Balasaraswati (1918-1984)AS God bas created man in His own image, so man has the natural urge to fulfill bis dynamism in an expression of orderly and beautiful movements. This expression takes the form of dance. This wonderful art of dance imparts a discipline to an other- wise wayward mind. It also enables man to become conscious of bis nucleus and, like the planets and electrons, to circle around it. That is why dancing is a universal phenomenon, prevailing in all climes and times. The very life breath of art is unity in diversity, so, we have many dance systems. Bala Keynote Addres ‘Congress on Research in Dance, Hawaii 1978 Cover photo: ® 1985 Jan Steward Back cover photo: © 1985 Jan StewardBalasaraswati A Tribute to the Artist and Her Art T Q! Sonv Kanrorélva LX aro WAM Lord yoy WS ~ ol (00s¥ (= TO qune = WweMy Life by Bala, excerpts from Presidential Speech, Madras Music Academy 1973 Tr WAS My good fortune to have been born into a family whose traditions of music and dance were the focus of life for generations. Although it is well known that my grandmother’s grandmother, Kamakshiammal, danced and sang in the court of ‘Tanjore, it is important to point out that my great-grandmother, Sundarammal, was a musician, as was my grandmother, Dhanammal, and my mother, Jayammal. In fact, most of the artists in our family in recent generations have been musi- ‘ians rather than dancers. Vina Dhanam was trained in the musical styles of Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. It is her interpretation of their music which has been perpetuated through our family and her training which has influenced my interpre- tation of our pada repertoire, The great musician, Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Ayyangar supported Jayammal’s decision to have me trained as a dancer despite strong family oppos- ition. Those were the days when dance faced general opposition and the family stressed the importance of music. She selected Kandappa (Pillai) who was also a fine musician. Every adavw* of his dance compositions fit perfectly to the svaras. After his severe, rigorous training from carly morning, Jayammal would sit with me for music lessons in the evening. She taught me the close relationship of abbinaya to raga- contour, saying, “Your head, your whole body, must move with the sangati, the gamaka, and not just with the tala.” Kandappa conveyed the legacy of the Tanjore Quartet through his exquisite sense of balance in standardizing the bbaratanatyam repertoire and program, The initial inspiration within me to take up dancing came from seeing a performance of (Mylapore) Gauri Ammal when I was very young. If she had not brought the dance to such’a stage ‘of development, the combination of music and dance that I have attempted to realize would not have been possible, Thave kept myself open to learn from anyone of artistic integrity to add and embellish the thorough training from my family and guru (teacher). [learned much from traditionaily trained ladies of our family. Some tutored me in languages; one taught me to explore the entire emotional range of sabitya using only facial expression, with= out aid of arms, hands, with or without music. Chinnaya Naidu taught me to develop improvisa- tion at one stage in my career by singing short phrases and, with few clues, asked me which 3 nayika was appropriate, In my thirties, Kuchipudi Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastri opened great new vistas for me, especially in varnam improvisa- tion. He shared his immense knowledge and, in a very real sense, gave me the confidence to attempt those things I'do today During my lifetime, I have seen the art of bbaratanatyam rescued from ignominy and restored to a position of respect and worldwide interest. A few great men supported my art by arranging concerts so that others might be converted, realiz~ ing that the art form, performed tastefully, pro- vides a legitimate and even spiritual experience. In the 1930s, there were many obstacles to overcome. The brothers, Subramania and Jelatarangam Ramaniah Chettiar, arranged concerts and pro- vided moral support. Uday Shankar introduced my art to the north of India. I am especially grateful to Dr. V. Raghavan and the Madras Music Academy for providing opportunities for the pre- sentation of large public concerts of my art and a school where T might train young dancers in my discipline of that art Among early foreign supporters was the Dutch writer, Beryl de Zoete. Many others have contributed to the widening interest in bharatanatyam in India as well as other parts of the world, Asa dancer who has lived during this time of reaffirmation of the art to ‘which [have dedicated my life, I wish to thank them all with all my heart, # * Glossary can be found on inside of backA True Symbol of Dance Tradition by Dr. V.K. Narayana Menon, Director, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delbi a Jayammal (mother) Mexlarapu Govindarajulu sther) BALASARASWATI BECAME A legend when she lived. More legends are to come, when at a distanc of time we can look back upon her life and achieve. ment and realise what she meant for us. But as a cri a glowing tribute to her, said, “what legend could be more luminous than that she was born to us, in our country, in our The flowering of Balasaraswati’s art took place in a garden of great splendour. The family tree goes back to some 250 years. Every branch of” itis dotted with music and dance, Her great-great- great-great grandmother was a musician and dancer at the Tanjore court in the eighteenth century ‘Two generations later, Paparamal’s grand-daughter, Kamakshi (1810-1890) had the privilege of being taught by the great Ganapati Sastri and she is said to have danced at the Tanjore court until she was 75, Her daughter Sundarammal was a pupil of Subbaraya Sastri, son of the great composer Syama Sastri, and himself a composer who has not had the recognition due to him. It is on record that Subbaraya Sastri taught the well-known kriti Bala with Gauri Amma (1955)Kandappa Pillai (carly 1940'S) dh Ganesan Pillai (Bala's nattucanar) Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastri “Mayamma Kamakshi” to Sundarammal and her brother Ponnuswamy. They sang the phrase with such feeling that Subbaraya Sastri said that the Goddess Kamakshi certainly belonged to the fam- ily, and their descendants today are thus a reposi- tory of the compositions of Syama Sastri and Subbaraya Sastri, and the most authentic interpret- ers of their'work. Sundarammal had five children, all fine musicians, the most celebrated of them being Veena Dhanam (1867-1938), the incompara- ble singer and veena player whose music was the quintessence of the Carnaraka sampradaya. Both Veena Dhanam and her sister Rupavati practised dancing. So did Dhanamma’s daughter and Balasaraswat’s mother, Jayamma. Music and dance reigned supreme in the houschold. The family was an inspiration for composers and teachers alike. First there was the close association Subbaraya Sastri. Then there was Sattanur Panchandicr, a pupil of Muthuswami Dikshitar who taught Dhanamma and Rupavati. Patnam Subramania Iyer taught Dhanamma’s daughter, And a great many of the javalis of Dharmaputi Subbaraya were composed in that home. I wonder if in the history of Carnatic musi there has been a family so blessed, and which so consistently and over so many generations fulfilled in such abundant measure the precious gifts of music and dance showered on it. In some ways lasaraswati would seem to be the crowning glory of that succession of musicians and dancers who adorned that many-splendoured house for over 200 years. She was, and she will continue to be the true symbol of the great tradition of Indian dancing, setting standards of artistic integrity which dancers should strive to emulate without hoping to equal T saw Balasaraswati dance, for the first time in my life, in 1932 in Madras, I had been brought up on Kathakali and Otam Thullal and her bharatanatyam was a new experience. But her delicate and beautiful art knew no frontiers and she communicated its essence instantancously to everyone who has the necessary sensitivity to experience it. A great dance performance lives only when it is being danced. It creates huge shadows of wonder in our minds, then it vanishes. Only a memory is left. We are left with perceptions of skill, virtuosity; of rare artistry and techniques; of areas of greatness, of the truth of the arts, Over a period, over many performances by an artist like Bala, we begin to feel that they constitute a renewal of the past, a way of recalling the origins—whether mythical or historical—of the community of man. When we think of the art of Bala, we do not think in terms of her technique, of her tala, of her abbinaya, her singing. These are all taken forgranted and for Bala herself, most of them had become second nature. Watching her dance was an experience. Her dancing was a miracle of both movement and stillness, of music and silence, the dancer taking you into her confidence, as it were, just for those minutes. When we watch her dance the Huseni swarajati, she communicates to us not only the beauty and her total comprehension of that one work, but the essence of a whole tradition, with everything that is relevant to great dancing. and nothing that is irrelevant. I can think of no dancer who, in a solo recital, made such an instantaneous impact on an audience, wherever the place, in whatever idiom they had been brought up or trained. The Earl of Harewood saw her for the first time in 1961 in Tokyo. He wrote to me immediately to say that he had seen one of the greatest dancers that he had ever seen, and asked for more information about her. He wanted to book her for the Edinburgh Festival forthwith. Merce Cunningham, the great avant garde dancer and choreographer, who has little respect for “traditional” forms, said that watching. Bala was one of the great experiences of his life. ‘Ted Shawn described her performance at Jacob's Pillow festival as a “unique experience” and said at the end of the performance: “You are in the presence of greatness, Tonight has been a historic night.” Martha Graham came under her spell the first time she saw her dance. At the end of her first recital at the Edinburgh Festival, one of the most eminent dance critics of Europe whose review appeared on the centre page of one of the leading dailies, started his piece with the words: Krishna came. ‘The reference, of course, was to her render- ing of “Krishna Nee Begane Baro”. I cite these Madras 1935 reactions because they represent the impact her dancing made on people of varying backgrounds in widely differing parts of the world—most of them first impressions. The Edinburgh Festival was one of the high water marks of her relatively quiet, dignified career. She gave cight recitals—all of them sold-out houses. She was undoubtedly the star of the 1963 festival, a year that had among others, such celebrities as Yehudi Menuhin, Martha Graham, Isaac Stern, Guilini, Tonesco, Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, Michael Tippet, not to mention Indian artists like Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar and Subbulakshmi. Bala received the Sangeet Nataka Adademi award as early as 1955. And she was honoured with the "Padma Vibhushan” by the President of India. The Rabindra Bharati conferred a doctorate on her. ‘The Music Academy, Madras honoured her with the “Sangeeta Kalanidhi”, the only dancer to beso honoured. Her life and her art stood out a little isolated from the mainstream of popular successes. She never sought after favours or VIPs She had a genius for missing the headlines and the limelight. She lived her life with dignity. She had a strong will, was totally uncompromising in matters concerning music and dance. She had a small circle of close friends whom she received at her home in Ramanathan Chetty Street (Madras) most hospitably, with grace and happiness, and she would talk interminably about music and musicians, Posterity will owe her a great debt—not merely the debt we all owe a supreme artist, but also a debt of gratitude for her artistic