Kathaka Antara Bhardwaj Stages Mozart’s The Magic Flute For Opera San Jose

Two Indian American artists are making their marks with Opera San José in the upcoming production of The Magic Flute (Sept. 14-29): choreographer Antara Bhardwaj and opera singer Melissa Sondhi.

For Bhardwaj, The Magic Flute offers an exciting opportunity to stretch her boundaries as she turns her talents to staging movement set to Mozart’s music. This is a skill she finds endlessly fascinating as she applies her dance-making craft to the world of opera. Sondhi, the opera singer and inaugural Wadhwani Chair for South Asian Artists Artist-in-Residence is steadily rising through the ranks to be one of opera’s most exciting emerging sopranos as she expands her repertoire making her role debut as the daughter of the Queen of the Night, Pamina.

Antara Bhardwaj identifies herself as a kathaka (story-teller), her mediums being classical dance, filmmaking , and writing . India Currents’ Anuj Chakrapani spoke to her about the power of music and dance coming to life in The Magic Flute .

Anuj Chakrapani: Hi Antara – thank you for speaking with us. We appreciate your giving us the time to share your thoughts and experiences. You are a multi-faceted artist but let us start with Kathak. You learned the dance form from renowned dancer-teacher Pandit Chitresh Das. Tell us what drew you to the art form, how you became his disciple, and what you learned from him

Antara: My parents saw my love for dance at a very early age, and specifically my love for Kathak, as I would hear the tabla, and would start moving my feet rapidly and spinning round and round. They began looking for a kathak teacher for me at the age of 7, and we found my Guruji when I was 9, when he began teaching his first children’s classes in the Bay Area. He was the only person teaching kathak in the whole Bay Area in the late 80’s.

Being his disciple was a journey that has shaped my discipline and love for the art form. Two things that I have really imbibed from him were his openness to cross-collaborations with other art forms, and the importance of teaching, and passing down this art form in the most authentic way possible.

Anuj: How fascinating! And now you are performing/choreographing in The Magic Flute with opera singer Melissa Sondhi. Tell us about the show because it promises to be a unique fusion of dance and music from different styles.

Antara: The Magic Flute is very much like a fairy tale — incorporating magical instruments, dragons, witches with wands, and guiding spirits. Our director Brad Dalton has taken a very unique approach to this iconic masterpiece by adding in the element of staging the whole story to be taking place inside a magical theater. Prince Tamino, our protagonist, finds himself drawn into the play he is watching, transported to a different land. Brad has added in 6 children dancers, who move the story forward, adding the element of seeing this story through their awe-filled eyes.

Anuj: And how was the experience collaborating with Melissa Sondhi?

Antara: This is my third project with Melissa. I have yet to choreograph for Melissa, which I would love to do — though I suspect she would possibly mildly panic at the thought of having to dance and sing on stage! I think the biggest impact I have felt from having Melissa there is inclusion and representation. In an art form that has traditionally been inhabited by white people, having another person from the same cultural background and context as you leaves a strong emotional impact. The feeling of “otherness” is not there when you see representation of yourself in others in your team.

Anuj: Going back to the long list of art forms that you have mastered; you are also a filmmaker. Tell us about your interest in cinema and some of your work that has showcased at prestigious film festivals.

Antara: I would hardly say that I have mastered many art forms! I have only spent my years learning Kathak, and continue to develop my mastery — a journey that will continue my whole life (and maybe lifetimes beyond!). I am a third-generation filmmaker, and my most recent work was a film called “Upaj:Improvise,” which followed the journey of Kathak master Pandit Chitresh Das with tap-star Jason Samuels Smith as they toured their collaboration across India. The film toured the world in various film festivals, was aired nationally on PBS, and is currently available to view on Amazon.

Anuj: And you are also a writer?

Antara: (laughs). I suppose I am a writer. Writing has been a passion of mine since childhood. I have been avidly journaling since I was eight years old (and still have those journals!), and write opinion pieces in blogs from time-to-time — memoir pieces, observations on human existence, and film reviews.

Anuj: Through one of your performances, you have also shown the “inherent mathematics in Hindustani music through the instrument of dance.” Can you shed some light on this intriguing triumvirate of music, math, and dance?

Antara: Our Indian classical music system is one of the most developed and complex art forms in the world. Not only in terms of our musical notation systems of ragas but in our rhythmic structures and the inherent math within. The concept of taal being a cyclical structure, as opposed to a linear structure, brings in an inherent calculation of always knowing where you are within a cycle, and knowing when to end — which is on sum , the first beat of the next cycle. Add to this the unique concept of a tihai — a rhythmic pattern that repeats itself three times and lands on sum . The mathematics of a tihai are that of a simultaneous equation, with an infinite number of possibilities. I would need more than just a short paragraph to explain the intricacies of this and have enjoyed sharing a “Dancing Mathematics” lecture demonstration at some of our tech companies and museums.

Anuj: That is wonderful, thank you Antara for this insightful conversation!

THE MAGIC FLUTE
September 14-29, 2024
California Theatre

345 S 1st St, San Jose, CA

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