- Article by Kaite O'Reilly in her blog /27.June 13
- Article by Ludwig Pesch Sruti Magazine-blog /18.Juli.13
- Article by Rajyashree Ramesh/27.Juli.13 (DEUTSCH)
Article by Kaite O'Reilly in her blog /27.June 13
Berlin Margam: Eva Isolde Balzer
I was privileged to attend an extraordinary event this week in Berlin, what Bharatanatyam teacher Rajyashree Ramesh has coined 'The Berlin Margam' - a meeting between she and her student Eva Isolde Balzer, 'graduating' after seven years study of the classical South Indian style of dance theatre.
'The margam is a classical repertoire of dance pieces that forms a basic choreographic structure in Bharatanatyam. Historically speaking, the teacher presents a student for the first time to the public upon completion of a margam. The debut contains sociocultural elements like speeches of experts and guests of honour, ceremonial aspects, the honouring of the teacher, etc. Considering its European framework here, Eva's performance is conceived to illuminate the artistic perspective of dance as a stage art, thus transforming some elements.'
The margam was discussed as a path of transformation and translation, taking into account its relevance and practice today in an European context. Unfortunately in Germany Bharatanatyam suffers a Eurocentric gaze that maginalises it as 'culturally specific', 'ethnic', 'exotic' or placed in the past as an 'ancient relic.' Together with Rajyashree Ramesh and Indian Dance Historian Avanthi Meduri, the dance was presented as a historical continuum in a constant process of change.
Eva Isolde Balzer trained previously in contemporary dance and acting and works professionally across Europe, focussing on intimate and inter-disciplinary performances, with a special interest in decolonialisation. I was fortunate to see some of Eva's other performance work with the excellent Johanna Devi Dance Company in Berlin last year (links to her website and video trailers, below).
Training since 2006 with Rajyashree Ramesh, Eva 'understands this as a learning process in an epistemic tradition that offers an alternative to Eurocentric dominant practices.' This critical perspective is further enhanced through her studies in cultural anthropology at Freie Universitat.
The performance was outstanding, garnering a standing ovation for Eva and the superb vocalist Manickam Yogeswaran, expert in Carnatic music, and the musicians R.N.Pratap, Paramalingam Senthil, and Ampalavanar Srinivasan.
The second half of the programme was a symposium, exploring hybrid identities, art and embodiment, looking beyond exoticism. The speakers are listed, below. But what became clear was the significance of this unusual event, and its part of this long continuum, constantly in the process of change.
I was privileged to attend an extraordinary event this week in Berlin, what Bharatanatyam teacher Rajyashree Ramesh has coined 'The Berlin Margam' - a meeting between she and her student Eva Isolde Balzer, 'graduating' after seven years study of the classical South Indian style of dance theatre.
'The margam is a classical repertoire of dance pieces that forms a basic choreographic structure in Bharatanatyam. Historically speaking, the teacher presents a student for the first time to the public upon completion of a margam. The debut contains sociocultural elements like speeches of experts and guests of honour, ceremonial aspects, the honouring of the teacher, etc. Considering its European framework here, Eva's performance is conceived to illuminate the artistic perspective of dance as a stage art, thus transforming some elements.'
The margam was discussed as a path of transformation and translation, taking into account its relevance and practice today in an European context. Unfortunately in Germany Bharatanatyam suffers a Eurocentric gaze that maginalises it as 'culturally specific', 'ethnic', 'exotic' or placed in the past as an 'ancient relic.' Together with Rajyashree Ramesh and Indian Dance Historian Avanthi Meduri, the dance was presented as a historical continuum in a constant process of change.
Eva Isolde Balzer trained previously in contemporary dance and acting and works professionally across Europe, focussing on intimate and inter-disciplinary performances, with a special interest in decolonialisation. I was fortunate to see some of Eva's other performance work with the excellent Johanna Devi Dance Company in Berlin last year (links to her website and video trailers, below).
Training since 2006 with Rajyashree Ramesh, Eva 'understands this as a learning process in an epistemic tradition that offers an alternative to Eurocentric dominant practices.' This critical perspective is further enhanced through her studies in cultural anthropology at Freie Universitat.