integrity and her steadfastness of purpose.Homage To Bala by Dr. Robert E. Brown, Ethnomusicalogist, San Diego State University INTHE WEST, as well as in India, Balasaraswati’s genius touched many lives, and the revelations of which she was capable sometimes influenced those lives profoundly. The experience could be at the same time intimate and personal, divinely abstract, and immensely thrilling. I still recall vividly one of those personal moments from 1957, at a performance supported by a legendary group—her mother Jayammal, brother Viswanathan, clarinetist Radhakrishna Naidu, drummer Kuppuswami, and the nattuvanar Ellappa, the setting being an early Curry concert at my home in Adyar. The dani on that occasion could be perceived as a visual manifestation and seamless extension of the music. In that case of course, it happened to be an especially affecting presentation of a very special tradition of Carnatie music which is the family heritage, Clearly, music and dance were one. At Wesleyan University in 1962, while prepar- ing a series of lecture-cemonstrations of the impor- tant music/dance forms of bharatanatyam with Bala and group, I found her to be absolutely certain as to what it was she wanted the American audience to perceive of its intricate structures within struc- tures. To show the way in which she might catch aline of the text from the musicians and ereate on the spot interpretations of it, we hit upon the idea of using a poem about Krishna, words alone, without music, to concentrate the audience's atten- tion. Those who were present on that late Sunday afternoon in the old Wesleyan Theatre are unlikely to forget the breath-taking imagination and virtuos- ity with which Bala, in the absolute silence follow- ing the reading of each line, conjured up before our eyes the image of the young cowherds, the beauty of the boy Krishna and his amourous admirers watching from above, while the herds returned in a cloud of dust to Brindavan at the end of the day. On the subsequent cross-country tour I was privileged to see some fiftcen consecutive performances of the padam Krishna Ni Begane Baro, which her audiences always demanded to see, each one of them startlingly different. At that point I realized that Bala’s complete mastery and the range of her technique in both dance and music simply provided a perfect channel through which her immediate mood and feelings of the moment could take tangible shape. Form and content were Like the Indian singer who can perform countless alapana improvisations in a particular tala without ever exhausting its potential, Bala’s formidable tradition and training allowed for a range of irprovisation far beyond that of any contemporary practitioner of bharatanatyam. Given the evolution of Indian society, it seems unlikely that such a phenomenon will occur again. How fortunate we have been who have known her! Ic was Bala’s thoughtful decision to propagate her art in the West, and she did so with enormous dedication from 1962 until her health finally pre- vented her from travelling. At the same time, she diligently trained her daughter Lakshmi in’ major works of her repertoire and the subtleties of abbinaya improvisation. With Lakshmi, Vis- wanathan and Ranganathan now resident in the United States, and the majority of serious students living here, Bala's heritage survives in a culture whose energy and enthusiasm she greatly admired What this means for the future, only time will tell Two other memories stand out for me, One dated from 1973, at one of her last concerts in Berkeley, at which point in her life she acknow- ledged that she finally felt spiritually. prepared to depict the powerful images of Shiva. The impact of her projection of Shiva Nataraja in a daringly conceived Natanam Adinar and the incredible intensity of that whole program devastated me beyond anything | have ever experienced to the extent that I was literally unable to rise from my seat for several minutes after the performance had ended. For me at that moment, earth and spirit human and beyond-human were one. My final image is of Bala some two months before she died, quietly shelling peas on the veran- dah of the peaceful home which she had designed and builtin Madras. Although obviously suffering, from pain and fatigue, she exuded the same sweet wisdom that had become so familiar over the years. and she expressed complete delight at the clever ness of Lakshmi’s three year old son’s daily dance improvisations—mother, daughter, and daughter's child linked by blood and temperament in a special closeness that we can pethaps never hope to fathom, That final image is serene, Although we cannot thrill again to the wonderful immediacy and spontancity of her performance, we can be grateful for the many revelations which she so generously shared with us all, and for the Icgacy that remains. Her final lesson is a difficult one, still to be grasped: life and death are one. #Balasaraswati’s Family Papammal (Tanjore court musician) Rukmini (Tanjore court musician) 1 Kamaksh (dancer and musician) Ieee eee Ponnuswamy Sundarammal (violin) (musician: ¢, 1810-1888) Narayanaswami Kutty Appakkannu Vina Dhanam Rupawati (violin) (ghatam) (violin) (1867-1938) (vocalist) [ T Rajalakshmi Lakshmiratnam, Jayammal Kamakshi 5 (vocalist: 18857-1957) (vocalist; 1888-1940) (vocalist: 1890-1967) (vocalist: 1892-1953) ndarajan Srinivasan, Balasaraswati Varadan Ranganathan Viswanathan (composer/violinist: | (1916-1973) dancer: 1918-1984) (1921-1976) (mrdangam:; 1925- } (flute: 1927-) 902-19 U foal 1902-1944) Sankaran Lakshmi Um Git calaren — {tUsicologist: (dancer: 1943- ) Sudhama Arun pennies: 1905-) | (1972-) (974) I son Aniruddha Peek (1980- ) Jayasri Kumar Kerey Govind (1967-} — (1969- ) (1986-) Brinda Mukta Kodandaraman Abhiramasundari Govardhan st: 1912-) (vocalist: 1914- ) (1916-1973) (violinist: 1919-1924) (1921-197) 5 children 2sons— Vegavahini (vocalist: 1944) | Lakshmiratnam Vardini (1924- ) (vocalist: 1964) I 2 daughtersBharatanatyam ‘THE GREATEST BLESSING of bbaratanatyam is its ability to control the mind. Most of