THE BELOVED IS WHAT I SEEK
Having performed before international audiences in countries
like the USA, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Serbia, Latvia, Singapore, Italy,
Morocco, Nepal and Bhutan, Shivani has founded “Samarpan”, a cultural NGO that
works to resonate Indian culture richness before evolved global audiences.
Rooted in tradition, yet associated with the fashion world, she has worked
closely with couturiers like Muzaffar & Meera Ali, Anju Modi, J.J. Valaya
as their young muse, using Kathak as her idiom in all its technical and emotive
stances.
With a host of awards under her glittering feathered cap,
the danseuse has contributed a lot to the field of classical dance. In May
2017, she was awarded for her singular contribution, for the cause of harmony
by the India Harmony Foundation. A recipient of the ‘NavKiran award’ in 2013,
Shivani has had the honour of performing for her country at both the Opening
and Closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi in 2010. In an
in-depth interview with The Daily Guardian, Shivani relates her experiences
with Kathak.
Q. In the years that dance
has been within you, what has been your true emotion towards the form?
A. Quoting my Guru, Pandit
Birju Maharaj Ji, kathak means anand, utsah & umang. It helps connect
me to my soul. The devotion I feel when I am in an ecstatic rhythm is
inexplicable. My regard towards my Gurus, Maharaj Ji & Shovana Didi is
unsurpassed. Their guidance, gentle prodding towards taking my performances to
expert levels, has helped me realize my chosen profession and my true calling.
With the feeling of Godliness around me, I feel propelled to reach for the
Infinite, the going away from the illusory world of moh:maya, into
Nothingness.
Strangely enough, I never
did want to become a dancer, not a professional one for sure.
I started learning early
on, with my mother encouraging me from ground zero. As I was growing up, I had
many teachers, many mentors. They all were my angels, guiding me even if I was
straying off my chosen path. It seems like synchro-destiny, opportunities
falling in my lap, and me being drawn towards dance. I am where I am today, all
thanks to various people who guided me. My Gurus
are Pandit Birju Maharaj ji and Shovana Narayan ji.
Q. Kathak for you has
evolved into an onstage drama. How did you transition into ballets?
I have formulated ballets
with subjects like Mahatama Gandhi-Champaran Se Bapu, Devaki Ma, the city of
Delhi and many others. I feel that the urban educated young generation needs to
start developing a taste for the classical performing arts. It is totally
imperative that culture need to be steeped into the essence of the young blood
of today. It’s only about how the story is related, the literary texts, and the
lyrical rhythmic song that goes with it. The finer nuances come in the adaayein(expressions),
and the way the story is communicated. All my presentations are accessible to
all genres of audiences. I have taken my shows
abroad but never felt the need to start my own dance troupe. I like to
collaborate with different artistes, and this helps my creative expression. Kathak
is such a versatile dance form, so natural in its expressions, it can easily be
adapted to most genres.
Q. What is your
association with Muzaffar Ali and Pandit Birju Maharaj?
I would not
have even thought of being a performing artist if it wasn't for Muzaffar Ali
Saab. I was on my way to a legal career, working in a High Court Judge's
office at the time.
I met Muzaffar
Saab at a restaurant opening and that’s where it all began. He gave me the
opportunity to perform in Jahan-e-Khusrau, the Sufiana festival held at
Humayun’s tomb annually. Over the years, I have performed in their productions.
Our association is now
of respect,
trust and friendship.
With Maharaj
ji my first memory is of him taking my interview for admission to the
Kathak Kendra when I was a child. The next time I met him face to face was in
2010 for another audition, this time to be selected to participate in the
Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. As rehearsals were on daily for months, I
had the time of my life! It is difficult to even stand in front of such an illustrious
Guru. He has finally connected me to the reason I dance. I feel a sense of
fulfillment in his presence that I have never felt before.
Q. What do
you feel about fusion Kathak?
The way
dance is presented, with a sensitive grace, and with technique, is key. I am in
favour of artists experimenting with the grammar and vocabulary of movement as one
can see the identity, thinking and creativity of the dancer. If done right, this
form of presentation has the scope of introducing a fresh approach to keen
audiences.
Q. How do you feel when
you are in a vivid rhythm?
I feel as if I am in a
dark room where nothing is visible to the eye and still I know where everything
is. Every sense is heightened. There is ecstasy. But I am so in the moment that
it's the absence of feeling. I think I am still evolving in my journey as a
dancer and most such moments are on stage and its sheer magic!
Q. Tell us a
bit more about yourself.
I love
travelling. If it hadn’t been for this virus, I would have been holidaying on
the coasts of Amalfi, wearing my summery cotton dresses. Or relaxing in the
Maldives, in our private water villa, gorging on oysters at breakfast, sipping
a cool bubbly. On lazy days, I like my regular comfort food, Daal Makhni or
Kadhi Chawal. When my husband Vedanta & I step out for dinner, I like
dressing up in Indian attire, mostly a saree.
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