The Raadha Kalpa Dance Company

Abducted

Unbounded desire

An experimental Bharatanatyam solo

by

Rukmini Vijayakumar

Choreography & direction : Rukmini Vijayakumar 

Vocals: Rajeev Rajagopalan 

Sarangi: Sarfaraz khan

Percussion: Sunaad Anoor 

SupportingVocals: Jyolsna Panicker 

The female body is physically weaker than the male body. It is easily dominated by virtue of inherently not possessing the same amount of strength as a man. A woman’s body is projected as an object of desire repeatedly through centuries by societies. The image of a submissive, helpless woman is repeated through history, across cultures. It is an image that is used to sell commercial merchandise repeatedly.

A woman almost always feels a sense of helplessness in situations of physical confrontation with a man. ‘Abducted’ is inspired by stories of abduction and abuse from India and around the world. The act of abusing someone indicates an incapacity to consider another human. It is a desire with no boundaries. Populations have begun to come to terms with degrees of abuse that exist in many forms and shapes. What have we done as societies to cultivate this kind of culture? The position of women has constantly been a point of contention at work, in homes, in politics, in the field of education etc. The representation of a physically strong woman in the modern world, in films and comics is often attached to the physical objectification of women; but a powerful woman in the workplace is shown wearing a suit with hair slicked back. Can we represent strength and power in a female body without objectification, while also embracing the feminine?

One of the only archetypes of power, carried in a female body is the image of the Indian goddess, Kali. Kali is embraced as a figurative female energy that holds within herself the ability to annihilate evil and rejuvenate life. She is the keeper of time and space. This particular image has no objectification of the female body attached to it. Kali is sensual, but does not cater to the male gaze as a sexual object. She is also not ‘pure’ in the sense of being devoid of sexual energy.

 At which point does the abuse of power bring out the Kali in us. At which point does a woman’s desire materialise? When does she wield her power, strength and take charge of her sexuality? 

Run time: 40 min

Age: 16 yrs and above

choreography & dance Rukmini Vijayakumar | Music composition R Raghuram | light design Niranjan Gokhale/ Gyan Dev SIngh | Premiered at The Attakalari Biennial 2022