us aré incapable of single-minded contemplation even when actions are abandoned. On the other hand, actions are not avoided; there is much to do but it is the harmony of various actions that results in the eoncentratio: we seek. The burden of action is forgotten in the pleasant action of the art . . . feet keeping to time, hands expressing gesture, eyes following the hand with expression, ears listening to the danee-master's music, and the dancer's own singing. By harmoniz~ ing these five elements the mind achieves concen- tration and attains clarity in the very richness of participation. ‘The inner feeling of the dancer is the sixth sense which harnesses these five mental and mechanical elements to create the experience and enjoyment of beauty. It is the spark which gives the dancer her senise of spiritual freedom in the midst of the constraints and discipline of the dance. The yagi achieves serenity through concen- tation that comes from discipline. The dancer brings together her feet, hands, eyes, ears and singing into a fusion which transforms the serenity of the yogi into a torrent of beauty. The spectator, who is absorbed in intently watching this, has his mind freed of distractions and fecls a great sense of clarity. In their shared involvement, the dancer and the spectator are both released from the weight of worldly life and experience the divine joy of the art with a sense of toral freedom, THE BHARATANATYAM RECITAL is structured like a great temple: we enter the outer tower of alarippu, cross the half-way hall of jatiswaram, then the great hall of sabdam, and enter the holy precinct of the deity in the varnam. ‘This is the place, the space, which gives the most expansive scope to revel in the rhythm and moods and music of the dance. The varnam is the continuum which gives ever-expanding room to the dancer to delight in her self-fulfillment by providing the fullest scope to her own creativity as well as to the tradition of the art “The padams now follow: dancing to the padams one experiences the containment, cool and quiet of entering the sanctum . .. the expanse and bril- liance of the outer corridors disappear . . . and rhythmic virtuousities of the carnam yield to the soul-stirring music and abbinaya of the padam . . . akin to the juncture when the cascading lights of worship are withdrawn and the drum 10 beats die down to the simple and solemn chant of sacred verses in the closeness of God. Then the tillana breaks into movement like the final burning of incense accompanied by a measure of din and bustle. In conclusion, the devotee takes to his heart the God he has so far glorified. ‘The dancer com- pletes the traditional order by dancing to a simple devotional verse. Bala Presidential Adres, ‘Tamil Isai Sangam, Madras 1975Nritta (Pure Dance) n bharatanatyam the rhythmic dance is devoid of sensual movements. It is a world of art all its own, and art as art is of the spirit and therefore is itself divine without need to describe the divine. Bala Keynote Address Congress on Research in Dance, Hawaii 1978 ONE OF the world’s greatest —was the supreme mistress of her art. She caled the sacred origins of bharatanatyum as no one else could—and she did so through the absolute purity of her dancing Every gesture, every rhythmic sequence, and every moment of stillness had a spiritual resonance Aetress and dancer, she rendered each poetic image vividly before our eyes. She moved her audiences— and our memories of Bala will be everlasting Anna Kisselgoit Chi Dance Critic, ‘Phe New Vork Times THE SECRET OF all great art is self-forgetfulness Ananda Coomaraswamy, The Mirror of GestureBALASARASWA'TH INHERITED AN enormous lg nany generations of dancers and musicians in her family as well as acquiring a perfect technical skill. ‘To this vast learning and performing ability was added her creative talent. She was unique in that she could improvise during a performance. Her vast reper- toire allowed her the freedom to choose—not only in abbinayam but, as well, from the many sets of choreographed dance sequenees—to suit her prog- am. She did not perform, as others do today, the same limited choreography at every concert —hers was an ongoing creative process. Tt was genius at work: fresh concepts being born and taking form before our eyes. | first saw Balasaraswati some thirty years ago when she had reached her maturity. Unobtru- sively, she entered the stage, rearranged the tucks in her sari, stood reflectively as though unaware of the presence of the audience, approached the musicians to prescribe some changes in sequences . . . then, she slowly turned to face the audienee and closed her yes in concentration, When she opened them again, when she began to move, express, experience . in an instant she was transformed, She radiated beauty through her utterly sensitive face, her supple body, . . . she transported us into the sacred myths, made us see gods and goddesses as she herself saw them with her inner eye. She made us believe as she did. She brought the temple with her to the stage. It was magic. Balasaraswati embodied the spiritual beauty of India. Bengt Hager, Proidet, leternational Council for the Dane, UNESCO, ancing is the natural and there- ‘fore, universal expression of the human species through which it finds unity with the cosmos and its creator. The cosmos is the dynamic expression in orderly and beautiful movement of the Static source, the one supreme spi Bala Keynote Address Congress on Research in Dance, Hawaii 1978. BAbhinaya (Expressive Dance)THE MAJOR PORTION of bhuratanatyam is abbinaya, veritable treasurchouse of the whole gamut of human experience, emotions, sentiments and ponderings. The solo artist assumes the roles of the many characters occuring in the musical composition and portrays all characters through gestures. There are no sceni effects... the artist herself creates all this. In rapid succession she assumes the roles of deity, devote the devil, as well. Dignified 1 of abbinaya, Decency, decorum and dignity help to impart to bharatanat)am its divine character. Although the dance appears to be the creation of the artist, she in fact has given up her individuality having surren- dered to the universal principle entirely pe allowed for the imaginati faculty in bharatanatyam makes it an art not to be passively appreciated and assimilated by the spectator, nor ven intellectually comprehended but, rather, to be perceived through artistic imagination bordering on intuition. ala Keynote Congress of arch in Dance, Hawaii 1978Tribute to a Dear Friend by Dr. Robert Garfias, Ethnomusicolgist, University of California, Iroine Tr was Borst my pleasure and privilege to have known Balasaraswati for something over twenty years. The very nature of the form in which Bala chose to express herself required a profound know!