Altering Your Tomorrow

Two women who are passionate about ‘telling the hard stories’, Bharatanatyam performer Seeta Patel and choreographer Lina Limosani have come together to create Not Today’s Yesterday based on the subjectivity of history which is so often disregarded. As Winston Churchill once said, “history is written by the victors.”

The concept developed through Patel’s fascination with the political and social history of her practice, Bharatanatyam. Although poetic and spiritual, the expressive South Indian classic dance is often misunderstood. As Limosani sees it, the true spirit of Bharatanatyam is much more than the “cherry-picked and white-washed” version that’s so often conveyed to audiences.

While exploring this Patel and Limosani saw potential to not only showcase true Bharatanatyam, but also encompass a wider world view. Although Patel hails from Britain and Limosani from Australia, the troubled histories of “white-washing” are apparent in both backgrounds, a subject matter Limosani says is “at the heart of our current national conversations.” As she explains, “White-washing isn’t necessarily about white people, it’s really about power more than anything. Who has that power, when does it shift and when does the carpet really get pulled out from underneath you?

“I guess Not Today’s Yesterday really addresses these things and it comes from a very personal point of view. It doesn't come from a political place but it's definitely got politics in there.” Limosani says. “We're just kind of putting it out there for the audience to interpret in their own way.”

So while Not Today’s Yesterday is a reflection of personal experience, Limosani and Patel also wanted to create something that is universally relatable across cultures and communities – a performance Limosani hopes will evoke deeper conversation and “provoke new observations and insights.”

Limosani describes the use of Bharatanatyam to present this dark subject matter as a ‘fantastical’ contrast. Somewhat comparing it to a fairytale, but packaged in “a very seductive way [in order] to entice an audience. But, as in many Grimms fairytales, things definitely turn upside-down,” she says. And as perceptions change, the performance “really shows how easy it is to be sucked in and seduced.”

Ultimately, Limosani aims to “challenge the idea of what dance is and what dance can say” and present to the audience a narrative which proves that “dance can offer more than just steps on a stage – it really can pass on messages and stories."

Not Today's Yesterday, Holden Street Theatres, 24-25 Feb, 4.30pm, 8-10 and 13-15 Mar, 6:10pm, $20-28

adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/not-t-o-d-a-y-s-yesterday-af2018