The performance was outstanding, garnering a standing ovation for Eva and the superb vocalist Manickam Yogeswaran, expert in Carnatic music, and the musicians R.N.Pratap, Paramalingam Senthil, and Ampalavanar Srinivasan.
The second half of the programme was a symposium, exploring hybrid identities, art and embodiment, looking beyond exoticism. The speakers are listed, below. But what became clear was the significance of this unusual event, and its part of this long continuum, constantly in the process of change.
Article by Ludwig Pesch Sruti Magazine-blog /18.Juli.13:
Berlin Margam: Bharatanatyam programme and international symposium “Indian Dance in a Global Age” 22 & 24 June 2013
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Berlin (Germany’s old and new capital) provided the fertile ground for a truly amazing dialogue with other cultures. Earlier it was marked by some rivalry with other centres of culture and learning, notably Leipzig (still an important hub for publishing, science and music) and Dresden (innovation in dance, music, education and more). Several visits by Rabindranath Tagore to these places proved to be important for Germany’s artistic, educational and intellectual life and vice versa; and this in spite of the inevitable misunderstandings and prejudices seeking to neutralize any innovative venture. All this came into focus again when Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary was celebrated with exhibitions, conferences, performances and publications in the aforementioned places and, to a lesser degree, all over Germany.
Before this background it does not surprise that attempts to rekindle the dialogue with India on eye level is met with enthusiasm and anticipation. With increased scope for travels and communication, this calls for a fresh look at the untapped potential of a special relationship. The Bharatanatyam debut by Eva Isolde Balzer, disciple of Rajyashree Ramesh for over seven years, was an occasion for such a forward-oriented move. For them, completing a traditional “Margam” repertoire and marking it by a formal public debut was more than a formality: it would have to reflect a process of translation and transformation as Eva is already an experienced actress involved in projects exploring the “trans-cultural, trans-disciplinary potential of dance”.
The customary handing over of the dancer’s anklets, for instance, became part of the stage dramaturgy in view of the teacher’s modern outlook. This made their teacher-disciple relationship an unconventional one compared to those situated in more traditional Indian society, yet equally special in a different way. Indeed, this special relationship permeated the entire occasion from the dance debut to the follow-up discussions.
The large audience at the Werkstatt der Kulturen included dance afficionados, some familiar with Indian culture, and several noted scholars. One among them, dance critic, Ashish Khokar asserted that this performance deserves to be remembered for its artistic merits: “It is very meaningful to see a same tradition in a totally different geographical context. Earlier if geography decided history, for many of us, in many cultures, today history is being made because of geography too. And Berlin Margam is a good example of that.”
The warm response of a large audience in one of Berlin’s leading cultural centres left no doubt that presenting a fully fledged dance and live music ensemble under the guidance of Rajyashree Ramesh was worth the enormous organizational effort. The sense of full integration of dance, vocal and instrumental music, which Indian scholars have regarded as key feature throughout the ages, was achieved by singer Manickam Yogeswaran, violinist Senthil Paramalingam, mridangist R.N. Pratap and morsing player A. Srinivasan with Rajyashree Ramesh in charge of nattuvangam.
With reference to the brief dance-theatre solo piece by Eva that followed her classical Bharatanatyam performance, Prof. Zarrilli highlighted the “transformative potential of traditional forms for contemporary practice”. He commended her “ability to allow those different trainings - multiple trainings - to work inside and produce both the traditional and something else.” Being an expert for Kerala’s martial arts and its context his cautionary remarks as regards blind adherence to “tradition” deserve attention: “Those of us who know any kind of traditional practices know that they are constantly changing (....) Westerners sometimes have wanted to freeze and romanticize the genres. (...) A part of the work of this evening is exploding those caricatures, those half baked truth and allowing us to see this as a working living tradition in its embodiment and in its practice.”
Martin Puttke said he was deeply impressed of what he saw, particularly by the clarity of the movements. As one of Germany’s leading ballet teachers, his authority can be trusted when observing that “we are using the same technical principles because we are working with human beings (...) I try to work out the universal principle of the human being when its moving and I saw (those) fantastic in the Indian Dance.”
