after Awards Laban process, challenged Preeti
by her “deep respect for history, which sitting on the terrace of her Manhattan changing her visa to a performing to question and deconstruct her
is important to us as an archive, and also apartment in the shadow of the Empire visa, that to from 1995 onwards, she for Emerging work, compelling her to look
because her creative work is so innova- State building. began touring in USA, initially with Artistes, which at her practice afresh. The second
tive.” She acknowledges that Preeti’s Although Preeti danced with one the Dhanajayans, and then solo. At was that she was commissioned to
work “brings Indian classical dance Dhanajayan son, Satyajit, but it was the that time, she also did arts educa- honours the write on the young British dancer
into dialogue with other dance forms, other son, Sanjay, on whom the cupid’s tion workshops in juvenile prisons. outstanding from South Asia, Akram Khan who
as Preeti seeks parallels and contrasts arrows struck upon. Preeti wanted to “It gave me a lot of satisfaction and had done the same process and
between her own practice and ballet, give herself some space and so accepted proved what art can do,” admits artistry had broken through like a chrysalis
postmodern and contemporary dance. a scholarship to go to Japan, which Preeti. and was now a rising star. “At
She has retained the narrative tradition turned out to be an amazing experience Being part of big projects like that time I realised that I could
of Bharatanatyam but has transformed for her. She learnt many of the arts Ja- ‘Jungle Book’ (1996-1997) with her which she danced, choreographed not go back to my marriage. Too
and opened it up by distilling her move- pan is well known for — dance, callig- gurus gave Preeti considerable and acted. much was happening around
ments and gestures into a sparse but raphy, pottery and even how to wear a exposure. In 1998, she was the Assis- In 1998, she was asked by Violette my dance.”
accessible lexicon. The result is often kimono. She met with the grand master tant Director to the Dhanajayans in Verdy, famed French ballerina and Subsequent to completing her
deeply moving.” Kitzu Sakakibara, who had graduated their new production ‘The Mahab- the legendary choreographer and Masters, she moved to New York
Preeti, who was born in Chennai, in Indian dance from Visva-Bharati in harata’, premiered in the Reunion co-founder of the New York City permanently in 2003. “My thesis
lived in Delhi in her formative years and 1953. “He was like the Uday Shankar of Island. Armed with the necessary Ballet, and also George Balanchine’s from the Laban Centre won me the
moved to Bangalore by the age of nine Japan and was happy that I brought him confidence, Preeti choreographed muse, to dance for the launch of Emerging Choreographer’s award
and trained there for several years with India. I taught the young Japanese stu- and played the lead role in an the International Encyclopaedia from Joyce Foundation in NYC. The
the iconic gurus US Krishna Rao and his dents Bharatnatyam, but it was in Japan English play in Indianapolis- ‘Naga- of Dance edited by Selma Jeanne award was to perform a season
wife Chandrabhaga Devi. Little Preeti that I finally learnt how to use my spine.” mandal’— her first production in Cohen. Impressed by her perfor- in New York. It was a remarkable

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