All of us should have something to show for what we did during the coronavirus lockdown is the refrain, and that’s why the social media scene is quite happening. We are being schooled in almost all aspects — from cooking to writing, academic coaching to fitness and now music and dance too.
Almost all respected and budding artists are going ‘live’, allowing us a glimpse into the venerated, and therefore a little more distant, performing arts.
This has got everyone wondering whether this shift will be permanent. Will the classical arts benefit from this move? On the International Dance Day, Sakal Times speaks with a few dancers to find out more.
‘WE HAVE TO PERFORM ON STAGE’
“The slow run of the economy will have an impact on the classical arts, that’s a given. People who have been deprived would want first to fulfil their basic needs. Art will not be their first priority,” says Kathak dancer Shama Bhate.
The senior artist from Pune says that the art calendar will not be revived immediately. “I think there will be a long gap. But, I am not sure of the role of social media in these circumstances. Are we going to get more invites to perform because of social media? Or is it an avenue to make more people aware of our work? I don’t think it’s enough to make more people aware of our work. I think we need to discuss and deliberate, what we want to prove through this… because ultimately, we have to perform on the stage. That’s where we have to showcase our art, in mehfils and on rangmanch,” says Shamatai, who runs the Nadroop Institute.
When asked about the funding and whether social media can help in monetising, the artist replies, “We need technical support for programmes, we need sponsors. That won’t be possible unless there is some sort of stability in our lives. As for monetisation, how will you get those advertisements on social media? If classical arts and cinema vie for advertisements, then the larger advertisement share will go to the cinema and not us. If the budget for funding is reduced from say 100 per cent to 30 per cent, then a corporation like Zee, for instance, would give it to an awards show or movie than to classical art, which will fetch them more eyeballs.”
“I don’t have an FB or Instagram account, although my institute has. I believe that social media has its limitations. Those people who know my work might perhaps follow my work on social media (if my students post it). But I think the percentage of newer audience learning about my art is less,” says Shamatai, adding, “I know social media is important. We had planned something for the online segment as a part of International Dance Day (April 29) celebrations. But considering the situation we are in, we thought we should curtail some performances. The society, community, needs positive energies, so we will keep working towards that through our art form.”
‘CLASSICAL ARTS ARE NOT MERE ENTERTAINMENT’
A Mohiniyattam dancer, Rekha Raju has been putting out small videos on Facebook and Instagram, to sum up, the feeling’ life goes on’.
“None of us can stay put in one place and do nothing. Our practice will have to go on. After the lockdown, the situation will be crucial. It will be difficult to get sponsors. But I don’t know how far it will be okay for the artists to have our own stage at home and perform and upload it on YouTube. When we dance, it is a personal connection between the audience and the artists. The Natyashastra says that classical arts are not mere entertainment. They have their own aspects of divinity and spirituality. Considering that, I think we will have public shows. The sponsorship might be reduced from earlier 100 per cent to perhaps 70 or 60 per cent,” she says.
Do we have to tweak the art forms in keeping with the times? Rekha replies, “I can understand getting likes and hits. Sometimes when I put a video, I get some 50,000 views. That’s definitely good. But classical arts thrive on the connection with human beings. Whatever technologies may develop, this factor will stay. Traditional forms like Mohiniyattam find it very difficult to find the right type of music. That is why we have an orchestra performing with us. It will be very difficult to get all these artists together and do videography for the online medium.”
Creation results from meeting people, sharing ideas. That’s why physical presence is a must, she avers. “In online performances, you can hold the audience’s attention for maximum half an hour. After that, they will tend to watch something else. Most of the YouTube videos are also of small duration, four or seven minutes,” she adds.
Coming to International Dance Day celebrations, Rekha hasn’t planned anything specifically. “Some of my students are also performers; perhaps I will give them one piece of a song and ask them to perform. I will collect all the videos and put something up,” says the artist, who is also planning to write a handbook on Mohiniyattam in this period.
‘WE WILL WAIT FOR THINGS TO GET BETTER’
Chennai-based Bharatanatyam dancer couple, Viraja Mandhre and Shyamjth Kiran, firmly believe that nothing can replace a live performance. “What we see on social media feeds is something very new, and it’s happening too fast. We are not giving it enough time,” says Viraja.
“Usually, around this time in Chennai, we don’t have too many events happening. Typically, in this period, people are travelling abroad. One or two artists started the ‘live’ sessions for a good cause. Now, everybody is jumping onto it. We are no one to comment on it. But Shyam and I wouldn’t do it right now. We can wait for things to get better, to get back on stage. Almost everyone teaches online now, so it’s not like you are sitting at home with zero income,” she adds.
Speaking about sponsorships and whether the artists have to look at an alternative, Shyamjith says, “Every field, whether it’s Information Technology or traditional farming, has been hit by COVID-19. And so will be the artists, because we are all connected. Very few organisations have been consistently supporting the classical arts, e.g. in Chennai, we have Nallis. We don’t see a new face, organisation coming and supporting the arts. Definitely, we will be hit to some extent, but it won’t go that bad. I am prepared to wait. I think there are bigger concerns; there are people who have been deprived of food.”
He also feels that within the dance fraternity, the focus should be more on folk artists, people in the countryside. “Let’s do something for them. They also matter, not just classical singers, dancers. My heart goes for them. On International Dance Day, I will be thinking of them,” says Shyamjith.
“Usually,” Viraja says, “we don’t celebrate these days. We are not people who look forward to birthdays and anniversaries. We enjoy dancing every day. We are not the people who will be putting out an extra video, or image on that day. Nothing wrong in it, it’s just that we can’t do it.”
“It’s all very positive, but we don’t feel that urge, it doesn’t thrill us,” adds her husband.
‘WATCHING LIVE IS A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE’
Over the last few weeks, since the lockdown was imposed in India, all live performance events have got cancelled. Many online platforms, event organisers, and presenters have asked artists to do an Instagram or Facebook live, presenting their art. Still, all of this has been in the spirit of solidarity and doing something for all those who are stuck in self-isolation and quarantine — and all of this has been without pay. In the immediate scenario, it’s nice to do something like this as a gesture, it’s not sustainable in the long run,” says Revanta Sarabhai, a Bharatanatyam dancer.
He reasons that artists need to feed themselves and their families just the way everyone else has to. “While many people can work from home with their employers continuing to pay them their salaries, the scenario isn’t as straightforward for artists. We will, of course, need to experiment and figure out ways to present and showcase our work using online platforms and we will need to find a way to get audiences to pay for it and artists to get paid for it so that it becomes sustainable. That is something I don’t think will be very easy,” says Revanta.
Would it be a logical move on the part of the artists to move to YouTube and Instagram to perform and interact with the audiences, making it a more familiar and accessible art in the post-COVID-19 scenario?
The artist says, “The thing with the COVID-19 scenario is that no one is really sure how long it’s going to last. Even a few months from now, when we are okay to be going out and about, it might still be a while before people will be comfortable and safe going to crowded places like theatres, concert venues etc. With that in mind, using online platforms to showcase the art is definitely something we all need to think about and consider more than ever before. The key thought will still be to figure out a way where people are okay to buy a ‘ticket’ to watch a performance online.”
However, Revanta says, that the online medium is not a replacement for the live performance experience. “To be sitting together in a room full of people, watching, hearing and experiencing something live in that very moment is a magical experience that I don’t think any online experience can really replace.”
