A dance opera that blends Bharatanatyam with complex math and video games

The preview whetted the viewer's appetite, if one is looking for a fusion of binaries and visually amplified glimpses of Tamil aesthetics and culture

For Bharatanatyam dancers, performing barefoot is binding, observed Jayalakshmi Eshwar. And yet, here she was, sharing the stage with her disciples with a musical ensemble that included a disc jockey, in shoes.

The audience at New Delhi’s Triveni Kala Sangam, who had just watched the preview of a Bharatanatyam dance opera titled Antariksha Sanchar, laughed approvingly. For this was a unique performance that blended a classical dance with visuals from a video game and music that was largely Carnatic with a sprinkling of Western notes — all anchored by a tale of math genius Srinivasa Ramanujan’s unique relationship with spirituality.

The century-old claims of Ramanujan attributing his ability of devising maths theorems according to dream sequences are well-known. Although the 35-minute preview did not dwell on his mathematical prowess, the final production, which will run for over 90 minutes, promises to include more anecdotes.

Avinash Kumar interacts with the audience

Antariksha Sanchar (Transmissions in Space) is “an experiment in transmedia cult entertainment”, explains Eshwar’s son Avinash Kumar, founder of interdisciplinary consultancy Quicksand and the art director and producer of the opera fantasy.

The preview, presented by Red Bull Music, was a visual cocktail. Kumar started working on a project (called Antariksha Sanchar) in 2012, the outcome of which was a “cultural video game” inspired by Ramanujan’s life and Eshwar’s dance practice. The dance opera in turn was inspired by the video game.

The sonic ensemble on stage was led by DJ and electronic producer MSR Murthy, and comprised an electronica vocalist, mridangist, violinist, drummer and pianist. Their modern renditions of predominantly Carnatic themes were a delightful foil to performances by Eshwar, who heads the Bharatanatyam department at the Sangam, and her disciples, among whom one, clad in dhoti-kurta and wearing glasses, enacted a dreamy Ramanujan’s exchanges with his mother and a priest in his quest to enter swapna loka (dream world).

The third element, video games, was a visual constant in the background, as vivid animation sequences were projected on a large screen. If invocations of deities were accompanied by subtitled shlokas and a montage of images of gods, goddesses and South Indian architectural marvels, the themes of flight and dream were highlighted with snapshots of a Sanskrit text such as Vaimanika Sastra and aerospace machines.

Set in the temple town of Madurai, Ramanujan is told by his mother how our forefathers had developed aerospace technologies, while his grandfather tells him about the ancient mystical craft of automatons. 

“We wanted to bring Srinivasa Ramanujan back in a different way, one that reflects his relationship with nature, and connects his space travel to his mathematical brain,” says Kumar.

Aside from Ramanujan’s story lending itself to a classical dance-led interpretation, Eshwar, who is married to an air force pilot, revealed she was always fascinated with the theme of flying, having spent several years around Pune’s air base.

It isn’t new for classical dancers to address modern themes. But, Kumar points out, what makes Eshwar an exciting prospect is her yen for experimentation. Two decades ago, she had interpreted Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, no less, while sticking to expressions in the mould of one trained at Kalakshetra in Chennai.

The preview whetted the viewer’s appetite, if one is looking for a fusion of binaries — be it West and East, reality and dream, or flights of fantasy, tradition and modernity — and visually amplified glimpses of Tamil aesthetics and culture. The final production is only likely to add to the abiding mystery of Ramanujan’s irrational route to dominating a rational field.

The final production of Antariksha Sanchar will premiere on November 22 at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai