Striking the right balance between bringing individual experiences into a presentation and not compromising on the quality or technique of an art form is a challenging task for any artist. The task is even more difficult when the art form is Indian Classical dance where tradition often dictates what can and cannot be done.

Kathak dancer Gretchen Hayden took up this challenge and delivered an admirable presentation where she brought to life the modern New England woman and the  character from Greek Mythology, Persephone through Kathak.  The performance titled “Vasanta Chhand – Rhythms of Spring” was held on Sunday, March 6, 2005 at the Museum of our National Heritage in Lexington, MA.

 Hayden is a senior disciple of the renowned and innovative Kathak Dance Master, Chitresh Das (from Calcutta). She began her Kathak training in 1972 and became a principal soloist with the Chitresh Das Dance Co. (CDDC) at its inception in 1980. She has given solo recitals and workshops in U.S., Canada, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, and India. Hayden taught at the Chhandam School in California throughout the late 1970’s and 1980's. While in Calcutta for an extended stay in 1987, she was presented with a Senior Degree in Kathak Dance from the Nritya Bharati Academy, which was founded by Mr. Das’ parents in 1942. In 1992, she moved to Boston with her husband, sarodist and musicologist George Ruckert, where she established a branch of Chitreshji’s Chhandam School. With the assistance of several dedicated students, this school has now blossomed into the non-profit organization, Chhandika. Hayden has also initiated accredited Kathak Dance courses at Tufts University and Wellesley College, and is an adjunct faculty member at MIT.

 Along with her senior students Gloria Chan, Shelley Chhabra and Kavita Pillay, Gretchen presented both the Nritta and Nritya aspect of Kathak.  Sarodiya Dr. George Ruckert provided the background melody while Nitin Mitta and Jerry Leake provided percussion support.  Ruckert opened the program with a wonderful solo presentation of Rag “Hindol-Hem” which was created by his Guru, Ali Akbar Khansaheb.

 The dance program began with a traditional Pranam. Kharanths; That/Tihais , a Nritta piece where the dancer gradually “awakens” the body with the use of subtle body movements followed. The piece which was set to Ektal (a rhythmic cycle of 12 beats) ended with well executed tihais. The next item titled, ‘Bol Boquet’ was a collection of Gintis’ or compositions comprised of number patterns recited in Hindi.  The presentation was in Japtal which is a 10 beat cycle.

Nitin Mitta, a gifted Tabla player opened the second half with a scintillating Tabla solo. Nitin Mitta has accompanied several eminent artists and his received several awards for his sensitive and skillful accompaniment as well as for his solo performances.

 Gat-Bhav, or mime and story-telling is one of the central elements of  Kathak. The depiction of the “Vasakasajika Nayika” the woman who dresses beautifully is part of the traditional Indian dance framework. There are specific moves , like draping of a saree, plucking flowers, making a flower garland and putting the garland on one’s hair, wearing ornaments and makeup which are used in traditional presentations. Gretchen added an unusual and humorous touch by depicting the “New England Woman” as the Nayika. The Nayika was dressing for the winter. Thus she depicted wearing jeans, hats, gloves and a heavy overcoat – perfect apparel for the New England “Vasakasajjika Nayika”!

 Her more serious presentation of the story of “Persephone – The Birth of Spring” drawn from Greek Mythology followed.  Gretchen used various emotions (navarasa) to draw the audience into her presentation. She added a touch of humor to her presentation in the style of the American musical. The background melody provided by the Sarod and the vocals rendered by Sarah Morelli provided the perfect backdrop for the presentation. The narration by Bandita Joarder was the thread that kept the piece tightly knit.  Jerry Leake provided very interesting percussion support using a variety of instruments that added a wonderful touch. The presentation ended with a Taraana. From the enthusiastic response from the audience, it was clear that the presentation had reached the audience.

 The presentation was cosponsored by MITHAS and Chhandika. It was one of the first MITHAS concerts held outside MIT.  MITHAS under the presidency of Rajaram Narayanswamy and Chairmanship of Deepti Nijhawan is taking a slightly different direction

 Narayanswamy spoke about the new initiatives. “While we have been patronizing local performing artists since the inception of MITHAS, we have formalized that with the first ever MITHAS Utsav. MITHAS Utsav - A Celebration of India Music will showcase renowned local artistes in concert, setting the stage for performances by internationally recognized artistes later in the same day. There are also plans to take MITHAS outside of the current patronage by continuing to collaborate with other organizations. The collaboration with Chhandika and PEM (Peabody Essex Museum) are examples of this. We would also like to organize lecture-demonstrations at local schools and libraries to spread the love of this art” said Narayanswamy.  

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