The term rasa has its roots in classical Indian aesthetic theory and
designates an aesthetic mode which sets the tone or sensibility for the
particular artistic form that is being presented-whether it is
performance, visual art, literature, or a combination of these. The
application of this aesthetics can be seen in a number of Indian classical
dances and performances like Bharathanatyam, Koodiyattam etc. The
mechanism of performative communication is different in the rasa
aesthetics.
Seen widely in the traditional Asian forms, this mechanism
thrusts not in the narration of a story over the course of the
performance, but to develop an inexplicable bliss in the audience. This is
achieved through the incorporation a wide range of techniques derived from Geetam(song, speech) Nrittam (Dance, movement) and vadyam (the use of
musical instruments). A precise ratio of these three, which has many other
sub-divisions (Nrittam, Nrithyam Natyam, The various Talas or rhythms etc)
applied in detail, would lead to the blossoming of the rasa. The acting
becomes different here. The thought process of an actor is entirely
different from that of modern schools of acting.
This system of acting is explained with all
details in the Natyasastra (A book on performance written in India some
2500 years back). Incorporating this age-old knowledge in contemporary
performance is the challenge that an artist confronts today. The mission
in large part involves bridging the gap between the cultural lives of the
present and the cultural heritage of the past, we are committed to
expressing our art through narrative. Narrative or story telling is the
most immediate form of communication between people. It connects
characters and circumstances that otherwise would not be related and so
creates a seamless whole out of disparate parts that produces a shared
experience. The narratives we choose recover stories from the past that
are relevant to the lives of South Asians, at least Indians, in the new
post-modern, technological and largely secularized (?) context of today.
Sankar Venkateswaran