- edge, not only of the dance tradition she had learned, but a vast knowledge of history and religion of India, and all the iconography in motion by which it could be expressed, as well as all that range of individual human expression of emotion of our daily lives. All had to be pulled together into a meaningful performance by that artist. The result was.a texture of such complexity that none but the artist could ever totally comprehend it. ‘Therein lay its greatness At a performance before a small audience in California I watched transfixed as Bala went deeply into one of those detailed interpretations which seemingly covered all the possible parameters of shades of meaning contained in a single line of text. She signalled the musicians that she wished to have the line “I know you” repeated. Fach. repetition gave those same words a diffferent interpretation: from surprise at recognition of a friendly face to the depth of familiarity one shares with an old friend; then to a wise knowing smile reserved for chiding an old sly trickster. One after another the subtle changes unfolded in each in- terpretation. Then, as T heard the text “1 know you” repeated, the dance moved off into, for mi unknown terrirory. [caught glimpses of a gar- landed Krishna dancing in the circle of life, of chariots, of archers and swordsmen and still the words “I know you” sung on. Having seen Bala dance many times, I felt this time I-had caught a glimmer of what was beyond. It was one of those rare and great perfor- mances in which I had a sense of being a participant rather than merely an observer. After the performance, Bala asked me if I had enjoyed it. Ltold her how fascinated I was by the unfolding of feeling in the “I know you,” and how mystified I had been by the appearance of Krishna and the war chariots. “Ah” she responded. “That was ‘I know you’, Krishna, | know how the Kauravas believed and trusted in you and how they were defeated in battle through trickery”. My mouth fell open. She had decided in that perfor- mance to amplify a particular line of the text, innocent as it scemed superficially, by a brief exposition of the story of the “Mahabharata”. I felt 16 a genuine sense of respect for her imagination, knowledge and greatness of her interpretation. [ also felt keenly how impossible it would be for me, ever, to follow one of these interpretations to my own satisfactio T remember being struck by a sense of the necessary isolation in which she created what was most of her greatest work. Somehow I managed to communicate my sense of awe of her ability t© continue to create such beauty when she had little expectation that audiences, even in India, could ever hope to follow completely. She said simply “do it for myself as devotion to God”. ‘The words chosen to express it may have differed, but I do not imagine that Beethoven felt very differently about his own work. Balasaraswati was an artist who absorbed everything around and through the matrix of the tradition of which she was both a part and its clearest definition, and expressed it all in her own unique creation of the dance. [cherish the opportunity I had of knowing that particular and perfect manifestation of human artistic expression and that dear friend, Balasaraswati. #bs Comyttsta BALASARASWATI BEGAN HER life in a wi be CU ed emer ace Teme ur PRCT nam ems to en famous vocalist, began her daughter’s education with the learning of Carnatic music. Her brother, Ranganathan, was trained to become a drummer A CunU uct gee tes ities MO UME Caren Pere R og ge ae ism aat el Poca myn retreat eee ren rece es atte ea Beco CCR cone co Reet a erent Cee nok ee ee rites Dee seen eesti After her public debut at seven, her strongest Supporters came from the world of music. The ‘most esteemed musicans were heard to say, “I am off to hear Bala’s dance”. This element of her concerts astounded the august gathering of musi- Pe ee ee ner one a Encounter‘in Tokyo in 1961 . . . they became her champions. She was invited to perform in Europe prone iene ane ae og years (sce chronology), and her teaching programs ‘were consistently allied with music programs. Bala sang, accompanied and taught her daugh- ee ean ean std emer oui arene trea one are items and generally surrounding herself with her PES eer Maen rere y sank established societies in India. If the world knew ee een cee etter ny peace OY rdBalasaraswati and sangita by Dr. Harold §. Powers, Musicologist, Princeton University THE FIRST AND effectively the only kind of high art dance that has ever caught me was South Indian templelcourt dance, renamed. bharatanatyam in our century which I saw first in 1950 when T was learning Carnatic music in Madras. During my student years there I got to know Balasaraswati and her family fairly well—especially Ranganathan, who consented to sit on the platform with mein my vocal arangetram in 1952, supporting and guiding me with his mastery of Jaya. Tactually saw Bala dance, how- ‘ever, only when she came to the USA in the 1960's, Since then I have not needed to sce anyone else. Aficr attending a number of Bala’s performances I came to realize that what was getting to me was not so much her justly celebrated abbinaya as the totality of her renditions, not so much her art of amplifying and commenting upon the sense of the words—whose purport I became acquainted