11. Text on the Danseuse_
The Problematic Danseuse: Reclaiming Space to Dance the Lived Feminine Seshadri, Nirmala (2017). The Problematic Danseuse: Reclaiming Space to Dance the Lived Feminine. In Diotima’s: A Journal of New Readings (pp. 54-79). Kozhikode, Kerala: Providence Women’s College “The Abhinaya Darpana (13 th century CE) and Bharata’s Natyasastra (200 BCE-300 CE), serve as key texts in a Bharatanatyam dancer’s training. The messaging of the above verse from the Abhinaya Darpana is loud and clear – the female dancer is the object of the societal and, more specifically, the male gaze. How does the modern-day ‘danseuse’ re-present her performance body to shift it from the male or externally-defined representation? In the years that I have lived in Singapore and India, I have experienced classical dance training and its performance as a jettisoning of the dancer’s real life experience rather than its inclusion. Highlighting the separation between the lived and performance bodies of the female classical dancer, dance scholar Urmimala Sarkar Munsi states, “the reality of her everyday life is put aside, as she reclaims her tradition through her body and performance - entering into an imaginary realm of a world that begins and ends with the performance itself, and does not have anything to do with the everyday reality of the body” (2014: 307). Rather than move in autonomy and authenticity, the dancer’s body is disciplined into presenting itself within the prescribed boundaries. According to Sarkar Munsi, “locating the female body within the historically derived public domain of the patriarchal society has silenced any bodily activities or at least muted them in and through classical dance” (2014: 308). Various societal forces collude to discipline the female dancer into conformity. Against this backdrop, I call the female Bharatanatyam dancer who defies societal yardsticks of acceptability, resisting disciplinarity to present her lived feminine - The Problematic Danseuse.”
- Page 2 and 3: “It is understood” It is unders
The Problematic <strong>Danseuse</strong>: Reclaiming Space to Dance <strong>the</strong> Lived<br />
Feminine<br />
Seshadri, Nirmala (2017). The Problematic <strong>Danseuse</strong>: Reclaiming Space to<br />
Dance <strong>the</strong> Lived Feminine. In Diotima’s: A Journal of New Readings (pp.<br />
54-79). Kozhikode, Kerala: Providence Women’s College<br />
“The Abhinaya Darpana (13 th century CE) and Bharata’s<br />
Natyasastra (200 BCE-300 CE), serve as key texts in a Bharatanatyam<br />
dancer’s training. The messaging of <strong>the</strong> above verse from <strong>the</strong> Abhinaya<br />
Darpana is loud and clear – <strong>the</strong> female dancer is <strong>the</strong> object of <strong>the</strong><br />
societal and, more specifically, <strong>the</strong> male gaze. How does <strong>the</strong><br />
modern-day ‘danseuse’ re-present her performance body to shift it<br />
from <strong>the</strong> male or externally-defined representati<strong>on</strong>?<br />
In <strong>the</strong> years that I have lived in Singapore and India, I have<br />
experienced classical dance training and its performance as a<br />
jettis<strong>on</strong>ing of <strong>the</strong> dancer’s real life experience ra<strong>the</strong>r than its inclusi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Highlighting <strong>the</strong> separati<strong>on</strong> between <strong>the</strong> lived and performance bodies<br />
of <strong>the</strong> female classical dancer, dance scholar Urmimala Sarkar Munsi<br />
states, “<strong>the</strong> reality of her everyday life is put aside, as she reclaims her<br />
traditi<strong>on</strong> through her body and performance - entering into an<br />
imaginary realm of a world that begins and ends with <strong>the</strong> performance<br />
itself, and does not have anything to do with <strong>the</strong> everyday reality of <strong>the</strong><br />
body” (2014: 307). Ra<strong>the</strong>r than move in aut<strong>on</strong>omy and au<strong>the</strong>nticity,<br />
<strong>the</strong> dancer’s body is disciplined into presenting itself within <strong>the</strong><br />
prescribed boundaries. According to Sarkar Munsi, “locating <strong>the</strong><br />
female body within <strong>the</strong> historically derived public domain of <strong>the</strong><br />
patriarchal society has silenced any bodily activities or at least muted<br />
<strong>the</strong>m in and through classical dance” (2014: 308). Various societal<br />
forces collude to discipline <strong>the</strong> female dancer into c<strong>on</strong>formity. Against<br />
this backdrop, I call <strong>the</strong> female Bharatanatyam dancer who defies<br />
societal yardsticks of acceptability, resisting disciplinarity to present<br />
her lived feminine - The Problematic <strong>Danseuse</strong>.”
