By Sajeev K Peter
India’s renowned dance exponent Dr Methil Devika captivated a group of theater enthusiasts by demonstrating how classical dance elements can be skillfully woven into contemporary theater, enriching its dramatic impact and elevating the production’s aesthetic allure. "As a dance performer, I can see that the dance itself is getting dramatized these days. As a matter of fact, there have never been boundaries between theatre and dance. In all my works, there are a lot of theatrical elements that not only complement the art form but embellish it.”
Speaking to Kuwait Times on the sidelines of an acting workshop titled ‘The Thespian Alchemy” organized jointly by Future Eye Theater and Future Eye Film Club, Kuwait, Devika said a practitioner of classical dance cannot venture into dance without getting at least an introduction to classical theatre. While practitioners of classical dance often study "the Natya Sasthra, a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts”, the treatise in fact is actually the study of drama, and not dance, she said.
More than 50 theatre enthusiasts attended the two-day interactive workshop which was held at Dolphin Continental, Salmiya. Encouraging the wholesome participation of the members, she helped them regain a feeling of self-confidence among them as they engaged in lively sessions while exploring the macro- and micro-dynamics of acting. The workshop was a foray into the techniques of fine expression that melded the nuances of the physical, gestural and the verbal realms of performance with especial attention to learning to act with the eyes.
"For me, dance is a small term. As you know, Indian dance forms are adopted from classical theatre forms such as ‘Koodiyattom’ and ‘Kathakali’. The concept, derived from ‘Natya Sastra’, is used as an integral part of all Indian classical dance styles. Acting has four interrelated aspects: the body (angika), the voice (vachika), aaharya (costumes, make-up and backdrop), and expression of mental states (sattvika), she said.
Dr Devika has a master’s degree in performing arts from Rabindra Bharati University with a first rank and gold medal. She completed her PhD in Mohiniyattam from Bharathidasan University as well.
"Right now, as you see today, dance has a lot of theatre in it. Particularly the art form ‘Mohiniyattom’, the dance form I pursue. You can see the theatrical devices employed in Kerala performing arts are clearly evidenced in all my works,” Devika explained. By incorporating classical elements, one can actually create a passionate artistry in theatre.
"While an actor grows from non-verbal communication techniques and moves into organic theater, he/she will begin to know how to suspend emotions in time. That should be the focus,” she elaborated. If a theatre person could seamlessly amalgamate classical theatre elements into the modern theatre, he/she can come up with something quite innovative, she said.
When asked about her feature film debut with the Malayalam film ‘Kadha Innuvare’, she said: "It was an area that I was comfortable with and wanted to explore further, and something that has not been quite explored so far.” Cinema is a medium that can create magic if you are able to incorporate elements that could be appealing to masses, she said. "I don’t know if I would act again in movies or not, but definitely I would consider conceiving something for the screen,” she pointed out.
Thespian Alchemy director Shemej Kumar said the workshop offered a rare insight into the practical aspects of Indian classical theater. "For theatre practitioners, it was a new experience where we could see a wonderful harmony of dance, drama and music with the accompaniment of traditional Indian percussion instruments such as ‘chenda’, ‘idaka’, ‘maddalam’, ‘chengila’, ‘ilatalam’ etc,” he said.