2008 Woodie Awards
Traditional art influences modern phenomena
Blog dispatch from students in India
Alyss Tsukayama
Issue: 7/14/08 Section: summer in india
Posted Aug. 11, 2008
Saturday was our last day being hosted by the students and staff of Sophia College here in Mumbai. As a send off we were treated with a song, lunch, delicious chocolate cake and an amazing dance performance by Professor Jeroo, who has shown us the most gracious hospitality while studying in her class.
The dance performance was an ancient dance form called "Bharat." This dance form is only one of many traditional dances that come from India. The dances were performed in temples to both celebrate and honor the many gods. Most of them are telling stories of old Indian epics and myths.
There are many stories to tell with this beautifully choreographed art that was almost forgotten. Jeroo performed stories from the Ramayana, which is one of the oldest Sanskrit epics in Indian history. The story tells tales of Rama and his wife Sita.
In the Ramayana dance facial expressions are key and very important to the art. Jeroo showed an array of emotions as we were watching the love story between Rama and Sita. She would flutter her eyelashes and flirt with the idea of falling in love. When there was fear or pain you could see the expression in her face even if there was no movement of her body at the time.
As I was sitting and watching this ancient tradition being performed, I couldn't help but be reminded of all of the Bollywood movies that we have been attending. The exaggerated expression is one of the only reasons I have been able to follow the plots and emotions of the Bollywood films. It is apparent the ancient art and epic stories have influenced the modern phenomena of the cinema.
The elaborate dance numbers just reflect all the different styles that are seen throughout India. Not only is there a number of different types of dances, but the costumes are just as ornate and detail-oriented as the dancing itself.
Saturday was our last day being hosted by the students and staff of Sophia College here in Mumbai. As a send off we were treated with a song, lunch, delicious chocolate cake and an amazing dance performance by Professor Jeroo, who has shown us the most gracious hospitality while studying in her class.
The dance performance was an ancient dance form called "Bharat." This dance form is only one of many traditional dances that come from India. The dances were performed in temples to both celebrate and honor the many gods. Most of them are telling stories of old Indian epics and myths.
There are many stories to tell with this beautifully choreographed art that was almost forgotten. Jeroo performed stories from the Ramayana, which is one of the oldest Sanskrit epics in Indian history. The story tells tales of Rama and his wife Sita.
In the Ramayana dance facial expressions are key and very important to the art. Jeroo showed an array of emotions as we were watching the love story between Rama and Sita. She would flutter her eyelashes and flirt with the idea of falling in love. When there was fear or pain you could see the expression in her face even if there was no movement of her body at the time.
As I was sitting and watching this ancient tradition being performed, I couldn't help but be reminded of all of the Bollywood movies that we have been attending. The exaggerated expression is one of the only reasons I have been able to follow the plots and emotions of the Bollywood films. It is apparent the ancient art and epic stories have influenced the modern phenomena of the cinema.
The elaborate dance numbers just reflect all the different styles that are seen throughout India. Not only is there a number of different types of dances, but the costumes are just as ornate and detail-oriented as the dancing itself.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 14
erica webster
Erica Webster
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:06 AM PST
josh pointed out the connection to bollywood and jeroo's dance to me as well. the similarity is definitely noticeable in the facial expressions. what struck me most was the detail of the choreography; how every glance corresponds with a certain hand formation at a certain point near the body representing a certain aspect of the story being told. (Continued…)
Veronica Martin
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:51 AM PST
Watching the traditional dances have been some of my favorite moments thus far. They are simply enchanting and totally captivating... only they make me wish that we could travel to some of the smaller villages throughout India to watch them in their purest form. (Continued…)
Melissa Heintz
posted 8/13/08 @ 7:58 AM PST
My comment just got erased :-( But what interests me is that there can be no physical movement but she could tell a story with just her facial expressions. (Continued…)
Kassi Rodgers
posted 8/13/08 @ 8:18 AM PST
Watching Jeroo dance had to be one of the most awe inspiring performances I had ever seen. The amazing part was that she was actually telling a story through the dance, which came off more like intricate pantomime. (Continued…)
Laurel Saito
posted 8/13/08 @ 8:42 AM PST
I also enjoyed the dance. What I found interesting was while we found it so foreign the Sophia girls saw it as so familiar. Over lunch I talked to a group of 5 or 6 students. (Continued…)
Joshua Treybig
posted 8/13/08 @ 10:43 AM PST
As Erica noted, I definitely saw connections as well between the traditional dance and Bollywood. It made Bollywood... not make more sense, but actually seem less outlandish. (Continued…)
Lauren Padgett
posted 8/13/08 @ 10:54 AM PST
I loved her dance, I felt like it was one of the most inspirational things I have ever seen. Not only does Prof. Jeroo dance like a goddess, but she stands apart as one as well--her personal battle with cancer was enough for me to believe in the happiness and celebration of dance as life. (Continued…)
Jessica Miller
Jessica Miller
posted 8/13/08 @ 1:38 PM PST
Jeroo was awesome... I can't believe how many distinctly different hand, face, eye, neck and complete body movements she had to master in order to do that!
Kevin Wren
posted 8/14/08 @ 4:46 AM PST
That dance was really intense and I felt a little uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because I didn't really understand. Sometimes the discomfort can be okay, like the dance or spicy Indian food. (Continued…)
Vincent Hobbs
posted 8/14/08 @ 4:52 AM PST
Prof. Jeroo was freaking me out at one point. I didn't know what to do when she started staring at me. I give her props for knowing so many dances and performing them well. (Continued…)
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