Modern trend in fusion dance forms

By Subashini PATHMANATHAN

In any society dance can be divided into three varieties. One is classical the other is folk dance. and the other is ritual dance form. All these dance forms, whether it is Classical dance or folk dance or ritual dance reflect the culture, tradition, religion, and regional social practices, and social back- ground of the concerned selective society.

Classical dance and folk dance have certain norms, and both provide equal opportunity for creativity, within the limited framework. Every classical and folk dance has certain defined and clarified steps, movements, and items. Each item of the classical dance and Folk dance has its own defined order, and repertoire. The dancers use certain suitable ornaments, and well designed proper costumes and selective make up. Similarly, every Classical and Folk dance is based on certain selective music. Some are accompanied with vocal and instrumental music together, some are only accompanied with vocal music, and some are only accompanied with instrumental music alone. Hence, all the classical and folk dances have their own longstanding historical background, and historical development. Some of the folk dances are practised only in certain festivals, and certain selective occasions.

A dancer performing a fusion dance

However, unfortunately today there is a new trend, which has emerged in the society and among the teachers, who try to introduce a new face of dance form to attract the students, and the audience. One particular dance form is mixed-up with numerous other traditional classical dance forms, and regional folk dances, together, without any proper base. In otherwords it can be described that fusion dance is an admixture of different dance forms.

Many of times, the choreographers insert and introduce certain innovations, new ideas, and their own creativities into the dances without any limitation. Any dance form allows the creativity to a particular extent, but in the fusion, dances have no limitations in the creativity. At the end, all these dance forms lose the total essence and purity of all combination of dance forms and their own identity. Even for these dances, they do not have any proper music. Numerous outside techniques are adopted to attract the audience. The choreographers borrow modern Western and Eastern dresses, and mix Western and Eastern instruments together, as the result is cacophony

Some of the dance teachers try to introduce light music as background music. They choreograph and introduce dances for thrilling modern rhythmic songs. All these dances are carried out and labeled under the name of modern fusion dances.

These fusion dances have no proper base; it borrows the steps, costumes, make up, and background music from other classical, and folk dances and other traditional musical trends. At the end, these fusion dances have no proper musical base, or well-defined costumes or proper meaningful systematic historical background. These fusion dances at the end come out as confusion dance form, which cannot be fit into any proper classical or folk dance format.

These fusion dances are carried out and promoted by certain business minded individual dance teachers, as well as by certain organizations for the business purposes, and for their own popularity, just for the entertainment, and for income venture. Commonly these dance forms are performed in the open-air theatres, and telecast in some commercialized Television stations.

Most of the dancers use classical dance costumes and ornaments for these vivid dances. Sometimes the choreographers modify the costumes to attract the public. These types of baseless dances won’t last long, but for the time being these dances damage and destroy the real image of the different classical and different folk dances, and give a wrong impression about numerous classical and folk dances for the present younger generations and the future generations.

Earlier music was divided into classical music, folk music, and light music. Some years back, like the present fusion dances, pop music was quite popular among the public. This pop music was very rhythmic and thrilling. However, without proper deep musical base this music lost its popularity with the passage of time. Meanwhile the classical dances, classical music, folk dances and folk music and survived through numerous centuries and centuries.

This particular pop music lost its popularity with the passage of time, because it had not had any proper defined firm base. Similarly, any art form, which is introduced without any proper firm base, won’t last long. Promoting these types of fusion dance forms for the personal gains, and for business purposes, will have a bad impact on the valuable art forms in future.