Throughout the piece, two shirtless male dancers clad in simple, beige, cotton garments of spiritual pilgrims, move through a slow-motion, meditative sequence of yogic poses and mimed action of boat rowing and ritual immersion. Maintaining a distinct thread of inner journey, they provide a contrast to the life-affirming rhythms danced by those in brilliant colors.
Aparna Ramaswamy’s final solo, an homage to Shiva─the reigning deity of Varanasi and cosmic dancer of creation, preservation, destruction, illusion, and emancipation─began with the deity’s iconographic poses of conqueror and Nataraja (cosmic dancer). Then launching into high-energy leaps and electric footwork, the petite Ramaswamy generously projects her fiery power. This solo, choreographed by the family’s guru Padmabhushan Smt. Alarmél Valli, is set to “Bho Shambho,” a rousing devotional song to Lord Shiva and should build to an ecstatic state. But the experience falls short. The choreography alternates between the descriptive verses (during which the dancer dances as the deity) and the devotional refrain (during which the dancer performs as the devotee). The tepid steps of the refrain do not vary or gather steam, so there is not the expected rapture.
In the final tableau, the ensemble’s actions shift to expressions of bowing and supplication. During this activity, one of the shirtless ascetics carries a large brass bowl filled with water. He places it on the floor downstage and kneels before it. With a sense of absorbed intention, he scoops up handfuls of water and repeatedly pours the hallowed substance over his head.
I asked Aparna Ramaswamy about this idea of “celebrating the inevitable dissolution of life” highlighted in the program notes. She reminded me:
The idea of life is a cycle─creation, destruction, regeneration. It is a natural process. Not only does each human life go through this cycle, but so does the whole world. This [dissolution] is what needs to happen for creation to take place. It’s a metaphysical idea. In Hindu thought, when one goes through this cycle, one starts to think about the next stage─reincarnation or transformation. It’s very much a part of who we are. It’s in our marrow. In some ways it’s very freeing, it expands our concept of time and place.
Shirtless, or bare chested?
As you know, as a South Asian researcher and practitioner, in South Asia it is common for men to be bare chested. So I wonder if a reductive term like “shirtless” is a misinterpretation here.