What is Dhi?

On the surface ‘Dhi’ is a Sanskrit word with various meanings relating to the mind. Meditation, imagination or reflection are all apt definitions. However, for NUS Indian Dance, Dhi is the beginning of a journey of self-discovery through Singaporean poetry.

As one of CFA’s most ambitious arts excellence groups, NUS Indian Dance has tackled quantum physics, social geography, mathematics and more in recent years. Led by their intrepid Artistic Director Mrs Santha Bhaskar, their latest production uses contemporary Malay, English and Tamil poetry to explore ideas of the self and reveal nuances in the cultural philosophies of the various poets.

As an unusual production, we spoke with the current President of NUS Indian Dance, Bahety Arjavi, to better understand how Dhi represents the core tenants of experimentation and exploration that unifies each EMCC production. 

Tell us about your Indian dance history. When did you start and why do you do it?

I joined NUS Indian Dance in August 2019. Prior to that, I had some prior experience in another classical Indian dance form called Kathak.

When I joined NUS, I was pleased to learn that NUS Indian Dance offers technique tutoring for beginners as well as advanced dancers in the Bharatanatyam form, so even though Kathak and Bharatanatyam are very different, I was keen to give it a try in an effort to expand my dance experience.

In the time since, the teachers and my fellow dancers have been very supportive, even though I considered myself an absolute beginner. I’m so glad I decided to stick with it!

NUS Indian Dance focuses on a dance form known as Bharatanatyam. How have you found working with poetry as the starting point for this production? How has Mrs Bhaskar relayed her new choreography and the ideas of these pieces to you?

In 28, we collaborated with the Department of Mathematics and we explored how Mathematics can be incorporated in Bharatanatyam through rhythms and forms. Naturally, this was a very technical production. Working with poetry is a totally different ball game. Not only do we need to get the techniques right, but we also need to understand the emotions depicted in the poem and express them.

Before starting on any poem, Mrs Bhaskar puts our literary skills to test by challenging us to put ourselves in the shoes of the poet and analyse the poem. She then shares with us what the poets had shared with her when she met and discussed the coming work with them

These discussions help us to better understand the intended emotions of each poem and we hope we can bring them across our audience

As Dhi incorporates multiple cultural influences, yet the resulting Bharatanatyam dance has a very specific set of movements and philosophy. How will Dhi represent these diverse cultural influences? Will they be visible or cloaked in the nuance of Bharatanatyam its self?

The diverse influences will definitely be visible!

In the item ‘Terkocak’, the dancers will be seen walking with their knees bent. This is not the traditional Bharatanatyam walk but the inspiration was taken from other ethnic dance forms. The poem Serene Dusk compares hectic contemporary life in contrast to the beautiful backdrop of an evening. To demonstrate this, the dancers will portray these everyday life moments through Lokadharmi (realistic and un-stylised expression) which is a form of Abhinaya.

Working with material from diverse cultures is a potent source of inspiration and exploration. At the same time, interpreting other’s work and how this relates to their philosophy must be handled with respect. How has this been managed with Dhi?

Being respectful while also interpreting (or re-interpreting) other’s art and culture is very important. For Dhi, we are lucky in that our Artistic Director, Mrs Bhaskar, has been working directly with the poets involved since 2003. This ongoing communication has informed the choreography, music and design of the production.

Mrs Bhaskar has had a lot of discussions with the poets to fully understand the meaning, their interpretation, and philosophy, which I feel gives her some license to acknowledge their intentions and respectfully infuse her own take on their work.

Which is your favourite of the poems that have been part of the development of this production? Why was it so powerful for you?

Anger by Alvin Pang, simply because there are so many complex emotions expressed in the one poem. Also, it is one of the poems that will actually be recited in the production and the sequence of dance steps that have been created to support it are unique, involving things which our dancers have never done before.

We are really excited to string together all these different components. Dhi is going to be a musical and visual delight!

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Dhi is part of ExxonMobil Campus Concerts. For more information on the series, visit the programme’s page.