Dr. Avanthi Meduri who was in charge of the project dramaturgy, went one step further: “While you as audience see the exotic dancer in costume, with beautiful eyes etc. (...) In the everyday practice there is no exoticism.”
To this Eva responded by saying that “sometimes in Europe we are so closed by certain ideas about art and I am so happy, it is such a nice process to open and listen to other ideas. (...) I tried to analyze the things that I really like or are useful to me whether I dance classical or contemporary or whatever I do. (...) There is a specific vulnerability that I have to learn to place myself in and in the same time (...) I have to be very clear outward, clearly thinking of the audience. And this is something I am really grateful to learn.”
To this her teacher Rajyashree added that “the process of learning is what we wanted to make transparent. That’s why we had this event. (...) I have broken a tabu (...) because all the exoticism is gone if I talk about the pelvic floor.” She explained how her European students couldn’t sit in the aramandi pose as easily as the Indian dancers in her troupe, not being used to sitting on the floor with the open leg-position. This forced her to learn about anatomy, to find out how it works, and then find a way of explaining it to her German students.
Eva shared her initial apprehension, already being contemporary performer, as regards the conventions of traditional Indian dance. An Odissi performance by Illeana Citaristi left her feeling so light and happy as to undergo a change of attitudes: “Whenever I think about it my mind is changing so much and I feel so calm and light and precise then I thought I have to look what this is all about.”
The performances were immediately followed by a mini symposium at Werkstatt der Kulturen in Berlin titled “Art and Embodiment: Looking beyond Exoticism”. It was meant to bridge the evening’s performance with a longer symposium hosted by the Indian Embassy’s Tagore Centre two days later. The title for the symposium was well chosen considering India’s misrepresentation in Germany whenever the media report on tourism, popular culture and, to a lesser degree, on trade, science and technology. As commercial interests make exoticism all too resilient it is worth subverting it by other means, namely the first hand experience of culture. This revitalizes an unbroken line of mutual recognition and critical reflection India and Germany have shared for over two centuries.
The high-level panel included Dr. Avanthi Meduri (dancer/scholar), Rajyashree Ramesh (Bharatanatyam teacher), Ashish Khokar (dance critic/scholar) and Prof. Martin Puttke (ballet director) and Prof. Phillipp Zarrilli (actor/director). After performing a solo dance programme of over 90 minutes, Eva Isolde Balzer (actress/dancer) once again impressed her public, now by her sheer stamina and presence of mind when replying to a wide range of queries. The panel set the pace for an even wider dialogue by involving several members of the audience. Its members not only proved to be keen observers but eloquent commentators on the programme’s interdisciplinary scope. Their diverse cultural and professional backgrounds reflected the host organisation’s reputation: the Werkstatt der Kulturen is a venue best known for a community oriented exchange of ideas, not seldom with political developments in mind. Here prevailing clichés are regularly exposed and analysed while paving the ground for more authentic artistic idioms that suit the aspirations of contemporary artists and their audience.
Eva Isolde Balzer is a professional actress working in contemporary idioms and international collaborations. Yet in personal discussions she proves to be fully aware of the potential of “classical” traditions such as Bharatanatyam (which she has studied under the guidance of Rajyashree Ramesh for over seven years), just as the pitfalls of the superficial appropriation of, or identification with any “tradition” – European and otherwise. Such self-questioning may seem to be yet another obstacle in the pursuit of an artistic career yet it proves to be in the best tradition of accountability many younger performers have lately rediscovered both in Germany and India.
International symposium “Indian Dance in a Global Age”
The combined performances by Eva Isolde Balzer served as catalysts for a special symposium on 24 June. Hosted by the Indian Embassy’s Tagore Centre in collaboration with the International Research Centre of the Free University of Berlin, it brought together scholars and practitioners from India, Europe and the UK to examine global issues relating to Indian dance production, transmission and performance.
The symposium was novel in that it focused on unexplored themes around cultural translation, historicity, innovations and inter-weavings in Indian dance:
- How are dancers, dance teachers, choreographers and scholars responding to the changing needs of the global age?
