It was the year Bollywood came to Britain. In 2002, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s £4 million musical Bombay Dreams opened in the West End, The Guru opened in cinemas nationally and internationally – and Graham Norton jumped on the Bollywood bandwagon by adopting it for the opening theme of ‘V Graham Norton.’ And who could forget Selfridges’ elaborate store and window dressings celebrating the Asian influence?
Perhaps more than ever before, the influence of South Asian culture in the British cultural mainstream reached frenzied heights this year. But while Bollywood-style dance and music was camped up for the masses, one of the major influences behind the growth of South Asian culture in Britain continues to dedicate his time to performing and teaching up-and-coming talent, such as ‘Contemporary Kathak’ dancer – and choreographer-in-residence at the Royal Festival Hall – Akram Khan.
Shri Pratap Pawar is one of the leading exponents of the classical Indian dance, Kathak. The first disciple of renowned Kathak guru, Shri Birju Maharaj, Pawar won a scholarship from the Indian government in 1972 to teach the style abroad. Based in London since 1981, he has taught at the National Academy for Indian Dance and established Triveni Dance Company, now in residence at Harrow Arts Centre.
Pawar is especially recognised as the pioneer of merging the Eastern and Western styles of Kathak and Flamenco. In 1982, he received a scholarship from the Arts Council of England to assist him in the pursuit of this ambition – an event which attracted widespread press attention. Strangely, Pawar was not in Spain at the time he discovered Flamenco, however – but the West Indies. And it was a Canadian, not a Spaniard, who inspired his interest in the style.
‘It’s a very interesting story,’ he chuckles, describing how in 1973, during his eight years in the West Indies, he stumbled across flamenco. ‘I was with a family who had five or six daughters, all married to men from different countries. One… from Canada, said “When I saw you dancing, it reminded me of Flamenco.” I asked, “What is this Flamenco?” I had never heard of it.’
‘So he got up and started showing me steps – and I was so inspired – I just left my chair and joined him! When we stopped at one point everyone applauded, I was so amazed,’ Pawar enthuses.
The intricate footwork of both Kathak and Flamenco is the common point of reference for people who recognise the similarities between the two. But although Pawar had never experienced Flamenco before his Canadian introduction to it, legend has it the Spanish style was in fact influenced by Kathak. One story suggests that Indian dancers performing for royalty, in the Spanish city now known as Cadiz, left their mark on the local choreography.
There are seven classical Indian dances, but Kathak is the only one to combine both Hindu and Islamic influences. The term is derived from ‘Katha’ meaning storytelling, originating in the Hindu temples.
‘Priests used to tell religious stories, and in a very natural way, would get up and begin making gestures while singing and telling stories – and that’s how Kathak was born,’ Pawar explains.
Away from the temples, Kathak moved from religious storytelling to entertainment for the Hindu kings in the courts, then onto the Mughal courts. Muslim culture influenced changes in music and costume, and added a sense of grace and romanticism to Kathak.
However, those trained in the dance were confined to the family of gurus – and it wasn’t until after Indian Independence in 1947 that dance training was accessible for non-royalty. Even then, Pawar, whose family were descendents of warriors, had a hard time convincing his parents to let him dance.
‘Even when I was 12 or 13, I couldn’t say I wanted to dance – they would not have liked the idea that the family boy was thinking of dancing. It was considered a job for girls, not boys.’
‘So I went on a hunger strike,’ Pawar recalls, chuckling again. ‘Very silly, but very clever. My mother told my father, “Let him go, maybe he will stop after a few months.” Eventually, they were happy, because I was very dedicated.’
Pawar’s devotion to his art is still evident today. His son, Prashant, proudly describes how his father will spend 80 per cent of his day dancing, teaching dance, or thinking about it.
When the son’s observations are put to the father, Pawar comments: ‘Even today, after so many years, my enthusiasm and feeling is the same.
‘I wish until my last breath, I keep dancing.’
Triveni Dance Company is now in residence at Harrow Arts Centre. The forthcoming production, ‘Flames and Fire’ will play April 12, 2003. For further information, visit the Harrow Arts website
For more information on Pratap Pawar Triveni Dance Company, visit www.pratappawar.com
