(Source: CreativeGaga, Vijayalakshmi's series on 'Devi')
Women’s History Month this March gave us and our social media feeds an exciting celebration of women and their achievements. The uplifting webinars, Spotify playlists and Instagram posts peppered across the month from International Women’s Day and beyond, highlighted the great strides women have taken and continue to take in building equal opportunity and impact in the world. As a proud woman, Woman’s History Month served as a much-needed reminder of the power of womanhood, and why that power needs constant reflection for real change to be seen.
As an artist, I realized this celebration of women runs deep through the creative messages and interpretations depicted in the performing arts space as well. Classical dance and music have represented the inner strength of woman through texts and choreographies, while theatre has shown a poignant focus on strong female-driven character plots. The performing arts have been riding the wave - if not are ahead of the curve - in representing and nurturing women empowerment time and again.
South Indian classical art forms for instance, have celebrated the strength and grace of womanhood since their cultural origins almost 2,000 years ago. With its foundations in Hindu temples, classical dance and music have depicted the beauty and power of a woman, through the lens of devotion. Temple processions, sculptures and evergreen musical poetry have praised the undeniable energy and virtue of the Goddess, and Her ability to eradicate negativities, nourish the goodness of every human being. As classical forms evolve in contemporary times, these historic texts and poetry are performed and reflected upon constantly, likening the power of the Goddess’ form to the power that resides in every woman today. Janaki Rangarajan, a bold and thought-provoking Bharatanatyam dancer (previously interviewed by The Introspective here) has been exploring how we define the Goddess within us through many of her dance productions production such as Unravelled, while Mythili Prakash, an acclaimed California-based dancer, has celebrated the significance of pivotal female protagonists and their significance in Hindu epics through many of her productions, such as Stree Katha and Yasodhara. Historic texts and early 16th century poetry have much to teach us about equality. Their continuous exploration by classical performing artists today uncover new and needed realizations on women and their limitless potential.
Theatre has also been an ally of women’s representation, through unique interpretations of classical theatrical literature by many growing and established theatre companies. Female-driven character plots, or unique interpretations of iconic plays have brought empathy and respect to the woman’s perspective. Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ is for example, based on Peter Morgan’s play ‘The Audience’ that premiered at the West End in 2013 and brings to light the trials and tribulation the Queen faced as she carried out her duties as the Head of the Monarch. Similarly, the Singapore Repertory Theatre’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Caesar’ in 2018 starred a female lead and how roles are reversed with a woman’s struggle and political control.
In the words of Beyonce at her Grammy’s acceptance speech, “artists have a responsibility to reflect the times”. That responsibility is no different in the performing arts world. While we have leveraged the recent works of mainstream singer-songwriters to celebrate women, there is significant potential for us to reflect on womanhood, by interacting with the performing arts. There is much power that can be derived from the stage. In an enclosed space, the energy of a character, the soul of a note or a movement pierces through tenfold to an audience. We need strong mediums to reflect on strong and multi-layered messages of what a woman represents. In order for society to truly act on these reflections, the performing arts can play a pivotal role in enabling our thoughts and ideas for change.
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