Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani's presentation on "Enhancing Dance Choreography Through Apt Use of Music" on 19th August at Trichirappalli Diocesan Educational Society (Kalai Kaviri College Fine Arts) in Trichy for the National Seminar on Dance Choreography.

1. Enhancing Dance
Choreography
Through Apt Use of
Music
Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani
MBBS, ADY, DPC, DSM, PGDFH, PGDY, FIAY, C-IAYT, DSc (Yoga)
Chairman, ICYER & Yoganjali Natyalayam, Pondicherry- 605013
Email: yognat@gmail.com Website: www.rishiculture.in

2. A Cultural Revolution in Pondicherry
Ammaji Kalaimamani Smt. Meenakshi Devi
Bhavanani trained with Padmashri Adyar K
Lakshman in Kalakshetra tradition.
As Rishipatni of Swami Gitananda Giri Guru
Maharaj, trained +20,000 underprivileged children
in Fine Arts & Yoga freely through Sri Kambaliswamy
Yoga and Cultural Arts Youth Program since 1975.

3. Yoganjali Natyalayam
• Propagating Classical Yoga, Bharatanatyam &
Carnatic Music in Pondicherry since 1993.
• Stages spectacular performances yearly.
• Acrobatic Natya Karanas part of specialty.
• +50 Major & minor Dance Dramas in 26 years.
• Bharatanatyam Margams with nearly 100
compositions - Ananda Nartana Margam

6. Introduction
– Synergy of music and dance creates a wholesome
effect
– Sruti matha, laya pitha
– Bhava-raga-tala
– Nada-bindu-kala
– Shabda-rupa

7. Rhythmic foundation
– Rhythm is life
– The heartbeat of any composition
– Judicious use of various talas and nadais.
– Appropriate usage of the apt kalapramanam

8. Melodious structure
– using ragas suited for the specific rasa.
– Music actually lies in the space between notes
and not the notes themselves.
– Avoiding similar ragas in continuation

9. Merging of lyrics with music
– adequate spacing between words helps to
elaborate the melodious aspects through various
sancharis.
– Too many words spoil the structure.
– Haste breaks the mood.

10. Vital mergence of melody and rhythmic
structures
– Alaripu with tiruppugazh or with instrumental
music
– Jathiswaram with melodic variations
– Varnam and its theermanams
– Padam with slow pace and lots of space
– Thillana with attractive take off and end points

11. Singing for dance
– Clarity of sahityam,
– Expression of bhavam,
– Good grip on layam.
– Constant bi-directional interaction
with the dancer.
– Ability to improvise on the spot.
– Don’t close eyes!

12. Role of accompanying musicians
– Competent, enthusiastic, alert
– Willing to learn and improvise
– Preferably have also learnt dance
– Great musicians are not necessarily great for dance!

13. Playing for dance:
TEAM-Together Everyone Achieves More
• Flute: playing between notes & empty spaces. Given
a free hand during the sancharis and interludes.
• Violin: support for the vocalist and elaborations
during the sancharis.
• Veena: merges well with the human voice and
invokes a deep resonance that may be perceived in
our bones and the spinal column.
• Special effects: useful in dramatic themes. Sounds of
conch, bells are nice additions; but often many of the
sounds become too loud due to self-amplification.

14. Prerecorded versus live music
Prerecorded Live
 Reduces dependency on
individuals
 Promotes constructive
teamwork
 Reduces traveling costs  Interpersonal bonding
 Initial cost is high but is
economical in long-term
 Gives scope for on-the-spot
improvisation
 Reduces performance
hiccups
 Adds life to the
performance
 Amplifications issues are less  Variety of repertoire

15. Must always keep in mind….
• Not “just” a performance.
• Leaving the ego behind to manifest “flow”
• Practices are important.
• Divine offering

16. Thoughts to ponder……….
“I don’t think there’s a great difference between how we
compose for musical performance and how we compose for
dance. The main one is that for music performance, it’s
your own story and your own music. With dance, that
narrative comes from someone else, working in a different
medium. So you have to pay attention to the dance style,
and the story in the music is not something you’ve created,
it’s something you’ve interpreted”.
• Tapan Raj - Four by four: composing for choreography.
https://sanjoyroy.net/2013/07/composer-music-choreographer-dance/

17. Some steps in team work
• Composer and choreographer need to sit down and
discuss their individual and united vision of what
the final product will be and who their audience are.
• Lyrics and music need to blend in a seamless
manner.
• A deep foundation must be built on rhythmic
structures understanding each person’s needs and
capacities.
• Apt melodies need to be chosen keeping in mind
the emotions, situations involved in the scene or
composition, and the mood to be created.

18. • Trial and error is a major part of such work.
• Keep working on it until sense of harmonious
oneness.
• Practices are needed to iron out the flaws and
create a deeper level of harmony amount the
team.
• Individual egos need to be sublimated for a
healthy outcome.
• Must never forget how blessed we are to be a
vehicle for Natyam to manifest!

19. Thank You – Nandri -
Vanakkam
ICYER & Yoganjali Natyalayam, Pondicherry- 605013
Email: yognat@gmail.com Website: www.rishiculture.in