- What indeed is the meaning and function of Indian dance in a global world?
The symposium investigated these themes within an Indo-European framework and the long history of East/West collaborations linking India with the world.
Since this was a practice based seminar, the symposium featured select innovative work by young choreographers using Indian classical dance vocabulary to create new interweaving visions, communities and audiences for Indian dance in a global world.
Article by Rajyashree Ramesh
The Berlin Margam - eine Performance-cum-Symposium in Berlin
Bharatanatyam – das klassische indische Tanztheater findet man heute fast weltweit.
Unsere Erfahrung mit dem Tanz in Berlin und Deutschland zeigt allerdings, dass indischer Tanz im Allgemeinen marginalisiert wird. Als „kultur-spezifisch“, „ethnisch“ oder „exotisch“ und in der Phantasie der Zuschauer bestenfalls ein bewundertes Relikt einer „faszinierenden“ Kultur, findet er in der klassischen und zeitgenössischen deutschen Tanzszene kaum Beachtung. Auf angesehenen Bühnen findet man ihn kaum. Die Auseinandersetzung mit dem Tanz bleibt meist oberflächlich, ethnisch, eurozentrisch oder gar orientalistisch. V.a. machen den Praktizierenden der klassischen Formen die immer noch vorhandenen und leider wieder zunehmenden exotisierenden Tendenzen zu schaffen. Exotismus wird nicht nur auferlegt, es findet eine gewisse Selbst-Exotisierung statt, verkörpert meist von gerade nicht oder wenig ausgebildeten ‚indischen’ Tänzerinnen. Außerdem findet ein akademischer Diskurs kaum statt.
Ein langgehegter Wunsch von mir, unter Beteiligung von Praktizierenden, Akademikern und Publikum eine vertiefende Diskussion zu organisieren ist zwischen 22. und 24. Juni in Berlin in Erfüllung gegangen. Mit Anregungen von meiner Schülerin, der Schauspielerin und Performerin Eva Isolde Balzer, dem akademischen Beistand der renommierten Tanzhistorikerin und Soziologin Dr. Avanthi Meduri und der großzügigen Zusammenarbeit von Werkstatt der Kulturen konnte ich die Erstaufführung von Eva zum Anlaß nehmen, ein Symposium ‚Art and Embodiment – looking beyond exoticism’, am 22. Juni zu konzipieren. Dr. Avanthi Meduri griff das Thema auf und es ist uns gelungen eine akademische Diskussion am 24. Juni zu organisieren – und zwar durch ein Nachfolgesymposium ‚Indian dance in a global age’ als Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem Internationalen Institut ‚Verflechtungen von Theaterkulturen’ der Freien Universität Berlin und der Indischen Botschaft.
Ungewöhnlich für eine Erstaufführung war, dass in der als ‚Berlin-Margam’ betitelten Aufführung von Eva Isolde Balzer statt Lobesreden von Ehrengästen, ein Symposium gehalten wurde; eine Diskussion mit geladenen Referent_innen und Publikum am Ende der Veranstaltung. Ein Margam ist ein Repertoire aus klassisch-traditionellen Bharatanatyam-Choreographien. Eine Tanzausbildung beinhaltet traditionell das Erlernen eines solchen Margams. In Anbetracht der Wortbedeutung - margam bedeutet Pfad oder Weg – wurde dargelegt wie das Margam-Repertoire als einen Weg der Transformation und Übersetzung für die Tanzenden verstanden werden soll. Unter der Dramaturgie der indischen Tanzhistorikerin Avanthi Meduri wurden außerdem die Choreographien z.T. nach nicht mehr praktizierten historischen Präsentationsformen dargeboten. Dem aus Indien eingeladenen renommierten Tanzhistoriker und Kritiker Ashish Mohan Khokar fiel z. B. auf, wie historisch der Augenblick war, wie man sich in eine andere, frühere Zeit versetzt fühlte, als die Tänzerin - statt alleine wie heutzutage üblich - in Begleitung ihrer Lehrerin Rajyashree Ramesh und des Sängers Manickam Yogeswaran die Bühne betrat. Oder wie bedeutungsintensiv es war, als die Tänzerin eine besonders gefühlsbetonte Choreographie, ein Ashtapadi des Dichters Javadeva (12. Jhdt.), auf dem Boden sitzend tanzte.
