"There is not one story that I have to share. People that I have crossed paths with have inspired to keep me going and walk alongside with them to teach and share. Starting from Dada Ji’s genius, passion and perseverance..."
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Interview of Chitresh Das Institute Artistic Director, Charlotte Moraga, July 11, 2017 by Celine Schein Das
On July 21, 22, & 23 at Z Space in San Francisco, Charlotte Moraga will perform in the inaugural home season of the Chitresh Das Institute and her first as Artistic Director. She will perform the tour-de-force kathak solo with the legendary tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, as well as with Ben Kunin on sarode and Raaginder Momi Singh on violin. In her first interview as Artistic Director, Charlotte talks about her inspiration and experience and some insight into what audiences will see.
What does this performance mean to you?
Charlotte Moraga (CM): I performed my first full-length solo concert 15 years ago. The last full-length solo concert I performed was in 2011 in Mumbai, India presented at esteemed kathak dancer, Uma Dogra's, Raindrops Festival. After that I took time to focus on teaching, on developing the youth company-- the next generation of dance artists. When Guruji passed away in early 2015, I was focused on completing the choreography for his last work, Shiva, which premiered at Cal Performances in February 2016. At the beginning of this year, I started a new organization, the Chitresh Das Institute, as Artistic Director, with Celine Schein Das as Executive Director and Preeti Zalavadia as School Director. This is our first home season, so we want to highlight this incredible tradition, but also show something unexpected. Plus, I am now a grandmother of four!. Now more than ever, it’s important to put myself on the stage in the solo context. It is always said that kathak artists are like fine wines. As they age, they mature and the deeper their experience, the deeper the art. But it is also a test. As a kathak artist and disciple of Pandit Chitresh Das, I must keep pushing myself and evolving. "Freedom comes from refined disciple with responsibility," he always said. So I am seeking to continually evolve what freedom means and what my responsibility is now as I move forward.
What is important about the kathak solo?
CM: The solo is a tour-de-force. A single dancer must dance, sing, recite, and tell stories on stage for at least an hour. There is a structure, starting with an invocation, moving into a fine tuning of the body, mind, then progressing to bandishes, rhythmic compositions, some I have created, some are my Guruji’s, some will be completely improvised on the spot. Then there is the gat bhao, a story told since ancient times, which is made relevant by the interpretation of the artist in the here and now. Calling it a solo is somewhat of a misnomer; it is actually more like a triangular dialogue between dancer, musicians, and audience/environment—each shapes the performance, making it very dynamic and each night will be different. In spite of over a quarter of a century of experience, I still don’t know exactly what will happen because so much will take place in the moment. But that’s the fun, that’s the challenge and that’s the excitement. You plan and then you put your best foot forward, pun intended, and you let go and experience to the fullest. If you don’t do that you will miss so much. If you are only looking at what it is you think you should see or do, you miss all the serendipitous opportunities to discover something profound. It is very much in upaj (improvisation), especially when I am working with a master such as Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. You have to be ready for anything, just like my Guruji was!
What do you not like about the solo?
CM: It's a big deal and it’s a lot of pressure. To step on the stage with the legendary tabla master, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri and then also to always feel that I need to represent my Guruji and kathak well. As Guruji would always say “this is no joke”! Upaj is the tradition and it brings tremendous spontaneity, but it is a double edge sword, you also don't know what will exactly happen, so you have to prepare to do your best, then really let go and have faith. It's not really about me. I’m trying to channel and connect with some energy to share joy and the vast depths of my experience, which is really just a drop in the ocean of this art form which was handed down through an unbroken line of tradition from the subcontinent of India.
What does it mean to be performing with tabla Maestro Swapan Chaudhuri?
CM: Truly it is a great honor. With my Guruji gone, I have felt very alone. But that is the human condition. That is what we struggle with as human beings, feeling connected to something bigger than ourselves. There are very few left of Swapan-da’s kind. Guruji used to call himself one of the last dinosaurs—these masters who were trained in a time before everything became uber-globalized and flashy. They are source gurus. Swapan-da is such a wellspring— a supremely generous artist and human being. But, I also have to be on my toes. I am a junior artist to him, so I know he will be there to support me. So in that way, I feel very comforted. But I cannot take anything for granted. In kathak, the feet must match the tabla. I am going to need to bring more than footwork, I’ll have to bring movement, feeling and expression. He will not come down, so I must rise. This is a huge challenge. With that said, Swapan-da is really a lot of fun. He has a wonderful sense of humor and such a warm heart.
What do you think people should know about the solo that they might not already know?
CM: It is mostly improvised. Of course there is a structure, but within that there is so much spontaneity. Swapan-da may improvise some bandish on the spot and I have to be able to respond in the moment, and hopefully make it look good too!
You're also premiering a work-in-progress--tell us about that.
