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'Abhinaya'
in Bharatanatyam means to communicate. And there are
four types of Abhinaya - Aangika (expression through
body, limbs, gestures), Vaachika (expression through
words, music),
Sathvika - expression of emotions and Aaharya - communication
through cotumes, make up, stage decor, props...
It is the Aaharya (mainly the costumes) that distinguishes
the various styles of dance, be it among the Indian
classical styles or even the Western. And costumes are
after all the most beautiful and the attractive aspect
of a dance recital. They add so much to the stage presence
of a dancer and form one of the first impressions in
the mind of the audience. Aesthetically designed costumes
add the finesse to a performance.
If you have witnessed the dance dramas at Kalakshetra,
the famed dance campus in Madras, what impresses one
most (besides the style of dance) are the colourful
costumes. The costumes worn here, even now, have been
designed by the legendary dancer and founder of Kalakshetra,
Rukmini Devi.
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Celestial water nymphs
- Apsaras
Photo credit: C.T. Nachiappan |
Initially
it was Dr. Padmasini, a theosophist and a close associate
of Rukmini Devi and Sharada Hoffman, one of the seniormost
disciples and now a retired staff member of Kalakshetra,
who helped Rukmini Devi with getting the costumes made
as designed by her.
Later, Mrs. Maragadamma was in charge between 1960 and
1990. Ambika Buch, a senior Kalakshetra trained dancer
and a former staff member at the campus, has been in
charge of the costumes here, the last ten years, until
she retired recently. And now Chithra Jagannathan has
taken over.
Ambika told KutcheriBuzz, ('Athai' refers to
Rukmini Devi)
"Athai's colour combinations were amazing. She
had gone around the whole world and had seen so much
that she tried to combine the designs of the East and
the West to suit the Indian context. She was such a
good observer and a perfectionist that she would bring
in the best in every costume she designed. The colour
combinations would blend so well on stage".
"For instance, the dancers who represented the
'sea' for a scene in the Ramayanam (when Hanuman crosses
the sea to reach Lanka), were draped in various shades
of blue, green and white, which symbolised the waves
and alongwith the blue lighting on the stage they would
just be stunning."
She adds, "The entire costume including the hairstyle
and jewellery for each character was specified by Rukmini
Devi which is still followed here."
"For every character, she would design the costume
after reading and researching about the character. She
would just imagine and picturise whatever she wanted
and ask those who assisted her to get the material from
which she would choose."
"There was an artist Srinivasan who worked with
Rukmini Devi. If she wanted a crown, she would ask him
to look at ancient paintings and then design various
crowns on paper from which she would choose. The crowns
would then be made of silk cloth with stones, sequences
or kundan embedded on them."
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| The
crown worn by Hanuman |
"She
would give attention to every detail and made sure that
nothing was done at the cost of aesthetics. For example,
while designing the costume of Hanuman, the tail was
not attached with the costume, but a suggestion was
given behind the crown.
"And
in a forest scene in Gita Govinda, the trees were depicted
with cloth gathered together and draped on the screen."
The colour combinations used for each character in the
dance dramas are still maintained. When the costumes
wear out or if they don't fit a particular dancer, new
ones are made following the same colour combination
and patterns. Ambika recalls, "We used to take
the costume to the shop and try to get the same colours."
In general, blacks and browns were not used unless evil
characters had to be depicted. For example, the 'Rakshasis'
around Sita in the ashoka vanam, were draped in black
skirts that had red thread work on them.
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'Rakshasis' in the ashoka
vanam |
Ambika adds, "Athai believed that the students
should wear colours that would make them look bright,
colourful and happy".
All the costumes including the curtains are stitched
at Kalakshetra.
The entire costuming is all written in a book for each
dance drama, and this includes the backdrops, sets,
costumes (alongwith the colour scheme), jewellery and
even the hair-style (whether it is a 'Round', 'S' or
'Triple' kondai for instance) are specified.
For example, the character of Perialwar in 'Andal Charithram'
should wear a white dhothi with red stripes and a red
zari border and a cotton sash in plain white.
In two costume rooms behind the stage at the auditorium,
there are about 30 steel cupboards to store the various
costumes, jewellery, crowns and wigs. They are classified
according to each dance-drama.
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| Chitra
Jagannathan is seen displaying the jewellery and
crowns |
Chithra says, "Before a performance, the costume
for each dancer is picked out and arranged separately
on a mat. After a dance drama, the costumes are air
dried and ironed (blouses and veshtis are usually washed
as well) and put back into their respective cupboards
within two-three days."
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| The
costume room |
So,
next time you watch a
Kalakshetra performance, don't miss to notice the special
'Adigai' or the pearl nose ring worn by the dancer,
all visualised by the legendary Rukmini Devi...
Did you like this feature, mail
your responses to editor@kutcheribuzz.com
If you are an alumnus or now a student at Kalakshetra,
feel free to share your experiences with us... memories
of the pink skirt that you wore or the bangle that you
broke!! You can find a place right here. |
