TA_ LA

In this series, we at Nritarutya explore modern expressions of Shiva and Parvati’s ancient dances. Shiva’s Tandav - the beat of masculinity, and Parvati’s Lasya - the softness of grace, reminding us that life is about balance, and life is about equal energy. Together, Tandav and Lasya are Ta_La, or the rhythm of the universe.
Mentor, director of Nritarutya, @mayuri30 has an innate love for mythology. In this series, she extended her thoughts, born from texts about these ancient dance forms, to the team. She inspired in us the evolution of these ancient stories as a relevant celebration in today’s times. She believes it is important to appreciate a contemporary take for contemporary times. We live in a time where we are evolved emotionally to understand that gender stereotypes and energies are transient. A man can exude feminine grace, a woman can command power through innate masculinity. In fact, gender itself is no longer a binary thought.
As we responded to her thoughts and visions, we learned to ponder, reflect, and respond to the grammar of ancient dance. As she so rightly put it, narratives evolve over time. But concepts remain timeless.
Traditionally, Lasya is a dance form that explores and celebrates grace and feminine energy. It is an expression of joy, beauty, and passion. The movements are soft, gentle, and laden with emotion. The softness of a lovers eyes, the tender eagerness of her longing. Legend has it that Goddess Parvati brought delicateness and lusciousness with her movements to compliment the strong beats of Shiva’s Tandav. Her dance was named ‘Lasya’ by him.
In Nidhi’s contemporary take on Lasya, she focuses on celebrating a woman's body - the curves and the shape. ‘I feel women’s bodies are fascinating and wonderful. The eyes, the curved waists, the softness of the wrists and the grounding of the feet. When I dance, I feel beautiful, delicate, happy, elegant, and graceful. From getting ready to do daily chores to getting ready to go to a temple or to attend a wedding, as a woman, I feel beautiful as I embody these roles.
The quiet confidence with which women adorn and admire themselves in the mirror, when they’re alone, and marveling at their physicality, getting lost in their own world, in their own beauty, is something that inspires me when I dance to a contemporary rendition of Lasya. For me, a woman is her most graceful when she’s celebrating herself.’
Concept and Direction - Mayuri Upadhya
Classical choreography - Latha B.S
Dancer - Nidhi
Video and Editing - Samuel Adams

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