Sharon Lowen is one of the finest Odissi dancer trained under Guru Kelucharan Mohaptra. For Sharon, journey in the field of Indian classical dance began in 1970 while she lived in Detroit, USA. While studying in Michigan University Sharon got fascinated by Manipuri Dance. She is also well trained in western ballet, puppetry and theatre. In 1973, at the age of 22, Sharon reached India on a Fullbright Scholarship to pursue her training in Manipuri dance. Besides Odissi, she is equally familiar with the nuances of Manipuri and Mayurbhanj Chhau. In a candid conversation with Sweta Ranjan, Sharon shares how Indian classical dance forms mesmerized her so much that she has devoted her life to restoring various Indian dance forms.
How has been the journey of young girl travelling from United States to India and becoming one of the brightest star in the field of dance?
It has been wonderful. I had never expected to make my life and career in India even though I loved dance and enjoyed learning it. Gradually, I got this feeling that what I was doing was valued and worthwhile.
As a child did you always want to be a dancer?
I loved dancing, literature and art. I loved theater, puppetry and philosophy, I had many interests. I was fortunate to have a lot of exposure to different performing art from all over the world and when I came to India I got the opportunity to study and thought it would be a good way to continue with the dance Manipuri that I was already leaning.
How difficult it gets for a person to carve a place for herself when there is no one in the family associated with dance?
It is all to do with the passion towards dance, a drive and love for the art. For those who come from a traditional dance family it is wonderful because they have a support and guidance not only in the way of learning the art but also in the way to approach it. When you have to do it on your own it gives you a great feeling. It is very satisfying when you achieve something because you have achieved it on your own.
But there must be a lot of struggle also? Well, all our life is a struggle. When we you do something or you choose to do because you love it- whether it is art or social sciences or an NGO. If you are doing something because you love it, you don’t really count the work and struggle. You feel positive because you enjoy it. Every hurdle you overcome makes you stronger.
Has language ever come as a barrier to you while learning dance?
In terms of learning dance here I do wish that I was good at learning languages too but I only understood the language of dance. It has not been a problem in terms of leaning dance because my teachers have always been very generous. Some of my teachers didn’t speak English but we still found a means of communication. I have a dear friend who has a great knowledge of all south Indian languages as well as most north Indian languages she always helps me If I have to choose a text of one particular. It’s not possible to know all language s.
Would you like to share your memories with Padmavibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra?
Well there were many memories. He was a generous teacher and a genius in his understanding the nuances of the dance. When I first took a workshop without any intention of continuing to learn Odissi he said I had learnt more quickly than any student he had. Within a couple of months he insisted that I get a costume so that I perform. His love, kindness and generosity are the only reason that I am known as an Odissi dancer today. He pushed me and encouraged me. He traveled with me, talked with me, he played and he taught. He was more than a father.
How challenging is the field of dance today? To make a career as a dancer it is difficult in India as well as anywhere in the world except those unique traditions where there is state sponsors, support for the artists. So, you can make a career as an artist but it is also very difficult to make a living as an artist. Those who do dance support their performing with teaching. So many artists have a career as a dancer or performing artist but they also teach or write or do other related things.
Which dance form is the closest to your heart Odissi, Chhau, or Manipuri? They are like my three children. I can’t choose. Manipuri was my first love, if I had not got encouragement from my guru I would be always doing that. It was very difficult to get musicians from Manipur to Delhi, to keep growing. Chhau is what I absolutely love and I see a lot of responsibility of my guru to my guru Krushna Chand Naik to support with the beauty of the art. Chhau is difficult to do as a soloist because it is difficult to dance. Odissi is what I am focused on these days.
How did people react when you did male form dance like chhau?
Chhau is a male form, it is only done by men. My guru Krushna Chand Naik had stayed in Delhi after winning his Sangeet Natak Akademi award. I learnt from him for seven days. After he taught me he insisted that I show what he taught me to other gurus in Mayurbhanj district so that they could see that a girl could do it. A couple of decades ago someone told me that they have seen an American could do it so they should also teach their girls. So, that’s one reaction. I would like to share another very interesting incidence, a very eminent artist who is based in Delhi and is from Odisha said that as a female it is not good for the body and the hormones to these movements. I had to remind him that he had seen western ballet and not Indian where similar great physicality is required. I presented Chhau for the first time in North America in Asian Dance Festival.
Don’t you think that younger generation should be introduced to any form of art at the school level itself? There is no question or doubt about it. A lot of young people don’t have exposure of Indian traditional art. I don’t understand why people cannot take a metro and walk into any performance.
Are you equally familiar with any western form of dance? I am well trained in western ballet. I was in a lot of theater productions and I used to perform puppetry professionally. Detroit and Cleveland Symphony orchestras had asked me to join them if I didn’t go in for India. Yes I have some background in western art.
Other than dance do you have any interest areas? I work with a lot of schools to improve the cultural integration of all aspects of Indian culture into the curriculum. It is very important to integrate that. I am very interested in history and I visualize besides performing arts. I love philosophy.
You have witnessed a lot of changes in the dance forms of India. Has the level gone down or is it on the right path? I think typical aspects of certain dance forms over the last fifty years have magnified. In terms of elaboration and intricacies classical dances have seen more sophistication in techniques but the challenge with the main form of the dance which is communication is not necessarily being improved on. The kind of training for developing fine solo artists is not really the focus of institutions in dance. We need more individual training.
If you were not a dancer….. If I had not been a dancer I might have been a puppeteer. I would have tried to go back and teach or could have been an art chief administrator. One possibility was I could have been a lawyer as my mother was very keen on.
What happiness means to you? Happiness to me means being grateful for what I have and understanding that everything is impermanent and whatever happens is okay. When I can I try to make others happy.
You want to be remembered as……
A good person who helped others.