“TWO will make you smile and the sheer rhythmic physicality will make you dance!” Dancer Raghav Handa

In a traditional Indian Kathak dance, the dancer must never touch the drums. As per the conventional rule, the musician commands and the dancer must follow. Imagine what happens when roles are reversed and the dancer takes control! Dancer Raghav Handa and maestro tabla musician Maharshi Raval’s rule-breaking, intergenerational bromance sits at the heart of TWO.

For over a decade, Raghav and Maharshi have built a friendship typically discouraged by the hierarchy between the dancer and musician in Indian Kathak. Higher in the pecking order, the musician controls the dance and from their platform they call to the dancer. The dancer responds to the call almost in a game-like fashion – but they never overtake the musician.

As the TWO exceptionally talented artists are set to enthral the audience this September, Dancer Raghav Handa talks to Indus Age in an exclusive interview. Read on…

Interviewed by Nidhi Kumari

 In your words, what sets “TWO” apart from other musical events? Also, what is the idea behind the “TWO?”

TWO is inspired by the shifting power dynamics in any relationship…It is a work that questions: what is it like to make space for others; what is it like to share; what is it like to give up your power and to collaborate!!! If I distil it down to a few words – it’s about mateship and forbearance.

The challenges Maharshi and I throw at one another in this work aren’t just musical…they are super physical, cerebral and comical. I love the fact – what we share with the audience, emerges from what we actually do when we get together. So, the work has emerged out of our genuine interactions and not script writing.

Tell us what has kept the TWO (Handa and Raval) of you intact for over a decade now as collaborators?

For any collaboration to be successful, you have to begin to imagine yourself outside of yourself. Being an artist is about agency and free will. I think it is when we abdicate that agency to play – that’s when the magic happens. I approached this collaboration like an experiment, where our bodies became the agents of discovery.

TWO is a highly physical and a spontaneous duet and it celebrates the friendship and artistic partnership I have with, Tabla musician, Maharshi Raval. I was able to create TWO because of Maharshi’s artistic generosity throughout this process. Of course, we’ve had our differences like any other relationship. Tell you what though, sometimes it took a lot of patience from both of us to stay open to each other’s perspective. Once we saw a way through, we turned those differences into improvisational tasks, which matured into large sequences in the work.

Is there any special preparation you have done for your upcoming shows?

Not really! We tend not to undertake the conventional rehearsal period before each season. So that we can preserve the spontaneity – especially when TWO has toured extensively. We speak to each other about our intentions behind each scene and how we got there. But, performance aspects are met as a blind date during each evening. We meet, have fun, and promise to meet again!!!

What should be the takeaway for the audience from “TWO?”

TWO will make you smile and the sheer rhythmic physicality will make you dance! I would love the viewer to really experience what difference is. Recognise our differences, disagreements and through that respect for each other. They are simple ideas and yet they are highly politicised in our current global context. At times, it is easy in our modern culture to see things as “black and white” – but sometimes there is another perspective and embracing that perspective can help celebrate that difference.

Filled with impressive physicality, virtuosic music and witty encounters, Raghav Handa’s TWO is an expert, tongue-in-cheek demonstration of respectfully challenging tradition and the true power of collaboration that follows.  

Duration: 60 minutes, no interval

Tickets are $25–35 from http://pica.org.au

Performance Dates

Wednesday 20 September | 7pm

Thursday 21 September | 7pm

Friday 22 September | 7pm

Saturday 23 September | 2pm & 7pm