Some dance shows entertain and some educate are then there are few
that entertain to educate. ‘When Walls Dance’ is one such show that
premiered in Mumbai and then travelled to Bangalore, Delhi and
Ahemdabad and soon will be shown in Pune, Chennai and a few dance
festivals too. ‘When Walls Dance’ is live Bharatanatyam performance
with animated scenography, costume and interaction. This production
seamlessly blends warli art, Bharatanatyam, and animation to narrate
the enchanting tale of Champa, a young girl from the warli tribe, and her
beloved namesake Champa tree.
This extraordinary project not only aims to educate people about the
environment but also sheds light on the rich cultural heritage of our tribal
folk as well as the classical arts. It delves into the concepts of
environmental sustainability and ecological sensitivity, employing a
unique storytelling medium that sensitises both young and adult
audiences to pressing issues that afflict our planet. The story unfolds in
an immersive experience using hybrid mediums, art forms and design.
I spoke with dancer Prachi Saathi, who conceived this show along with
Upasana Nattoji Roy and had a few Warli artists and musicians
participate in it too, excerpts from the interview;
How did the concept of ‘When Walls Dance’ come about?
The birth of this idea took place as I drew parallels between the stick
figures we draw in dance and the Warli art and I felt the urge to bring
them together. With the help of my research guide Rajendra Chaudhari
we researched about the Warli traditions, lifestyle, culture, dance and
music which lasted over a year I arrived at a story of a little girl Champa
and her beloved namesake the Champa tree.
Was the research very extensive?
Oh yes, we made several visits to the Warli village at the outskirts of
Mumbai at Jawhar Maharashtra where we met them, spoke to them,
danced, listened to their songs and music, ate their home cooked meals,
watched some of their rituals. We met the famous artist Bhagwan Kadu
who makes paper mache masks which we have used in the
production. Because the production was always envisioned as a
collaboration between dance and visual art I asked Upasana Nattoji to
come on board as a collaborator who brought the Warli art-form to life
through her exquisite animation. We had extensive meetings to
brainstorm and arrive at the stunning visuals. Upasana is a very
passionate and sensitive artist herself and was able to bring our
visualisation to life.
How was the music created for the show?
The music for this production has been co- created by Satish
Krishnamurthy and Swapnil Chapekar. It is a beautiful coming together
of the structured Carnatic music and the free flowing Warli folk music. It
was also very important that we maintain the sanctity of the Warli culture
and tradition and at the same time not move away from my idiom of
communication; Bharatanatyam. The lyrics were taken from the Warli
tribal folk as well as written by Swapnil Chapekar and Rajendra
Chaudhari.
How did you prepare for it?
The entire process of creating this project lasted over 4 years. First was
the writing of the story, the music composition, then came recording it in
the studio where we brought the artists to the studio, then the
choreography. Post this Upasana and I met almost every week and
worked closely on integrating the dance and animation. Upasana herself
being a dancer was a huge asset to the project.
What about the costumes and jewellery?
You will not believe, interestingly I had my costume before even the
story. Because in my very first trip I picked up the local fabric and
jewellery and decided to transform that into my costume. Some of the
jewellery have been handmade by Rajendra Chaudhari. I designed the
costume myself and Rajubhai did a fabulous job of stitching it just the
way I wanted it and it is indeed one of the highlights of the production.
The costume, the jewellery, the masks all speak of the rich indigenous
culture. When walls dance gives us a glimpse of how art forms can
come together in an amalgamation of artistic practices across different
storytelling mediums to trigger urgent and important conversations about
our relationship with ourselves and our surroundings.
You surely have lots of people to thank for this show, isn’t it?
Absolutely yes, I have many to thank, especially the renowned
Bharatanatyam exponent, Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Smt. Rama
Vaidyanathan for her support, my co-producer - Switch Studio,
Scenography and Animation - Upasana Nattoji Roy, Research & Art
advisor - Rajendra Chaudhari, Music composition - Swapnil Chapekar &
Satish Krishnamurthy. My superb team of Vocalists - Swapnil Chapekar,
Ketaki Joshi and traditional Warli artists from Jawhar, Maharashtra.
Lyrics - Swapnil Chapekar, Rajendra Chaudhari, Traditional Warli folk
songs. Flute - Sandeep Kulkarni, Sound Engineer - Tapan Dewanji at
Trio Digital studio. Warli Animation - Upasana Nattoji Roy and Aishwarya
Chaudhari, Warli Type - Aditi George, Poster Design - Saurav Roy,
Design Manager - Nigel Gomes, Costume Realisation - Raju
Ghulambhai, Masks Design - Celebrated Warli artist Shri Bhagwan Kadu
and Script guidance - Shaili Sathyu and Sanjukta Wagh. Without the
support and involvement of these people the walls would never have
danced.
What is the next you want to do with the show?
After the kind of wonderful reactions in all the cities, we have received
our enthusiasm has propelled and we wish to take this work to more and
more places. We also want to reach out to various schools, colleges and
villages where we would like to share this piece of work. But ofcourse to
take this to more places we need the right kind of support and we are
more than welcome for people to join hands with us.