CM: Mantram is a work-in-progress which I am just beginning to explore. The kathak solo concert has certain sub-genres a dancer travels through. Starting with the vandana or stuti and then thaat, amaad, peshkar, bol paran, gat bhao, songs such as thumri or a tarana. You can add or subtract a bit, but mostly it has a trajectory that creates an over-arching energy of bhakti or spiritual devotion. I am not doing a traditional vandana, which is generally dedicated to a particular god or goddess. I am using a shloka (poetic phrase) that I have not performed before. This particular shloka is known as the mother of the vedas, the ancient texts of wisdom out of India and the oldest living oral tradition. While it does not invoke a particular god or goddess, it does invoke divine transformation, the words convey meaning, but also create “specific power of righteous wisdom” through utterance. For best effect, one should really recite the mantra 108 eight times, but it is also powerful if chanted 3, 9, or 18 times.
So, in this new work, I really wanted to focus on vibration. What is it? Sound? Is it something that radiates out, endlessly? We all feel it. Do we feel it in the same way? We experience it differently. Does it end with our experience of it? We are vibration. We are energy. When you die, what happens to that energy that was you? I wonder is it a vibration that never dissolves, just gets quieter and quieter until you cannot hear it anymore, or feel it? Where does it go?
When we dance, we have a unique opportunity to create worlds. We manipulate time and space and energy. We define reality by what we feed it. I am supremely interested in exploring these questions through my dance. I will show a small piece of this new work that I’m developing. I am excited to share this exploration with the audience.
The Chitresh Das Youth Company will be opening the evening with your choreography. Can you tell us more about that?
CM: They are performing a piece I edited and choreographed for San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival in 2016. Guruji mostly choreographed the original piece for a school showcase in 2012. It was twice as long. I changed the choreography significantly, but still left in some elements he created. He always supported and nurtured me as a choreographer. I feel inspired to work with and change his choreography, because he always wanted us to evolve and move forward, not just copy or rearrange. Working with the youth company is something of exceptional importance to me. They are really accomplished young dancers. They inspire me.
Finally, if there were one important message you'd like to put out about this performance, what would it be?
CM: As a 55-year-old woman and dancer, I believe I still have a powerful artistic body and voice with something to say. My performing, as long as I can meet a certain standard, sends a message. A message that powerful, women dancers don’t need to retire at 35 and, also, of the universality of this great tradition that was handed down from mother India and so lovingly and with great intensity and depth by my Guruji. Finally, I believe it will demonstrate that if you go deeply into one thing, anything, anything you love, deeply and without compromise, you will shine and rise, like the moon and the stars.
Get tickets here to Art of Kathak at Z Space with Charlotte Moraga in duet with Maestro Swapan Chaudhuri.
Photo by #MargoMoritz
Youth Voices Interview: At CDI we believe in the power of the youth. They are the future and there is much they can teach us. Keep on the look out for more from Youth Voices--amplifying the voice of youth.
Vanita will be performing her graduating Chitresh Das Youth Company solo after eight years of study, most intensively under Pandit Chitresh Das and Charlotte Moraga. In this interview she talks about her beloved Dadaji (Pandit Chitresh Das) and gives some insight on her journey of learning the North Indian classical kathak tradition and the philosophy and teachings of Pandit Chitresh Das.
Question: When do you first remember thinking that this dance was really something you wanted to pour your heart and soul into?
Vanita: I remember when I was taking classes at the Sacramento branch, there was a really cool step I learned with Dadaji. Unfortunately I don’t remember the exact step but I remember Dadaji giving us pep talks and telling us to be stronger.
What is the thing you're most scared about?
Vanita: Losing my culture and heritage if I do not practice it.
What is the thing you're most excited about with your solo?
Vanita: To show how hard I have been working for the past 8 years and how I integrated all of what what I have learned. My inspiration came when I saw Dadaji perform “India Jazz Suites” and I thought, "Can someone really do so many chhakars (pirouettes) at once, on stage, in front of hundreds of people and not get nervous?" Then I saw Sonali Didi's performance where I talked to Dadaji backstage. He told me, "If you lillyputs want to do this kind of solo, then you have to keep practicing, and I know you can do it."
What do you think people should know about what it's like to prepare for this solo performance?
Vanita: It is a lot of work but if you have had a constant reyaz or practice, then you just have to make it unique. You have to constantly practice everyday, you have to research, you have to know what you are doing and be able to explain anything if anyone asks.
What is next for you with your dance?
Vanita: I would like to take classes other art forms and possibly perform with them. Additionally, I will take any opportunity to perform in the community. And lastly I would like to eventually start my own classes for kathak.
What are a few things you want people to come away from your solo performance with?
Vanita: (a) To appreciate the arts and to keep them alive by going to see more performances like these; (b) To understand Dadaji’s tradition, innovations, and hard work he did with all his students.
What message would you want to send to Dadaji and to Charlotte Di?
Vanita: To Dadaji: I do wish he was here, but I am mostly grateful for all the memories he shared with me. The best part was being from Sacramento and coming all the way to the Bay Area for classes because I gained stories that many others did not. But I do remember getting his blessings and I have always remembered his teachings.