“It is understood”<br />
It is understood that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Danseuse</strong> (nartaki) should be very lovely,<br />
young, with full round breasts, self-c<strong>on</strong>fident, charming, agreeable,<br />
dexterous in handling <strong>the</strong> critical passages … with wide-open eyes …<br />
adorned with costly jewels, with a charming lotus-face, nei<strong>the</strong>r very<br />
stout nor very thin, nor very tall nor very short” (Nandikesvara 1917:<br />
15-16).<br />
Nirmala’s opening reflecti<strong>on</strong>:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
I opened my paper with this text.<br />
In my reading of <strong>the</strong> paper at SCOPE (Dance Nucleus) in July<br />
2018, I opened with a brief introducti<strong>on</strong> after which this<br />
paragraph followed.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> translati<strong>on</strong> from Paper to Lecture Performance, this is<br />
<strong>the</strong> point at which I rise from my chair, walk across <strong>the</strong> stage<br />
and sit <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> chair that is covered with a silk sari. The text<br />
provided an entry point into embodied expressi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Some headnotes from July 2019 during explorati<strong>on</strong>s in <strong>the</strong> studio<br />
and c<strong>on</strong>versati<strong>on</strong>s with Soultari Amin Farid:<br />
Why not at <strong>the</strong> centre? I am not ready to occupy centre stage. Let me<br />
place <strong>the</strong> chair <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> left.<br />
Why <strong>the</strong> seated positi<strong>on</strong>? By re-c<strong>on</strong>necting me with a past work in<br />
which I emoted in <strong>the</strong> same seated positi<strong>on</strong>, it facilitates my re-entry<br />
into <strong>the</strong> space of performance.<br />
Why <strong>the</strong> sari? It c<strong>on</strong>nects me to my early performances of <strong>the</strong><br />
Bharatanatyam repertoire. This is <strong>the</strong> sari I wore for my Arangetram<br />
(dance debut) in 1985. The sari is also a c<strong>on</strong>necti<strong>on</strong> to my culture and<br />
symbolises for me <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>cept of cultural custodianship - an implicit<br />
role that <strong>the</strong> modern day Bharatanatyam dancer is required to<br />
perform.
In his dramaturgy of “It is understood”, Daniel Kok highlighted:<br />
<strong>the</strong> dramatic impact of <strong>the</strong> sequence in <strong>the</strong> use of <strong>the</strong> voice, face, hand gestures,<br />
stances and <strong>the</strong> different registers of speech.<br />
Dr. Shobha Avadhani, <strong>on</strong> viewing <strong>the</strong> work focussed her attenti<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong>:<br />
The str<strong>on</strong>g link between <strong>the</strong> dance form and issues of caste and gender.<br />
Bharatanatyam and Brahminism is etched <strong>on</strong> my lived and performing body. Can I<br />
ever release myself from it?<br />
Mervin W<strong>on</strong>g, in his audiovisual explorati<strong>on</strong> within “It is understood”:<br />
“Wanted to explore <strong>the</strong> qualities of Nirmala’s voice, <strong>the</strong> simple power of repeating”<br />
Nrithya Pillai’s comments <strong>on</strong> “It is understood” during a residency with<br />
Nirmala:<br />
“It reflects <strong>the</strong> perverted mind of a man, brahminic and misogynistic , imposing<br />
standards <strong>on</strong> women. If we d<strong>on</strong>’t questi<strong>on</strong> it, we are compliant and we are part of<br />
<strong>the</strong> problem. For hereditary dancers, it’s a lived experience and is intuitive. The body<br />
type of <strong>the</strong> dancer cannot be standardised.The dance cannot be codified.”<br />
Nirmala’s Closing Reflecti<strong>on</strong>:<br />
“It is understood that while The Fractured Female Body may be broken, challenged,<br />
aged, uncertain, imperfect, vulnerable & devoid of those adornments … yet it<br />
listens, speaks, thinks, feels, sings and moves … in new, au<strong>the</strong>ntic and empa<strong>the</strong>tic<br />
ways.”