FORBIDDEN
Contemporary dance based on Kathak Solo by Aditi Mangaldas
World Premiere: 4 December 2022 at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai, 2022 Duration: Approx. 1 Hour and 15 Minutes
Commissioned by:
ADITI MANGALDAS DANCE COMPANY - THE DRISHTIKON DANCE FOUNDATION
Co-commissioned by:
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, Mumbai SADLER'S WELLS, London
Supported by:
DANCE CITY, Newcastle RAJIKA PURI, USA
Synopsis
History confirms there is a deep-seated fear of female sexual desire. Why are women the world over, from conservative as well as liberal societies; sanctioned, judged, controlled, hounded, shamed and eventually punished because they have the courage to own their desire?
What is at the root of this fear?
Quoting the mythologists, Mr. Devdutt Pattanaik, “fantasy frightens us, especially female fantasy… One way of regulating fantasy has been by propagating stories where women who pursue their desires are viewed as dangerous, hence need to be restrained for social good.
Evidence from all cultures is the subterranean elixir that nourishes the making of FORBIDDEN, which traverses through a gamut of emotions and states of being, while reclaiming and owning desire.
Awakening: Dream, Fragrant flower, Cage
Playing the Game: Denial, Adornment, Seduction, Rage Burning: My story, Consigning to flames all that is FORBIDDEN
CHOREOGRAPHER’S NOTE:
Artists are driven to explore subjects that consume them. That drive is a possession which compels artists to face and share provocative issues.
‘It’s extremely important to recognize that none of us are above social conditioning; no matter how much we would like to believe that it doesn’t impact us, it does….’- Devrupa Rakshit, The Swaddle.
There are countless insidious ways that taboos creep into one's daily existence. Social structures, mythology, images from popular culture, the culture of shame that women live with, all become a subconscious stream that shape our behaviour.
As an artist, I feel compelled to confront these taboos. FORBIDDEN has been realised after months of internalisation, debate, troughs and peaks; as eachcollaborator offered nuance to the work, till I found myself immersed in it.
Sexuality is private but the taboos attached to female sexuality requires and demands taking a stand on the universal, public and personal front.
As I venture on this journey, I have held thewords of Jalaluddin Rumi, close to my being, ‘Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the
middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free. Dance until you shatter yourself!’
- Aditi Mangaldas
CREDITS
Concept, Dance and Choreography: ADITI MANGALDAS Dramaturge: FAROOQ CHAUDHRY
Mentor: MORAG DEYES
Light Design: MICHAEL HULLS
Associate Lighting Designer: RYAN JOSEPH STAFFORD
Music Composer: NICKI WELLS
Musical Arrangements, Production, Programming, Engineering & Mixing: NICKI WELLS Indian Classical Renditions: FARAZ AHMED & ASHISH GANGANI
Musicians:NICKI WELLS & FARAZ AHMED (Vocals), ASHISH GANGANI (Pakhawaj), SASKIA RAO-DE HASS (Indian Cello) & MOHIT GANGANI (Tabla
Costume Design: KIMIE NAKANO Costume Realisation: SANDHYA RAMAN
Technical Director: CHRISTOPHER FLUX Rehearsal Director: GAURAV BHATTI Technical Stage Manager: NICHOLAS MORRIS
Production Management: SANGEETA RANA & KUSUM ARORA
Production: ADITI MANGALDAS DANCE COMPANY - THE DRISHTIKON DANCE FOUNDATION
About Aditi Mangaldas
Aditi Mangaldas is a leading dancer and choreographer in the classical Indian dance form of Kathak. With extensive training under the leading gurus of Kathak, Shrimati Kumudini Lakhia and late Pundit Birju Maharaj, Aditi is today recognised for her artistry, technique, eloquence and characteristic energy that mark every performance. Besides dancing and choreographing classical productions, both solo and group, she has broken new ground by using her knowledge and experience of Kathak as a springboard to evolve a contemporary dance vocabulary, infused with the spirit of the classical.
Considered a maverick in India, she has consistently broken ground, unafraid to confront social and present day concerns. Celebrated around the world for the startling richness and intricacy of her dance and choreography, she was nominated in the category of outstanding performance (classical) by the National Dance Critics Circle awards - 2017 in the UK. She was awarded the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Academy award, India 2007 as well as the National Sangeet Natak Akademi award, India 2013, that due to compelling reasons, she declined.
She has won much critical acclaim in major dance festivals across the world. As quoted in Seeing Dance, UK, for the Battery Dance Festival 2020, USA, “ …the recent black and white film of Mangaldas… really hits hard in gorgeous and hypnotic dance…”; In the Guardian, London, 2017, “Mangaldas owned the stage without trying to earn it… ” Or at the Perth
International Arts Festival, 2016, “Her artistry and poise, her dramatic gifts and unshakable technique are truly astounding; dance as effortlessly compelling as this is a joy to watch in itself” and at the Edinburgh International Festival, 2012, “Her concept of the intangible embraces the divine and the profoundly human: love and freedom, truth and beauty being as cosmically mystical as god.”
In India, many dance critics and connoisseurs celebrate her dance. “Her dance demonstrates what it means to be utterly free in body, mind and spirit to explore the world.” - Shanta Gokhale, 2018; "…An exceptional performer and choreographer, Aditi’s dance stands out for the contrast it conjures up – charged stillness and whirling energy." - Chitra Swaminathan, 2018; “A powerhouse of energy… Aditi has given traditional Kathak a new look with imagination and sophistication… ” - Dr.Sunil Kothari, 2019 ; “…Aditi Mangaldas, whose prowess in breaking the barriers of convention and pushing her classical form to ever new heights of imagination, has now become the stuff of a legend.” - Utpal K Banarjee, 2019;“… She has her physical existence melt into the portrayal of a human being gifted with a rare sensibility to see herself as part of the universe… She demonstrated the peak it is possible to scale…” - Dr. S.D. Desai, 2020; “This emotionally-charged tribute of the chiselled dancer concluded with a meditative and aesthetic ecstasy of bliss.” - Manjari Sinha, 2020. She heads the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company – The Drishtikon Dance Foundation.
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