Colleena and Queen Harish!

Elements:

Indian Classical Dance:

Elements of Indian classical dance forms are used in this project. You will find influences from both Kathak, the North Indian classical style and Odissi, from Eastern India. Kathak itself evolved through time from a temple dance to a court dance for Mughal rulers and finally found a place in cinema from the very start of Bollywood. The Mughal era left a strong stylistic flavor in North Indian dance, bringing a clear connection of aesthetics which linked the Muslim East with Hindu India. Pirouettes and arabesque lines, as well as complex rhythmic patterns are highlighted in the Kathak style, though we could say that the most loved element of Kathak is the chumak (unexpected bursts of energy in the dancer; ie. A quick glance, turn of the head, etc.), which adds the element of surprise. You will see this element clearly in the work of Queen Harish. Since Rajasthan is home to Kathak dance, both the classical and folk styles have progressed together in movement, but have stayed quite separate in practice and intention. The artists borrow from the structure of Kathak to teach clear technique of both Rajasthani and Bollywood dance in their workshops.

Odissi has remained more aesthetically isolated and has seen fewer traces of fusion or influence since it became a classical form in the early 1950’s. Odissi as well traces its origin to the Indian temple dance tradition, and continued to be used as a means of worship in temples up until the 1950’s when it immerged on the public stage. Odissi’s style is considered to be the most feminine of all India’s classical dances, mainly because of the languid curvature in the body created by the tribhangi position (literally meaning 3 bends in the body). Odissi utilizes deep bending of the legs and pronounced torso movement in contrast to neck and eye movements. The feminine curvature might remind one of the articulate torso and hip movements of Belly Dance, but the technique is quite different. Nevertheless, Colleena seems to bring all of her fusion pieces a distinct control and subtlety in eye, head and torso movement as only Odissi training can offer.

With deep respect for the purity and integrity of both Odissi and Kathak, the artists intelligently utilize specific techniques learned from classical dance in their fusion. Never will you see a misrepresentation of Indian classical dance, only a reverence for the refinement taught by generations of its masters.

Rajasthani Dance:
Rajasthan is a desert state in Northern India, bordering with Pakistan. A land of ‘Gypsies’ and Kings, Rajasthan’s artistic traditions enjoyed great patronage and outside influence through out the ages making it a land of rich fusions. Rajasthani dance grew hand in hand with its classical sister, Kathak, through early periods of religious celebratory dance, to a dance performed in majestic palaces of the Maharajas. The various styles you will see in Rajasthani dance, generally differ because of the traditional castes of people which perform the art. Each community has a slightly different take on dance, yet many will perform to the same traditional songs. Ghoomar, Chedi, Bawaii, Teratalli, Khalbelia, etc. are just a few of the popular folk styles found in Rajasthan. The most loved style is the dynamic Khalbelia dance in which you will find the dancers imitating movements of the cobra dancing to a snake charmers flute and falling into rapid spins.

Belly Dance:

This ancient dance in celebration of the female form has travelled throughout, the harems of history, to the nightclubs of Cairo and finally is thriving in the West as it morphs back to a tribal dance in America’s fusion era of ‘Tribal Belly Dance’. Such a history of constant fusion and evolution make Belly Dance a difficult genre to define. We can agree that the intoxicating element of the dance which unites all sub styles is the emphasis on rhythm in the hips and snake like fluidity in the arms and torso. Colleena will point out that while Indian dance keeps rhythm in the feet, Belly Dance expresses rhythm in the hips, yet both keep the melody in the upper body. Her fusion vocabulary will make sense quickly if this concept is considered.

Queen Harish and Colleena use various Belly Dance influences to create their fusion, particularly seeking a movement vocabulary which stays away from categorization. Though one can see that as Rajasthani dancers, they prefer the ‘American Tribal’ and ‘Tribal Fusion’ style movements as they remain more closely linked to the grounded nature of Indian dance.

Mujra:

As Moghal kingdoms flourished in North India, the Kathak style dance was adopted as the official entertainment for the Moghal rulers. Dance and music were used by Muslim kings to relax from the stresses of duty. Lavish dance episodes took place in the palaces and an enormous stipend was reserved for the delicate priming of the refined ‘nautch girls’ or mujra. The mujra dancer was for society a pinnacle of refinement not only in dance, but in dress, speech, intellect, musical ability, poetry, wit, etc. Some dancer’s opulence and grace reached such heights that tales are still recounted to this day of their beauty. Their dance style is similar in design to modern day Kathak, yet was more loosely woven together and relied on captivating the royal audience at any cost to gain patronage. Once India won independence and the era of maharajas was no more, these highly trained women found their only new outlet to be in the early era of Bollywood film and soon they were replaced by actresses of Bombay who imitated the mujra style in movies like: Mughal-E-Azam, Umrao Jain and Devdas. Mujra can be defined as one type of Bollywood dance yet differs from other Bollywood dances by its classic design, subtle expressions and rich costuming.

Bollywood:

Dance is an important part of experiencing life in India, one only need to watch a film for 10 minutes to learn this fact. In film, dance is the ultimate symbol for the lovers union (both in reference to passionate physical union between lovers and as a metaphor for union with the divine love of God). Instead of graphic love scenes in films, directors of Indian cinema found elaborate ways to express the union of lovers through passionate dance sequences. Love is bountiful on the silver screen and dance sequences can often take more than half of the screen time. Since cultural identity is most potently expressed through its traditional dance, you will see traces of folk dance from literally every corner of India in Bollywood depending on where the story takes place. Since Bollywood’s beginning, poplar dance trends from the West seeped in and offered their influence such as go-go dancing, Michal Jackson’s style of the 80’s, hip hop, etc.

One characteristic of Bollywood is the endearing qualities of the character who sings the song as she dances out its meaning. When Bollywood dance is performed, the words of the song are mouthed so to highlight the poetry in the words. Bollywood dance is the modern medium for conveying the stories of the timeless Indian heroine (nayika) and all the qualities she imbibes. Full of energy and surprises, Bollywood dance is the most eclectic and playful dance out of India today.

Fusion:
*‘Queenz’* is a complete experience of what you never knew could happen in Indian dance… Bollywood and Belly Dance, Rajasthani ‘Gypsy’ and classical Indian dance!
Never has anyone created such an eclectic show of traditional and fusion. Both Queen Harish and Colleena use their own unusual experiences as dancers to create a vocabulary that is totally alive. Carefully crafting classical technique and the spontaneity of Rajasthani ‘Gypsy’ dance, you will smile at the witty shine of their dance.