with only partially and gradually, and that, largely through her interpretation item by item—but rather her art of making music. Thus for me the high point of Bala’s recitals was the earnam even more than the pada, and the favorite piece that lives in my memory is “Dhanike” even more than “Krishna Ni Begané Baro”. Her rendition of the mubtayi searam and the several charanams, in nrtya for the scaram and then in abbinaya for the sabityam, was magical and incom- parably musical: her imagination and her control in [pure faya were as superb as they were in pure hha. AAs for raga, who ean forget Bala’s renditions of stokam and viruttam? ‘The elements might again be presented analytically, in sequence: she would often sing a phrase herself, words and melody floating free now of earthbound tala, before rendering the phrase in abbinaya, Even now one can get the sense of how she shaped a vocal phrase from the ocea- sional vocal moments in Viswanathan’s flute r tals. Bala’s singing was exquisite, For me, musican and musicologist, it was her singing in ragamalika and padam, along with the true spirit of laya man- ifested in her varnam, that showed me that dance doesn’t have to be as naive and even superficial musically as I—Philistine regarding The Dance as, an art form—have usually felt it to be, in East and West alike. With Bala, and Bala only, Tcould see that the familiar set of cliches about dance as visible music might have some basis in truth. In Balasaraswati’s performances the ancient triune sense of sangita—gana, vadya, and nrtya, vocal musie, instrumental music, and dance—came back to life. 19 a personal memoir“Krishna Ni Begane Haro” 20 BALASARAS' ly summate exponents of the music of bharasanatyam, and it is for this reason that when an Indian thinks of padams, he thinks of Balasaraswati. Few: musi- cians, let alone dancers, understand this music the way she (did). To watch Balasaraswati sing (was) to begin to understand a padam.... her body Jean(ed) into each musical phrase as if to coerce cach syllable of sabitya (was) allowed to find its own level, it’s own unique “sound value”. Thus in a dance performance, Balasaraswati breathe(d) with the music, and the music breathe(d) life into Balasaraswati’s gestures. Balasaraswati (was) practi- cally alone in her ability to sing with style and confidence... the great musicians. . . her fa- mous grandmother, Vina Dhanammal, and her mother, Jayammal, bequeathed to her the very essence’ Of Carnatic music. There (was) one aspect of Balasaraswati’s adbinaya which she cultivate(@) above any other. ‘This (was) the remarkable process of deriving interpretive gesture from the music itself . .- at the age of seven, Balasaraswati amazed everyonewith her natural grace in abbinaya, They couldn't understand such a little girl expressing the in- tricacies of sringara rasa so beautifully without really comprehending the meaning as an adult might. Her explanation, many years later, was that Jayammal had taught her to pay attention —not to the words—but to the music. She was the mistress of an active and restless intellect, forever taking apart the smallest segments of her art in order to examine them freshly the same (was) true of her probing analysis of matcrial for abinaya she consider(ed), each fine distinction characteristic of a given human situation and extend(ed) her sympathy into a multitude of direc- tions—one by one, vet, with a sure intuitive grasp. of the relationship between them, constantly “re- searching” her art Balasaraswati's imagination never slept. Excerpts from a paper entitled, “Padams and Balasaraswati", Madras Musie Academy Conference 1973, ’. Ranganathan (let), Jon Higgins (center), T. Viswanathan (right), Josepha Cormack back left), J. Freuclenhicim (back right) Dr. Higgins, “Bhagavathar", was Director of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University when he died December 7 1984. His wife Rhea, his teacher Dr. T Viswanathan and the editor, wished to include these words on his behalf inthis Memorial Tribute to Balasaraswati who taught him with zeal and pleasure‘The Teacher Bala with her fist Madras Musie Acaclemy student Pryamvada Shankar 1953 slap of the foot ringing of the bells of the hands, face, body surety of the beat soaring of the voice, flute, drum evoking the spirit, Bhakti, bhava imbibing the mortal with rasa of life, love, god, all one and the same only one ean guru, dancer, amma, child shaketi Bala lives on in heart, mind, soul words inadequate, loss inexpressible for one devoted follower-me in memorium. Medha Youh, displ Yur dancers who go in for novelties will find that their razzle-dazzle does not last long. On the other hand, if they bold firm 10 the tradition, which like the Great Banyan strikes deep roots and spreads wide branches, they will gain for themselves and those who watch them the dignity and joy of bharatanatyam. T come out with these submissions only because of my anxiety that they should realize this. The young will recognize the greatness of this art if they study it with intense ‘participation, calmly and without haste. Bala from Presidential Address “Tamil Isai Sa ala teaching Lakshmi at home in Madras WITH UNRESERVED RESPECT and humility 1 bow to my revered teacher, Balasaraswati To have known her, seen her magic art learned from her wise instruction was surely the greatest gift I could receive, My heart sings to her memory Luise Eleaness Scripps, primary disciple of BalaarascatiKuravanji Dance Drama, Madras 1950 CORRECTING US IN class, Bala said, “You see, it looks very simple but it’s very difficult to do.” She encouraged us to keep working towards the perfec- tion of the form attainable to each student's capacity To study with Bala was to witness an archetype who constantly recreated in front of our eyes an ancient sacred tradition. We learned from her that dance is sadbana, an intense experience bringing together mind, body and spirit. Bala was awesome and inspiring. We feel blessed to have been her students. ac Cott Students: Celia Candlin, Lauren Cowdery, Dolph George, Bonnie