This Kathak performance in Bandra will offer a critical view of practices in the community

A moment from a performance of The Mahatma is Fasting in Philadelphia

Kathak dancer and anthropologist Pallabi Chakravorty remembers growing up in two distinct social spheres in Kolkata. The liberal environment at Jadavpur University's English literature classrooms existed in stark contrast to the rigid, conservative conditions of her traditional Kathak training. The artiste's jugalbandi between critical thinking and tradition, spanning nearly three decades, will be unveiled at a candid interaction tomorrow in the city.

"Guru-shishya parampara, the gharana system, and the confines of a handful of themes that performers usually explore, are all widely-accepted traditions in performing arts circles. But nobody asks why they exist, what social phenomena have cemented these ideas, and if they can be ever stepped out of," shares Chakravorty, whose interest in anthropology led her into a rabbit hole of similar questions.

Pallabi Chakravorty and Sanjukta Wagh

Seconding Chakravorty's critical view is Sanjukta Wagh, a city-based Kathak artiste and founder of beej, an initiative that aims to push boundaries of expression in the performing arts. "There are prescribed pathways mapped out for Kathak artistes who are just starting out. Chakravorty's works, however, stray from this beaten path and use the art form itself to make some strong statements. The session will open a world of possibilities for young artistes," the host reveals.

One such piece that the anthropology professor crafted almost two decades ago is titled The Mahatma is Fasting. The performance unfolds as a commentary on the then riot-torn state of Gujarat and how far society had strayed from Gandhi's principles. Asunder, another Kathak piece, puts the spotlight on the roots of Kathak in the Indian subcontinent, and how the 1947 Partition eroded the shared culture.

Ahead of her visit to Mumbai, Chakravorty reminisces about a previous trip to the star-studded lanes of Goregaon's Film City, where she found reflections of the same problems, in shinier packaging. "I worked behind the scenes with a few dance reality shows as part of a participant observation exercise in the early 1990s, right after the liberalisation policy came into effect. While the shows made dance forms more accessible to the general public, I saw that the slanted power dynamics and hierarchies among dance forms remained constant," she explains.

If a system is so deeply entrenched in a country's shared culture, can a handful of artistes reshape it? Chakravorty, who currently teaches dance studies to young South Asians at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, believes it's worth a shot. "The younger generation of learners is a clean slate. We wield the power, and the responsibility to introduce them to the art form with higher creative liberty. This allows them the breathing space to shape it how they want, instead of letting the same old traditions shape them," she concludes.

ON July 19; 6.30 pm
AT St Andrew's Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts, Bandra West.
LOG ON TO @beejmumbai
ENTRY First come first served basis
FREE