Step Wise

“One person can’t take the responsibility of taking an entire tradition forward,but the biggest wish is to better the performance each time. That is surely the responsibility of the performer,” says Venu,who is the daughter of Koodiyattam artiste and scholar Gopal Venu and Mohiniyattam dancer Nirmala Pannikar. While she began learning dance as a toddler,at the age of seven Venu started training with her guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar.

In Chandigarh,the dancer brought alive on stage a range of mythological characters,from Shakunthala to Subadhra,Sita,Koormavataram and the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as the great turtle. She depicted their world,through body language and expressions. “It’s a result of intense training of more than 15 years. It becomes a part of the lifestyle,and sadhna is the basic philosophy. The aim is not to perform for fame or entertainment,but to make the audience experience each moment… we call ourselves practitioners and not performers,” says Venu.

“It is theatre. There is some experiment and interpretation,but it is not a flexible form. It’s always great if the audience reads the text and then experiences the story,” adds Venu. She is aware of the challenges faced by the classical dance form. “We all are part of a community and can’t exist alone. We are serious about our art,but not paranoid about its popularity. Why should Koodiyattam be a brand name? I don’t believe in the concept. I feel that if an art form is too popular,it’s already diluted,” adds the dancer,who’s constant aim is to enhance her technique as an actor and dwell on evocative stories from her surrounding.