Dr. Meduri erläuterte die 5 T’s – Tradition, Travel, Translation, Transmission und Transformation als die wichtigsten Faktoren, die den indischen Tanz in dessen globalen Relevanz, aber überhaupt historisch gesehen, begleiten. Dadurch wurde offenbart, wie der Tanz eigentlich einer sich stets verändernden Historizität unterworfen ist. Nach den Worten von Dr. Meduri hat die Moderne des Bharatanatyams in Indien bereits im 19. Jhdt. begonnen. Prof. Martin Puttke, bekannter Ballet Direktor und Pädagoge erläuterte , wie er alles durch die Verkörperung verstand, obwohl er zum ersten Mal bei einer indischen Tanzaufführung war. Er erkannte die 7 Morpheme oder Grundbewegungen seines DANAMOS-Konzepts in einer fantastischen Art und Weise in dem indischen Tanzvokabular wieder. Für ihn erschien dieser Tanz weder fremd noch kulturspezifisch. Er zeigte sich beeindruckt von der Präzision des Tanzes. Es erschien für ihn notwendig, den im Europa benutzten Begriff ‚klassisch’ neu zu definieren. Der Theaterwissenschaftler Prof. Phillip Zarrilli, aus Großbritannien, der als einer der ersten westlichen Wissenschaftler Kathakali- und Kalaripayattukenntnisse in die westlichen Theaterpraxis einführte, unterstrich die Wichtigkeit des neuen Diskurses über den indischen Tanz, der durch dessen Praxis im Westen erst recht notwendig ist.
Am 24. Juni wurde die Diskussion mit weiteren Wissenschaftler_innen wie dem Theaterwissenschaftler und Direktor des Tagore-Zentrums Prof. Shivaprakash, der Tänzerin Dr. Sandra Chatterjee von der Universität Salzburg und der Dipl. Psychologin und Tanzmedizinerin Anja Weber fortgesetzt. Prof. Dr. Gabriele Brandstetter von dem Institut für Tanz- und Theaterwissenschaft der FU hielt den Keynote-Vortrag. Hier wurde über die sich verändernde Historizität des indischen Tanzes, dessen Rezeptivität seit den 70-er Jahren in Deutschland, die Relevanz von Form, Struktur und Grammatik im klassischen Tanz, tanzmedizinische Erkenntnisse zu Emotionen und die Neuverkörperung durch innovative Choreographien indischer Tänzerinnen diskutiert. Junge Choreographinnen aus Deutschland mit indischer Tanzausbildung zeigten Auszügen aus ihren zeitgenössischen Choreographien.
Am 25. Juni präsentierte Ashish Mohan Khokar einen Vortrag an der Freien Universität. Er zeigte einen Film über den Werdegang des Bharatanatyams seit etwa 90 Jahren. Es entstand eine rege Diskussion über Herausforderungen und Möglichkeiten einer Archivierung des Tanzes in Indien mit den anwesenden Professor_innen und Fellows der Freien Universität und Praktizierenden.
Durch die Performance Berlin-Margam und die nachfolgenden Diskussionen zeigte sich, wie die Geschichte des indischen Tanzes in Deutschland nicht nur weiter sondern auch neu geschrieben wird. Denn anders als bei dessen Praxis in etwa den USA oder dem UK wird der Tanz, obwohl - oder vielleicht gerade weil - in einem nicht-kulturspezifischen Milieu eingebettet, auf immer neue, zum größten Teil nicht-indische Körper eingraviert. Durch diese Praktizierenden, die bereit sind, die langjährige Ausbildung auf sich zu nehmen, bleibt die Frage der Archivierung meines Erachtens ein lebendig dynamischer Prozess, immer aufs Neue verkörpert und daher bewahrend in einer dem Tanz eigenen Art. Die Struktur und Form oder die Grammatik und Inhalt, die sie verkörpern, ist zugleich kulturspezifisch und transkulturell, lokal und global – und v.a. jenseits von Exotismus.
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