Neetha Raman in conversation with two senior artistic directors who promise an exclusive world premier this Fall in Toronto.

Two senior Divas of dance -one from Chennai, India, and the other a long time resident of Toronto, Canada; one vocal and vivacious, the other, soft-spoken and intense.

Unlikely artistic collaborators? That is for the Toronto rasikas to discover this September at Sampradaya’s 2002 season world premier, when they come together to present three explosive and exclusive dance ensemble pieces- conceptualised, choreographed and performed by Anita Ratnam (Chennai) and Lata Pada (Toronto) with the dancers of the Sampradaya Dance Academy.

A chance meeting in New York in 1988 between the two, led to an enduring friendship which morphed into a professional artistic collaboration ten years later. Despite the differences in their persona, they have a lot in common. Both run dance repertory companies (Anita’ Arangham Trust and Lata’s Sampradaya Dance Academy) which have moved away from traditional Bharata Natyam, yet both remain firmly grounded in the classical format. Both dancers were searching for newness in expression and both were unafraid to experiment with a diverse range and flavour of movements, themes and music.

Lata felt that the time had come for Sampradaya to be exposed to a lot more than just her compositions and choreographies, based on the extensive work she had done with her Gurus in India. Wanting to create a solid dance company, her belief was that artistic collaborations were the way to go. "We do not have a pool of well-trained South Asian dancers in Canada and we are still working with dancers who yet don’t know that dance is what they want," says Lata candidly. Talking about her philosophy on collaborations, she continues, " After a while we all get jaded and need to infuse fresh ideas and concepts to our craft. I watch a lot of contemporary dance and am drawn to repertory companies that work with senior artistic directors. For my collaborations, I prefer to work with people who are very grounded in Bharata Natyam, but are willing to embrace change." Anita agrees, saying, "A good way to break away from tradition is to collaborate."

And so, the summer of 2000 saw Sampradaya and Lata playing host to Anita. A two-week intense workshop of images and movements with seven enthusiastic dancer-students of Sampradaya and a journey towards de-mystifying the dance form that they had trained in so far. In this process, Anita saw, up close and personal, the "hyphenated" existence that these young girls live; the "Indo-American" split personality where the jeans clad, backpack, gum-chewing persona blends seamlessly with the practise-costumed girl diligently executing adavus at a Bharata Natyam class. At times, it seems like a frighteningly simple and effortless transition that these young women make from one identity to another.

So grew the concept of "Hyphenated" - which was to premier in September 2001 but remained on hold for nearly a year as the horror that gripped America on 9/11 paled everything else into insignificance.

The excitement over this collaboration, which showcases in Toronto in Sampradaya’s 2002 season world premier on September 26, 02, is palpable in the two women. Anita settles down comfortably to explain the process of this production. " I see it as 4 to 5 sections in my mind, but am still not decided on it completely. There will be 4 or 5 dancers and it will be an ensemble piece. All artistic talent in being locally tapped, I did not see the need to transplant musicians or lyricists from India for this production." Even the costumes for the dancers will be locally sourced by both Lata and Anita, and they will be minimalist and in contemporary styles.

The music will be composed by two world class musicians who are Toronto-based - Ernie Toller on the sax and clarinet and Debasis Sinha on percussion. Anita adds, "I see music as being very sparse and not always following the dance in some sections." The dancers will be encouraged to speak of personal anecdotes on stage, live as well as pre-recorded. Movement will be a whole new experience, says Anita. Grinning impishly she adds, "Traditionally, the hip is that part of the body that a woman is not supposed to acknowledge publicly! However I am borrowing liberally from salsa and the hula to emphasise hip movements and of course, some Bharata Natyam rhythms will blend into the choreography, but certainly not in the traditional jathi formats that one is used to seeing regularly."

The entire process will be filled with fun; the dancers will experience a sense of ease, playfulness and will be tapping into their individual personalities to enrich the production. There will be flashes of humour, some brashness and a sense of the unexpected, which are all part of the hyphenated experience of life as an Indo-North American. The dancers will certainly be taken on a journey that is very different from any other they have experienced so far.

Debuting with "Hyphenated" will be two solo pieces presented each by Lata Pada and Anita Ratnam. Lata talks passionately of her yet untitled work that is based on the writings and poetry of contemporary Afghan women. She comes together with Raheel Raza, a Toronto based theatre person/journalist, who, according to Lata is "completely devoted to removing the myths around Islam." It will be in movement-theatre format and Lata will weave Raheel’s presence into the choreography. Mariam Toller will perform the vocals and will also play the one-stringed Middle-eastern instrument as an accompaniment.

The third piece, titled "Vaitharini" is a result of Anita’s obsession with death. One of the most important rites of passage in a Hindu’s life cycle is the Antyesthi or Death. The core belief of Hinduism is that the Atma (soul) has a long and arduous journey before it reaches its final resting-place, and one of these journeys is the crossing of the River Vaitharini. Anita is still working on the format of this piece, which will be about 25 minutes long. Bombay Jaishree will perform the track.

Ancient beliefs around death and the soul’s crossing; a 21st century hyphenated existence and the traumatic outpourings of women who have long been oppressed - all come together in one world premier - I ask Lata, how will the audience cope with such diverse emotions, movements and thoughts? "It is certainly going to be a challenging evening," Lata agrees, but is confident that the Toronto audience, which has always been an appreciative and discerning one, will not let her down.

For more information on Sampradaya’s 2002 season world premier to be held at the Premiere Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre on September 26 - 28, 2002, contact 416 504 6429 (ext. 22) or log onto www.sampraydadance.com .