Photo: Artham Dance Company
Auckland's Artham Dance Company are promising a revolution in their new show, Yānum - Fragments of Femininity.
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Founded by choreographer and dancer Dr Bhuvana Kannan and creative producer Padma Akula, Artham offer a contemporary take on the Bharatanatyam classical dance tradition of southern India. Bharatanatyam is known for its formal postures, live music, verbal percussion and a precise language of hand gestures.
Bhuvana and Padma see all of it as ripe for reinvention, by blending ancient texts with modern storytelling techniques in what they say will be a "groundbreaking" performance
Photo: Artham Dance Company
Padma Akula. Photo: Artham Dance Company
But innovating a 1500-year-old form isn't without its challenges. Bhuvana says she could stage Yānum in India, but with some restrictions.
"I definitely will be criticised more for bringing new movements into Bharatanatyam. The senior-most people, they probably will resist or criticise it.
"But I'm not into it. This is my chance and I'm a teacher now and I'm changing it."
