Meet Thomas Vo Van Tao, a rare male Mohiniyattam exponent from France

Thomas Vo Van Tao performing with different dancers on the 2023 version of ‘Sougandhika Lasyalahari’, organised by Sougandhika Centre for Mohiniyattam, that includes the disciples of Neena Prasad
| Picture Credit score: Haree Fotografie

Thomas Vo Van Tao, recognized for his expressive abhinaya is a uncommon male Mohiniyattam exponent from France. After studying Bharatanatyam for 10 years, he veered to Mohiniyattam the place he discovered his calling. His aesthetics was additional formed beneath the tutelage of Neena Prasad. Thomas performs extensively and teaches Mohiniyattam in Paris. Excerpts from a dialog.

Query: What drew you to Indian classical dance?  

Reply: I used to be round eight after I occurred to look at a documentary on South India on TV on the finish of which there was a brief excerpt of a pair dancing collectively and it left me fascinated. It was a couple of years later and by probability that I met my first trainer who taught me Bharatanatyam for greater than 10 years. Mohiniyattam got here a lot later in my life after I travelled to Kerala and determined to offer it a strive. The primary class was a form of revelation. 

Mohiniyattam is labelled because the dance of the enchantress and was additionally completely carried out by girls. Why did you veer in direction of this dance model and do you ever really feel constrained by your gender?  

I ended Bharatanatyam and veered in direction of Mohiniyattam for the sensation of plenitude I expertise each time I dance it. The sluggish or medium tempo of Mohiniyattam and the character of its actions’ vocabulary made me really feel that I used to be lastly dancing. As a Bharatanatyam scholar and dancer, I used to be anticipated to bop a sure method and I used to be solely taught sure kind of compositions that might supposedly spotlight my masculinity. With out actually understanding it, I used to be within the quest for a dance that responded extra to what I’m and that might permit house for what we label as femininity. I wouldn’t say that my gender was ever a constraint, quite the opposite Mohiniyattam gave me ample house to discover and absolutely embrace my gender in its complexity. Now could be my gender perceived by a couple of as a constraint, sure definitely. 

What about language? Is that ever an impediment? Are you able to emote with out comprehending the lyrics?  

In terms of dance compositions, I don’t suppose language is extra of an impediment for me than it’s for some other Indian dancer from India. However your query is fascinating as I don’t suppose anyone would ask a Bengali or a Gujarati Bharatanatyam dancer whether or not the languages of their compositions, principally in Telugu and Tamil, is an impediment for them to emote. All of us fall again on translations or have associates assist us translate and perceive sure lyrics. Furthermore, a local Tamil speaker won’t be capable to absolutely perceive a Sangam period textual content or a Malayali a closely Sanskritised Manipravalam textual content. Additionally, one of many misconceptions about Mohiniyattam is that its complete repertoire is in Malayalam/Manipravalam, this is because of the truth that, not like Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam is perceived as a regional dance type. That is true to a sure extent however Mohiniyattam’s repertoire has at all times included compositions in numerous languages. For instance, the primary Varnam taught in Kalamandalam was in Telugu and never Malayalam.  

Thomas instructing college students in Paris.
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association

Now to reply your query extra virtually, sure it does make a distinction to know the language of the composition because it brings extra spontaneity in abhinaya. The one space the place I undoubtedly really feel I’m lacking out is on the subject of the on a regular basis communication in Kerala. 

You even have coaching in analysis. Did analysis come to tell your follow in some methods? Do you primarily dance what you’ve gotten been taught by your gurus or are there new interventions too based mostly on what you’ve gotten learn and know in regards to the historical past of Mohiniyattam?  

Sure, I wrote my Masters’ thesis on the up to date historical past of Bharatanatyam. This analysis did impression my follow and I feel has been to some extent essential in my resolution to cease practising this artwork type. I used to be conflicted between what I used to be studying in regards to the historical past of Bharatanatyam and what was taught to me in dance class. The bhakti-loaded repertoire that was taught to me and its supposed antiquity and sacredness didn’t match with what I used to be studying in regards to the conventional repertoire of Bharatanatyam.  

I’ve not performed formal analysis on Mohiniyattam however I do learn all the things I can about it. Sadly, solely few tutorial works have been devoted to this artwork type and particularly to its historical past as all of the pre-Kalamandalam period practitioners and witnesses of their artwork are now not alive.  

You reside and work in France. You have got carried out in Europe. Is {that a} problem for a performing artiste as a result of the place you learnt this dance and the place it’s anchored in some methods is so vastly totally different from the place you reside, follow, and educate. How does an artiste then reconcile this distinction?  

Thomas feels Mohiniyattam is up to date and doubtless even forward of its time
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association

There’s a lengthy custom if I’ll name it so, of non-Indian practitioners of Indian dance in France. Simkie, the primary French woman who learnt Indian dances did in order early because the 1930’s within the midst of the Revival Interval when a complete new narrative was made round Indian dance traditions. So Indian dances will not be utterly alien to many right here however it’s generally what paradoxically makes it much more troublesome for me to set a context for my follow. Reconciling each my expertise in India as a scholar and as a dancer and other people’s notion of Indian dances can certainly be at occasions difficult. The viewers typically involves see or expertise what they think about unique or historic with loads of preconceived notions based mostly on what they’ve learn on the so-called revival. Ensuring that the context by which the artwork type my college students be taught or the viewers see on stage, evolve, and thrive, shouldn’t be one thing that one can do within the span of a category or in a five-minute dialog with the viewers after a efficiency. It’s an ongoing work which includes spreading consciousness in regards to the artwork type via performances but additionally paradoxically making individuals perceive that issues will not be so vastly totally different and unique. 

Is Mohiniyattam up to date? Do you are feeling the necessity to make it up to date to your time and context? 

Mohiniyattam or Indian dance for that matter, shouldn’t be certain by time and house. it’s an artwork that’s made and practiced by individuals of in the present day and irrespective of how historic it’s or not, Mohiniyattam continues to be transferring ahead and retains on creating and recreating itself via totally different our bodies. So, sure Mohiniyattam is up to date and I might even say that it’s most likely forward of its time. It asks us to decelerate and observe.  

(Kunal Ray writes on artwork & tradition. He teaches at FLAME College, Pune)