JAMES STRECKER: What exactly do you like about the work you create, as the originator, interpreter, or both if such is the case?
STUTI MUKHERJEE: As an interpreter, representing my roots-South Asian cultural heritage, Bharatanatyam, to the Canadian audience brings a sense of pride in my identity and ethnicity. As a performer, my work helps connect with my audience emotionally, and that’s the part I love about my work.
JS: Please tell us what you want the public to know about your work in the arts. For instance, how do you yourself describe it as a significant experience in your life and why exactly do you labour to make it exist?
SM: I feel that Bharatnatyam helps me express my different emotions. I think I find my voice through dance. It is ultimately an expression of my mind, heart and soul. I want to take the audience on an emotional journey through my work. I like the audience to connect and feel the character on stage; if I can achieve that, all my hard work is paid off.
I also believe that bringing different art forms from different cultures allows us to understand, accept and respect each other in a country like Canada that prides itself on its multiculturalism.
JS: Please give us a brief autobiography, some stuff about yourself that is relevant to the essence of your work in the arts.
SM: I am a Bharatanatyam(Indian classical dance) Artist, so my career includes performing, teaching, choreographing, collaborating with other artists, workshops, lectures/demonstrations and learning. I also run a school where I teach Bharatanatyam to our community’s youth and adults.
I was born and raised in a traditional art-loving family in India. I grew up prioritizing dance and academics equally. However, my love for arts grew every year as I found my dance practice time relaxing and meditative. In dance movement, I found my freedom of expression. That’s another reason I do not shy away from working around bold themes like women’s voice, women’s equality, women empowerment and gender equality. I love collaborating with women of colour and minority women in our community to present women-centric themes.
JS: In what ways is your creative work fairly easy to do and in what ways is it difficult to realize? Why is it so?
SM: Origins of this art form are from my birthplace; therefore, understanding this dance form’s technical aspects has been less challenging.
This art form is audio-visual. Apart from dancing, the costumes are the primary aid to the visual aspect of this art form. Arranging the costumes here in Canada has been a challenge. Songs in this art form tell a story that, as performers, we enact on stage. Connecting with local artists whose primary livelihood is not music has also been challenging. Living in Canada and connecting with Bharatanatyam Artists/ Gurus in India is slightly tricky because of the time zone. Sometimes I have to be up till 11:30 pm dancing for workshops/classes in IST (Indian Standard Time).
JS: How does doing the kind of work you do in the arts change you as a person – and as a creator?
SM: Bharatnatyam has taught me to be humble and disciplined. This Indian classical dance has many rules and techniques that form the foundation. Mastering those techniques is demanding physically and mentally. I have discovered that this art form will not come to a mind full of ego. The physical aspect of the dance has made sure that I am mindful of how I nourish my body.
As a creator, I believe that I evolve with every new venture. In my initial years of training, I depended on my Gurus for every aspect of a dance piece. Now I strive to present the art as an independent artist. My goal is to connect with the audience at an emotional level through my dance.
JS: What kind of audience does your work in the arts interest? What new audience are you also seeking? Why do both questions?
SM: Since Bharatanatyam is a minority art form, my work primarily attracts South Asians. However, Bharatanatyam has travelled the globe with people from China, the UK, Europe, Russia and North America, learning and performing this artform worldwide. With more performance opportunities at prominent platforms in Canada, I intend to attract more Canadians to appreciate and connect with my work on an emotional level.
JS: What are the most important parts of yourself that you put into your work in the arts?
SM: My work involves all aspects of me. One can say my dance is a reflection of me. I put my emotions, thoughts, movement training, techniques and a zillion hours of rehearsals into my work.
JS: What are your biggest challenges as a creative person in the arts?
SM: I will lie if I say finances are not a challenge. Procuring arts funding/grants in Canada is highly competitive. Procuring just one or two grants/funding a year does not reasonably support new/original artwork for the whole year.
JS: Please describe at least one major turning point in your life that brought you to this point as a creative person in the arts.
Stuti: About a year after I moved to Canada, I got accepted into Ph.D. studies in Cellular and Molecular Medicine. So, for a year before I got accepted, dance helped me handle all the stress that being a new immigrant brings. I realized that my studies and work caused a lot of stress and fatigue. I was left with no time to practice dance daily. I could not do justice to the Ph.D. studies or Bharatnatyam. So, I had to make a choice. That was the most challenging call I had to take in my life. I chose Arts over my Scientific career, and arts is a hard but satisfactory career choice indeed! Now, I live, eat, sleep, walk, talk dance every day. My thirst for this art form made me quit my Ph.D.!
JS: What are the hardest things for an outsider to understand about your life as a person in the arts?
SM: In India, our success is determined by the number of degrees one holds. So, I don’t expect most of my relatives back home to appreciate any success that dance brings me. Also, I don’t expect outsiders to understand I am always busy with dance rehearsals, and I have no time and money for trips or to socialize or party.
JS: Please tell us what you haven’t attempted as yet that you would like to do in the arts.
SM: With a little more visibility of Bharatanatyam in Canada, I dream of collaborating with jazz musicians, opera musicians and other western classical musicians to create original work.
JS: If you could re-live your life in the arts, how would you change it and why?
SM: I would make sure not to get distracted by what naysayers have to say and continue my dance education with no pause. I would also make sure I learn other dance art forms to help me create new unique work.
JS: Let’s talk about the state of the arts in today’s culture, including the forms in which you work. What specifically gives you hope and what specifically do you find depressing?
SM: I feel there is a lack in the representation of minority art like Bharatanatyam in Canada. As a result, the audience has less awareness of this highly technical art form. That’s another reason people cannot differentiate Indian classical dance from Indian movies/ Bollywood dance. As a teacher, I share my knowledge with kids of all ages. These kids give me hope that one day they will be the torch bearers of this art form. As a performer, I try daily to promote this art and contribute to the multiculturalism that Canada strives for.
JS: What exactly has the impact of the COVID pandemic been on your creative work and your life in the arts?
SM: I trained hard in the last two years. Performances were canceled, travelling plans got cancelled, and events got cancelled. The whole situation caused a lot of financial and mental health issues. However, I connected with my Gurus back in India and trained daily during the lockdown period. Somehow, I am thankful for those lockdown days, which made me a better performer as I trained hard in Dance, Yoga and Resistance training.
JS: How has the pandemic changed you as a person?
SM: Pandemic has made me super patient, and I appreciate the importance of technology that helps connect us remotely. I have now also learned to edit audio tracks and zoom things away like anything.
JS: What’s next in the coming few years of your life in the arts?
SM: Although the type of dance I do is a minority art in Canada, I dream of taking Bharatanatyam to more robust platforms like National Arts Centre (NAC).