This interdisciplinary initiative led by Sanjukta Wagh along with Neha Kudchadkar and Pranali Kakade is to not only disseminate the Kathak form as an invaluable repository of knowledge but to nurture its innate syncretism, to place it within one’s person: body, mind and cultural consciousness by internalizing and redefining this language of expression and at the same time allowing oneself to be
defined by it. This endeavour is furthermore to facilitate the coming together of individuals with diverse backgrounds, training and expertise to converge their collective energies for a transformation to take place, on the premise that energy creates form. We believe that when energies converge in a focused and consistent manner, a transformation occurs, however subtle or manifest. Our consistent engagement with yoga, body alignment and breath, poetry, Hindustani and other forms of music and dance, theatre, choreology, visual art and architecture have led to numerous findings which we use as pedagogical tools in the classroom or workshops and explore as choreographic practices as well as in performance. Dance pedagogy, process and performance:
• Observing how a classical form fits or is placed in one’s body and consciousness, finding ease of movement and alignment in this process.
• Cultivating rigour and discipline that comes with internalizing a dance form, with an emphasis on rhythm and spatial awareness.
• Encouraging play and improvisation. Unpredictability and play is ingrained in the very aesthetics of the Kathak form. So we are constantly at play as we work with students or in the studio. beej has also been exploring various approaches to improvisation as a studio based practice in workshops and performances.
• Engaging with music, theatre, visual arts and architecture, literature, science and various other disciplines for a deeper and more wholistic understanding of one’s form and its possibilities for expression and performance.
• Encouraging democracy and plurality of perspective and individual expression in one’s engagement with dance language as a tool of empowerment and communication,
• Reinventing the treatment of archetypes and myth in a space, encouraging syncretism where the sacred and secular are in a constant dialogue. beej has a number of productions that include
• Samanvaya, a Kathak-Bharatanatyam ensemble presentation in collaboration with Bharata Natyam dancer Kalyani Vrajesh
• Akath Katha a Kathak interpretation of Kumar gandharva’s renditions of Kabir in collaboration with Anand Thakore
• let her be born, a tribute to women artistes around the world through poetry music and dance
• Bheetar Baahar, an invocation to Nirguna through music and dance exploring improvisation as performance in collaboration with Hindustani vocalist Makarand Deshpande
• Seeking to Embody, an ensemble kathak presentation
• Putana and I, a dance theatre presentation about encountering the mythological character Putana in 2012, inspired by A.K. Ramanujam’ poem and Mahashweta Devi’s short story. This piece was developed at the Gati summer dance residency 2012, Delhi. Mentors and collaborators: German choreographers, Sussanna Linke and Urs Dietrich, Theatre practitioner , Shankar Venkateshwaran, and sound artist, Pol. beej is engaged in a number of research projects like
• " the Kathak thaath and its co-relation to choreutics",
• " the relation between dance and sculpture",
• "improvisation as a studio based practice",
• " dance anatomy: alignment, breath, and technique and its relevance in classical dance pedagogy". The artistes of the beej production unit include: Neha Kudchadkar, Pooja Pant, Pranali Kakade, Prajakta Bhide, Neha John, Preeti Bhide and Sanjukta Wagh. They have all been extensively trained in the Kathak dance form under Guru Rajashree Shirke [ except Neha John, who is an established contemporary dancer and teacher] and have performed either as soloists and emsemble performers at several festivals across the country and abroad. We also have had the unstinting support and encouragement of all our families, students and friends in all our endeavours.
