Dhananjayans: A Life in Illustration

Scripting the movement’s legacy is akin to catching passing air in a glass jar. Something so ephemeral and tangible can be written or filmed, but rarely can the emotional nuances be captured. Biographies give us a behind the scenes glimpse into the character of the dancer while films focus on performance documentation. But is there any other medium that can be used to convey the legacy of classical dance?

VP Dhananjayan’s son and photographer CP Satyajit, artist Satwik Gade and publisher Poonam Ganglani answered this question in the most unexpected of ways – a visual book depicting three artists in an illustrated oeuvre, a world of picture book and comic book. to document. Dhananjayan’s life Mixing dance and visual arts forms in this way is an innovative take on the idea of ​​describing a biography.

Classical dance and visual arts share some ethereal resonance. Both forms prioritize symmetry, lines, expressions and narrative clarity. Both also use placement and color to communicate characterization. Nevertheless, translation from three-dimensional to two-dimensional can make for a difficult experiment that requires a delicate balance between stability and mobility. SecretA visual narrative of Dhananjayan’s illustrious career anecdotes achieves just that.

untold stories

title, outside the stage, There is a source of untold stories about the dancing pair. In ‘Auld Lange Cine’, the first story by Satwik Gade, a painter from Chennai, we get a front row seat to ‘The Jungle Book’, a creation ahead of its time. It was presented in collaboration with Ohio Ballet’s Heinz Poll, featuring ten-year-old Akram Khan as Mowgli. The story tells us how the production was conceived, how ballet dancers eager to learn facial expressions and the joint efforts of Shantha Dhananjayan and renowned designer Christina Giannini in creating costumes for the show.

VP Dhananjayan and Shantha Dhananjayan | photo credit: KV Srinivasan

The theme of ‘Offstage’ continues in another story, ‘Lines and Curves’ by Alamelu Annamalai, a Chennai-based visual artist, narrating a humorous incident where Dhananjayan sir was driving a white ambassador and inadvertently hit a scooter, which One belonged to the parents of one of his students. Beautifully portrayed in black and white, the humor of the story reveals the personality of the great dancer. The third story, ‘Tour de Force’, by Rohit Bhasi, a Bengaluru-based painter and illustrator, colorfully recounts the experiences the artists had with their troupe during the Nigerian tour, with many organizational problems (including Many still exist). Yet lived up to the humorous vein of dancers exploring a new country. The story reveals a rare aspect of an artist – the interaction of cultures, the management of people and the comedy of errors that can arise from different styles of communication. Such stories, though told in a light-hearted manner, have the potential to start deep conversations about classical dance and the struggles within them. As one of the most senior artists in the field, it is inspiring that Dhananjayan is leading the way and setting the tone.

From the pages of the book photo credit: Credit: Offstage

the balancing Act

Talking about choosing the book for a collaboration between fine arts and performing arts, Anupama, Dhananjayan’s daughter-in-law and one of the creative heads of the project, candidly says, “So much has been written about her that Will be working hard enough to release a more archaic story about their story or achievements. Revealing lesser known aspects of Dhananjayan’s life with an emphasis on the power of visual storytelling was very important to the creative team. ,

In addition, the book provides subtle and nuanced commentary on many aspects of dance. For example, in the first story, the reader is faced with the line “Bharatanatyam in its present form is very new – only an art form of the 20th century.” The legend is a refreshing acknowledgment of the complex history of Bharatanatyam and its general presentation as a two thousand-year-old form with roots in temple sculpture. In the final story, it is also clear that Dhananjayan’s illustrious career was made possible by Shantha’s mother’s support in raising her children. Many dancers today still struggle to balance family responsibilities with an touring dance career, often skipping one or the other.

Secret In a way, it has set an example, and one hopes that it inspires many others to tell their stories with honesty, candor and humour. The light-hearted narrative style can make the dance form more accessible to younger readers.

From the pages of the book photo credit: Credit: Offstage

This writer from Bangalore is a dancer and research scholar.