|
Redefining heritage
Little did I
know that my visit to the dance library of a Ballet school in Montreal would
move me so much. It stirred some very deep emotions and led me to take a fresh
look at my dance heritage.
I did not
know about Vincent Warren till I met him. A kind looking man with grey hair and
a friendly smile. His eyes light up when he talks about dance. When I read
about him in the encyclopaedia I saw that my impression of him from our very
short meeting was right. It said:
“Vincent de Paul Warren became one of the most accomplished and versatile
dancers in the company's history and a star in his own right. His noble looks
and refined dancing made him an ideal interpreter of classical roles from the
traditional story-ballet repertoire, yet he equally excelled in contemporary
works ... After retiring from the stage (in 1979) Warren ... concentrated his
attention on the development and maintenance of its now large library and
archive of dance books, documents, videos and related materials. ... In 2010,
the library was renamed Bibliothèque de la danse Vincent-Warren in honour of
his years of dedication to both the library and the school.”
His library left a deep impression on me. It was a place where I felt at ease,
where my dance past and present could comfortably sit together . My inherited
heritage of dance and the evolving legacy of my lived experiences of dancing in
the West came together in this dance library, in Montreal
It had a box full of archived program notes and articles on my teacher Uday
Shankar from 1930 onwards, large framed photograph of Ruth St Denis on the wall
and an image of a UK based kathak dancer Sonia Sabri by my friend and
colleague, renowned photographer Simon Richardson. It humbled me to see that
the library had a copy of Fergus Early and Jackey Lansley’s book "Wise
Body " which has a chapter on my dance training and views on dancing as a
mature artist.
This visit was not in my original itinerary, but I am so happy that Dr Mamata
Niogy Nakra introduced me to Vincent Warren and his library.
As soon as I
entered the library my eyes fell upon a large framed photograph of Ruth St
Denis which took my breath away. This was not like any other prints I have seen
in dance books. It made her spirit come alive. I was transported to a different
reality, the one in which she was alive and dancing.
I remembered a comment by a dance scholar that had left a lasting impression in
my mind. Talking about photography Nigel ......said "shutters come down to
sever the past from the present". It seemed as though I could peer through
the present image to that very moment when the shutter came down and captured
this image. This is the woman whose love and passion for Indian dance has paved
the path for me to reach where I have got today . Seeing my reaction to the
photograph Vincent asked the librarian to bring three large card board boxes
full of invaluable collection of programme notes, news paper cuttings and
articles on Ruth St Denis, Pavlova and Uday Shankar from the 1930 onward. I was
amazed. A history of my own dancing heritages?
I was trained in Uday Shankar style of creative dance from his life and
dancing partner Amala Shanker, I was fortunate to hear stories of Pavlova from
Uday Shankar himself,
I feel inspired by Ruth St Denis's devotion and pursuit of spirituality in
dance and it makes me immensely happy to see Simon's picture of Sonia's in this
collection. These varied fragments of dance histories are part of my dance
persona. Together they make me who I am. The reality was that there I was, an
Indian dance artist from 21st century Britain, visiting Canada on a fellowship
from WCMT.
My dance aesthetics are informed by a plethora of influences from both the east
and the west. It has been shaped by ancient Indian wisdom and the integrity of
the current dance practice in the West.
A place like this library validates my position as an Indian dance artist from
outside of India.
It was an honour to meet Vincent Warren. It seemed to me that he has found a
sense of fulfilment in developing this library a kind of extension of his
dancing life.
In the library there was a large picture of him as a young dancer in a striking
pose. I took a picture of him standing next to the framed image. When I showed
him the photograph he said I can't dance like him. I said "the one in the
picture does not have the lovely smile like yours". He laughed and agreed
"No. He had no time".
More than any words, the picture of him next to his old photograph, revealed to
me "where does beauty lie, if not in youth."
|
|