Novakov-Lavlor, Meriam Lobel, Sujata Sastri, Laurie Sogawa, Niyati Youh, STUDYING WITH BALASARASWATT was an experience with a great artist. Bala never com- promised the pristine level of her discipline or aesthetics. . . not even when teaching the most elementary student. In her art and daily life she showed us the power of the moment and the complexity of life. “As a dancer it is important to experience and express everything”, she said. We are indebted to Bala and to her daughter, Lakshmi, who, in her role as a co-teacher and interpreter helped reveal to us Bala’s perception of discipline, beauty and a depth of life which we continue to cherish and explore. Nortbern California Students: Aggie Brenneman, Peggy Day, Leslie Pgashira, Karen Eliot, Barbara Getz, Emily Mayne, Eva Soltes, Mase Snyder Standing ovation for Bala’s choreography of Dasavatar Dance Drama, Center for World Music, Berkeley, CA 1974n student of Ranganathan Luise Fleaness Seripps, primary disciple of Bala, in concert 24Tributes to Balasaraswati FRIENDS FROM INDIA had spoken of Balasara- swati. [heard she was co perform at Weslyan University and drove up. She came out on the small, makeshift stage, stood for a moment or two, looked about, moved her feet slightly causing the ankle bells to tinkle. She went over to the si where the musicians were. Looking quite | mother, she leaned over to talk to one of them who was her daughter. Shortly the musicians started to play and she began. The transformation into the darice was instantancous and vivid. It was as though illumination came on from all angles at once. Here was bbaratanatyam done in full splendor and magnificence, and here was a daneer such as fone rarely has the opportunity to see Merce Cunningham Chorsagrapher SRIMATT BALASARASWATI WAS an exemplar and teacher of the wholeness of dance. In spite of the temporizers of Madras who tried to excise the sensual element from dance, she always insisted on the authenticity and dignity of the erotic com- ponent. She was a true yogini of dance. While still in her youth, hampered by ill-health, feeling misunderstood, it became her deep wish to dance before Shiva, or Murugan, in the temple of Tirut- tani, Entering the inner chamber, bribing the watchman, breaking the law, she danced in solitude saying “Lord, I offer to you humbly both myself and my art.” Soon after, Balasaraswati's power as a dancer began to be recognized world-wide, and she traces the upturn in her fortunes from that solitary moment within the shrine. W in the debt of that moment. ‘This debt inspires diversity, as an integral element in human growth and development I make my prostrations to the Balasaraswati I remember first seeing in Jaipur, in Rajasthan, in the early sixties. And again to the Balasaraswati who became my wife’s teacher in the seventies And again to Bala ay Saraswati, as Laka, these Goddesses of dance, who inspire'as to keep prac- tising, that we dancers, musicians, and poets of North America may find the right confluence of old and new, to give our culture and place here and now a dance it ean eall its own. Gary Snyder Poot BALASARASWATI WAS ONE of the people [ ‘treasure in my life. She was lovely as a dancer and she had*a vibrancy of living which was most engaging. I shall miss the knowledge of her presence. I have such a tender memory of her at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland when we sat under a grand piano together and she told me delightful stories of the dances of India ‘Those of us whose lives she touched were blessed by her presence and grace. Martha Graham Chorcagrapber THe SUPREME ARTISTRY of Balasaraswati, both as a performer and as a teacher has created a unique awareness and appreciation of India’s great traditions of dance. This awareness has ercated in America a remarkably broadening perception of India’s immense impact on world culture. Porter McCray Prosiens Emerins, JDR I Fund BALASARASWATI WAS ONE of the world’s greatest artists, She would have been so if she chose music, painting or modern dance. ‘The fact that it was bbaratanatyam that she chose is to the glory of India. But she was bigger than any one country or culture. She surpassed her form to achieve a universality where very few walk. That was the real and rare accomplishment of her life and her extraordinary gift to us. We miss her so, but we are grateful that her daughter carries on the tradition, Charles and Stephanie Reinhart American Dance FestivalTrirst saw Bala dance in Tokyo in April 1961, and you would have had to be blind to miss the fact that you were in the presence of 2 great dancer, one of the greatest I ever saw T last saw her dance in Madras in February 1968, but the contrast could not have been greatet between the huge empty stage in ‘Tokyo and the fairly large hotel bedroom in which I was recover ing from dengue fever in Madras, and to which Bala had brought some musicians in order to provide me with compensation for having obeyed my doctor and therefore missed her recital a couple of days earlier! Whether on the biggest or the smallest scale, she was an unforgettable artist, and Inever knew whether to admire most her control of wit and pathos in her padam, or the majestic sweep of great classical episodes; her wonderful thythmic energy when she was in full stride, or her olympian disregard of audience while she was preparing for a number or leaving the stage Or was my best memory of all hearing her gently singing in her own room, only a year oF so hefore she died, my own favourite “Krishna Ni Begane Baro.” Lord Harewood Earl of Heresood 26 BALASARASWATI RESTORED bharatanatyam to its rightful place in Indian and world dance and thus became a legend. She was its foremost in- terpreter and through her teaching left a legacy for future generations Beate Gordon Disectr, Performing Arts Department The Asia Society BALASARASWATI WAS CERTAINLY one of the most extraordinary performer of our time—Asian and Western—anid it was a privilege indeed to have been able to see her dance and to wath her limitless creativity and talent at work The creation