Danseuse Sonal Mansingh believes dancers communicate human emotions more effectively as they view them in a three-dimensional form

She might have aged on paper but her eyes speak volumes about the amount of energy that lies bundled inside one of India’s finest Odissi dancers — Sonal Mansingh. Quick- witted, yet subtle enough to have an eye for the most abstract of human emotions, her exuberance is infectious as one cannot help but be amazed to see her altertaning between being a dancer, philosopher, and scholar, in quick succession.

“I believe that any dancer is not just a dancer but a part of a larger environment that surrounds him/her. And any dancer cannot exist as an individual entity. The reason behind that being the fact that social happenings usually make a huge impact on artistes, especially dancers,” says Mansingh, when quizzed about the relationship dancers share with their surroundings.

The effervescent danseuse, whose performances are usually layered and delve deep into unspoken emotions, is as enigmatic as her performances when it comes to speaking about Indian classical dance forms. “Indian dance forms in themselves are so rich and deep that it can take entire lifetimes to understand them, and yet one might be able to discover new facets to it,” she says. “Dance forms have been evolving over the years, in order to blend into the new, emerging milieu and ensure that it doesn’t stagnate,” adds Mansingh.

Her work usually is a reflection of various societal issues, regarding women and environment. “Even in my own performance of Draupadi, I have delved into many of her unspoken emotions and interpreted them differently. In fact, one of the most symbolic aspects of her persona was the friendship that she shared with Krishna. Unlike modern times, their friendship was deep and beyond the understanding of common people. So, I believe in touching upon such facets of human emotions that have rarely been spoken or written about. They are meant to be felt and experienced on a personal, sub-atomic level,” she asserts.

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