A development initiative for South Asian Dance in the North West

Redefining heritage

Little did I know that my visit to the dance library of a Ballet school in Montreal would move me so much. It stirred some very deep emotions and led me to take a fresh look at my dance heritage.

I did not know about Vincent Warren till I met him. A kind looking man with grey hair and a friendly smile. His eyes light up when he talks about dance. When I read about him in the encyclopaedia I saw that my impression of him from our very short meeting was right. It said: 
“Vincent de Paul Warren became one of the most accomplished and versatile dancers in the company's history and a star in his own right. His noble looks and refined dancing made him an ideal interpreter of classical roles from the traditional story-ballet repertoire, yet he equally excelled in contemporary works ... After retiring from the stage (in 1979) Warren ... concentrated his attention on the development and maintenance of its now large library and archive of dance books, documents, videos and related materials. ... In 2010, the library was renamed Bibliothèque de la danse Vincent-Warren in honour of his years of dedication to both the library and the school.”

His library left a deep impression on me. It was a place where I felt at ease, where my dance past and present could comfortably sit together . My inherited heritage of dance and the evolving legacy of my lived experiences of dancing in the West came together in this dance library, in Montreal
It had a box full of archived program notes and articles on my teacher Uday Shankar from 1930 onwards, large framed photograph of Ruth St Denis on the wall and an image of a UK based kathak dancer Sonia Sabri by my friend and colleague, renowned photographer Simon Richardson. It humbled me to see that the library had a copy of Fergus Early and Jackey Lansley’s book "Wise Body " which has  a chapter on my dance training and views on dancing as a mature artist.
This visit was not in my original itinerary, but I am so happy that Dr Mamata Niogy Nakra introduced me to Vincent Warren and his library.

As soon as  I entered the library my eyes fell upon a large framed photograph of Ruth St Denis which took my breath away. This was not like any other prints I have seen in dance books. It made her spirit come alive. I was transported to a different reality, the one in which she was alive and dancing.
I remembered a comment by a dance scholar that had left a lasting impression in my mind. Talking about photography Nigel ......said "shutters come down to sever the past from the present". It seemed as though I could peer through the present image to that very moment when the shutter came down and captured this image. This is the woman whose love and passion for Indian dance has paved the path for me to reach where I have got today . Seeing my reaction to the photograph Vincent asked the librarian to bring three large card board boxes full of invaluable collection of programme notes, news paper cuttings and articles on Ruth St Denis, Pavlova and Uday Shankar from the 1930 onward. I was amazed. A history of my own dancing heritages?
I was trained in  Uday Shankar style of creative dance from his life and dancing partner Amala Shanker, I was fortunate to hear stories of Pavlova from Uday Shankar himself,  
I feel inspired by Ruth St Denis's devotion and pursuit of spirituality in dance and it makes me immensely happy to see Simon's picture of Sonia's in this collection. These varied fragments of dance histories are part of my dance persona. Together they make me who I am. The reality was that there I was, an Indian dance artist from 21st century Britain, visiting Canada on a fellowship from WCMT.
My dance aesthetics are informed by a plethora of influences from both the east and the west. It has been shaped by ancient Indian wisdom and the integrity of the current dance practice in the West.
A place like this library validates my position as an Indian dance artist from outside of India.
It was an honour to meet Vincent Warren. It seemed to me that he has found a sense of fulfilment in developing this library a kind of extension of his dancing life.
In the library there was a large picture of him as a young dancer in a striking pose. I took a picture of him standing next to the framed image. When I showed him the photograph he said I can't dance like him. I said "the one in the picture does not have the lovely smile like yours". He laughed and agreed "No. He had no time".
More than any words, the picture of him next to his old photograph, revealed to me "where does beauty lie, if not in youth."