of the Balasaraswati School of Dance is a most appropriate tribute to Bala’s memory, since, through its teaching and related programs, it will help continue the tradition to which she so selflessly devoted her fife and art Richard S. Lanier Director, Nsian Cultural Council East-West Encounter, Tokyo, Japan 1961First US tour sponsored by The Asia Society: 1962 BALA BELIEVED THAT bbakri (participatory devo- tion) and bbaratanatyam are part of the same Tamil tradition because both are forms of wracw or re- lationship. In dhakii, the devotee directly relates In bbaratanatyam, the rasika is led by the danc through her egoless art, to the aesthetic-devotional experience. Bala’s mediation was masterful and magical. ‘The experience she shared with us is best expressed in the following Thevaram verse of Appar, the Tamil saint poet: Fire-in-wood, Butter-in-milk, Latent lies the lordly light Planting firm the rod of relationship, Churn tautly with the rope of awareness. He will come alive, all of Him: S. Guhan Former Finance Minizer, Government of Madras Tr WAS BALASARASWATI of proud Tineage who became the exemplar of bharatanatyam tradition which was accepted as flawlessly classic. Her ‘emergence produced a near revolution in the bharatanatyam recital. A Salute to the Memary of T. Balasarasari Music Academy Madras ‘THE PASSING AWAY of great individuals is a loss not precisely because they are so great. . ._their work is beyond their physical body. It is the task of those who are their descendants, whether through blood or through art, to carry on the message. I therefore write you, who are the family of our dear, dear Balamma, who have heard her music and her dance, known the rhythm of her feet, the subtlety of her abbinaya, be able to communicate her message to the next generation. The family of Vina Dhanam and the tradition of 500 years of music and dance must be perpetuated. Thope that in this task, you should, and will, have many friends and associates, disciples and well- wishers. Only you must not lose courage... . it is her spirit which will continue to be an inspiration for the future Letter to Lakshmi, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan Excutive Secretary Indiea Ghandi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi BALASARASWATI WAS THE greatest protagonist of the art of bbaratanatyam of this century. Those of us who saw her perform were thrice-blessed, for her dance and song were without peer and we will not see her peer again. La Meri Fubi Dancer Ethnic Dancer, La Meri, Bala and Ted Shawn at Jacob's Pillow 1962Tr was My privilege to see Balasaraswati dance in Madras in 1949 when I had gone to India for the first time and was staying there as a guest of Uday Shankar. I was taken to a basement room. The audience consisted entirely of men, old. It was very hot. Bala was on a platform in an apparent intense discourse of dance—the movements of bharatanatyam. 1 could hear the whole audience react ina murmur or gasp of delight. 've never seen anything like it since, even when watching Balasaraswati dance later, the reason being I never did see her with her real audience again which was in Madras. They knew what she was saying and could respond. When I next saw her at the Musée Guimet in Paris, it was something else, a perfor- mance, but not an intimate discourse, Without the proper audience how can there be true art? Isamu Noguehi Sculptor For Days PVE tried to make fine words to honor Bali. My words, next to her light, are barely shadows. She taught me: Life and Arvare not separate. From our darkest pain, we can make flowers ‘To love children Bala is my definition of Art— that transcendent Joy that permits us briefly t rise and fly Bala is my definition of Bhakti. My friend Lauren Cowdery said the best thing. “I wouldn't have known how to look at a bird, but for Bala”. 1am immensely grateful to live in Bala’s time. She is my guide and friend Jan Steward Photngrapher’Designer, Las L FIRST HEARD OF Balasaraswati in 1951. Some ight years elapsed before I was privileged to meet her in her school in Madras. Soon after we saw a concert of her art, with many more to follow, In 1962, shortly after her first tour abroad to Japan, Bala was presented in Europe and the United States; the rest is history. A great artist has given us a glimpse of a truly transcendent art, a gift to the world to be cherished for as long as there is memory. Surely she will dance forever in the halls of Amarapuram. Clifford Reis Jones Ermographer, tacher BALASARASWATI'S FIRST PERFORMANCE in| San Fransico took place in the dance studio of my late husband, Welland Lathrop, in the early 1960's, Now, nearly twenty-five years later, it seems to me that I can recall every moment of that perfor- mance, From her appearance on stage emanating a king of profound simplicity, prepared to do her work, nothing more, through a range of move- ments, natural, yet precise, deeply traditional, yet very personal and poignantly meaningful. 1 knew Twas in the presence of a great artist. Her death has left us all poorer Nina Lathrop Friend AS. CHILD I knew about Bala from my mother, Ragini Devi, who studied bbaratanatyam in Mad- ras under Mylapore Gauri Amma, one of Bala’ mentors. Both Bala and Ragini danced in the early thirties in that Banares Musie Conference so impor- tant in our dance revival history, Mother said that at that time Bala’s forte was Nrita (pure dance) and her leaps were like a dees My first remembered personal encounter with Bala and her art, was in Madras, . . Her mother sang, seated before the veena of Veena Dhanammal, their distinguished ancestor, Bala performed the first padam seated on the floor of the simple room, All the great dancers and all the great actresses of all time were personified in the body and soul of the woman before us, expressing all the moods of life and invoking the universal spirit as no sage or priest could hope to do, Ram, Sukanya (my chil- dren) and T will venerate Bala forever Indrani Rahman Dancer Dr. Narayana Menon, Yehudi Menuhin, Bela and Viswanathan, Fiinburgh Festival 1963,