Ep03: On Rasa Revolutions
Is the rasa sringara (love) or bhakti (devotion)? Or something not even listed? And what does that mean for us?
In Part 2 of a special two-episode arc on Rasa, Ameya and Kiran explore the application of Rasa theory to devotional pieces, delve into Bhakti as a rasa, and unearth power structures that might lurking within these texts. They bring it full circle, teasing apart the implications of the history of Rasa theory on the practice of Indian classical dance today.
Call to action: Dance a piece for someone without telling them what to expect. Tell us how they respond!
Dive deeper:
● Mandakranta Bose – Movement and Mimesis: Idea of Dance in the Sanskritic Tradition
● Kapila Vatsyayan – Indian Classical Dances
● B. M. Chaturvedi and Sriramachandrudu Pullela – Some unexplored aspects of rasa theory
● Bharata’s Natya Shastra – the chapter on rasa (Ameya’s go-to edition is the 4-volume set by Pushpendra Kumar)
● Jaya Senapati’s Nṛtta Ratnāvali (Translated by Yashoda Thakore and Pappu Venugopala Rao)
● S. Raghuraman - History of Tamil’s Dance (Translated into English by Lakshmi Ramaswamy)
● V. Murugan - Tolkāppiyam in English
● Gabby Rivera and Brené Brown - “Brené with Gabby Rivera on Superheroes, Storytelling and Joy as Resistance” in the Unlocking Us podcast
● Studies on the link between emotion and movement and a more focused one on the navarasas
● Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s Kanjadalayatakshi Kamakshi as sung by M. S. Subbalakshmi
This episode would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many, including
● We Edit Podcasts for audio engineering
● Sangeetha Kowsik for graphic design of our logo
● Catwalk Institute for Kiran’s studio space
● Sarada Jammi for Ameya’s studio space
● Drs. V. Arasu, Lakshmi Ramaswamy, S. Raghuraman, and V. Murugan for their critical insights into Tolkāppiyam and the contributions of Tamil Literature to Indian dance & aesthetics
● Drs. Yashoda Thakore and Anupama Kylash for their on the nuances of rasa theory and its evolution through Sanskrit literature, as well as their guidance for Ameya’s research into the relationship between rhythm and emotion at the University of SiliconAndhra.
● A special thanks to Wesley Beeks & Bertel King, Jr.
● Music from the albums Mystic Journey by Suzanne Tang (“Aduman”) and Valaji by Gokul Salvadi (“Valaji”)
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