To Charlotte Didi: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to do a solo and taking your time out of the day to correct all my mistakes no matter how many times I made them. Thank you for believing in me and teaching me for the past 5 years.
You can witness this next generation kathaka, Vanita Mundhra, perform this Friday, June 23rd at 8pm at the Oshman Family JCC, Cultural Arts Hall in Palo Alto. She will be accompanied by accomplished musicians: Ben Kunin on sarode, Samrat Kakkeri on tabla and her guru sisters, Kritika Sharma on manjira, Atmika Sarukkai on bansuri and Ishani Chakrabarti on harmonium. Tickets are available here
Interview with Chitresh Das Institute Teacher Asavari Ukidve
June 6, 2017
Asavari Ukidve started her training in 1999 in Union City branch and has been studying now for over 17 years under the guidance of Pandit Chitresh Das. Asavari started teaching at Pandit Das’ institution in 2012, at the same time her daughter started learning kathak. She has primarily taught at the Cupertino location, though she has assisted at other locations. Asavari’s focus has in teaching kathak has been on imparting kathak knowledge to children and adults alike. Asavari has participated in multiple school show productions and in community performances.
Question: Tell us what you love about teaching kathak?
Asavari: I have learnt Kathak from the age of 7 years myself, first in India for about 10 years and then with Dadaji for about 15 years till his passing. I can truly say that it has been one single thing that given me immense joy and exhilaration whether dancing or teaching. Seeing that “Aha” expression on little girls faces, when they understand a concept or a composition that I am trying to explain to them or the joy they feel on getting something right after trying a few times is a feeling of happiness & accomplishment for me. The thing I love the most about teaching Kathak however is helping moms (like me) understand and realize their hidden potential/passion and helping them make the best of that during the 1 hour they take out of their busy life with kids/work/husbands. Every single one of my adult students who is a mom is there because they want to be there(unlike some kids :-) ) they are all self motivated, eager to learn and put in whatever it takes for them to keep improving or mastering something they have learnt. Helping them channel in their potential and passion is truly rewarding.
Question: What did you learn from Pandit Chitresh Das that most impacts your teaching?
Asavari: Greatest learning from Dadaji? Wow ! There are so many, kinda hard to pick one. But here is the one that made a lasting impact. Dadaji always said Mother is the first Guru, and what stays with me after listening to him speak about his philosophies and view many, many times, is the fact, that as a Mother, it is a huge responsibility for me to keep up my training (in dance and every other aspect of life). If you can’t take care of yourselves, you can’t take care of your family. If you can’t stand up for yourselves no one else will. Those are his teachings that are deep rooted in my heart. Quite often I find myself repeating Dadaji’s teachings certainly to all the moms in my class, but also to the little girls to help them grow up to be self-reliant, responsible, empowered women.
Question: What is the most challenging thing about dancing kathak?
Asavari: I think the most challenging aspect of kathak is to continue to develop and refine your skill over all elements of tayyari, laykari, khoobsurati, nazaakat, and Abhinaya. While demonstrating abhinaya requires you to channel in your inner ability to portray various feelings, a solid 16-gun or chakkars require immense riyaaz and mehnat. And of course Kathak Yoga. I will be forever thankful to Dadaji for introducing this beautiful concept that challenges you to truly focus and bring your mind and body together.
Question: What is the most surprising thing you think people may not know about teaching kathak?
Asavari: I think one thing I did not realize before I started teaching and others may not know as well is that I find my own dance improved immensely after I started teaching. As you teach others, it forces you to solidify and refine your own skills. I now realize why Dadaji always referred to himself as modern guru in training. Every question asked by a student forces you to delve deeper into your own understanding of the dance.
Question: Can you tell us a story about something that continues to inspire you to teach?
Asavari: What continues to inspire me to teach (and why I started in the first place) is not necessarily a particular incident or a story as such. The inspiration comes more from observing Dadaji teach our class over the years. His ability to connect with every single student on personal level, understand their strengths and shortcomings & inspire them to push themselves beyond their potential was baffling. Even in a class of 20+ students there was no place you could hide from him. It was eerie that he could spot your mistakes sometimes even without looking at you. However this is what inspired all of us to push ourselves to the next level. This is what continues to inspire me to teach students and If I can help them push their boundaries and realize their potential, I will feel I have played a small part in helping continue Dadaji’s legacy and teachings.
Question: What do you look forward to in the near future with the Chitresh Das Institute?
Asavari: As a teacher at CDI, my goal is to impart to little girls and adults alike the knowledge I have gained over the years on various aspects of not only kathak but also how it ties in with Indian heritage, culture and history. Personally I believe that the Indian Diaspora in South Bay has been hugely deprived of having access to a viable and authentic Kathak School. I look forward to and am glad to be spreading Dadaji’s teaching to this huge pool of Indians who are eager to have themselves/their children learn this art form. I look forward to expanding my own performance repertoire through community events and other opportunities. I also hope I can help my students share their own learning with others.