Relatively unknown outside the Benelux, the ́Samadhi Dance Company’ recently won the Dutch Dance Audience Award 2011. For such a young company with minimal funding using Vedic themes and insights, this achievement is quite extraordinary. A devotee of Lord Krishna, the choreographer of, and dancer with ‘Samadhi’, Vraja Sundari Keilman enthusiastically agreed to share her story with us!

Could you tell me something about your background (in dance); when you started and what experience you’ve gained?

I received my pre-education at the Amsterdam Theater School in 1995 and was granted my first apprenticeship at the age of 16 for Julio Rivera’s Horton dance company ‘Contemporary Motions’ in New York. Since then I ́ve worked as a freelancer with numerous national and international dance companies, choreographers, photographers & filmmakers.

In January 2007 I founded the Samadhi Dance Company in Amsterdam and introduced my first short work entitled ‘Blue Boy’ during which I was approached by sitar player Surajit Das. We collaborated on a live music and dance production which resulted in ‘Navarasa Gauri’ (2008), a production based on the yoga of the nine emotions according to the Natya Shastra, written by Bharata Muni. Following this there have been 4 other pieces entitled ‘Daya’(2008), ‘Vizve’(2009), ‘Bho’(2010) and ‘Saranágati’(2011), all extremely well received by the Dutch press and the audience alike. Early 2012 was the company’s 5 year anniversary when our spiritual performance ‘Saranágati received the prestigious Dutch Dance Audience Award (Danspublieksprijs) 2011.

How did you manage to intertwine the Samadhi performances & spirituality in a way that is acceptable for the general public? Did you encounter any obstacles due to your ‘abstract’ choice?

It’s something that happens quite naturally; during the creative process so many questions and realizations arise about life, our body, mind and spirit. Due to this, the spiritual aspect of life evolves into part of the creative process & therefore part of the production. I like to think that philosophy and art speak a universal language, meaning that anyone can somehow relate to it. Also, working with the body demands a form of spiritual knowledge to prevent frustration of our flaws and (physical) limitations and, to avoid identification with our body so that we can project that what we would like to share on stage. Krsna Conscious philosophy is extremely helpful in understanding this. Because of the universal nature of our work we haven’t encountered any negative feedback or experiences from our surroundings although on a cultural level there are certainly some differences. There are aesthetic aspects such as the fact that contemporary dance is very fond of presenting the body and bare skin as well as using an extensive amount of male and female partnering. Understandably, this is something that’s still somewhat unacceptable in Indian culture. We have no problem in adapting our work to a different type of audience in order to still be able to inspire others.

Do you feel that your performances are a subtle form of preaching and if so, how?

I like to think our performances are there to make people smile, cry, think and feel they gained beneficial knowledge about life and humanity. If that means they become more attracted to Krsna consciousness, that is wonderful but I do not see myself as a preacher.

What is your general goal?

My goal is to inspire our audience and to make them forget about all their worries when they watch one of our performances. Basically, it’s to celebrate the art of dance and its endless beauty.

What are your inspirations? What inspires your individual dance projects? How do you personally create sequences and is it hard?

Music is usually the starting point for me when it comes to the creative process. Alternatively, it could often start with a certain atmosphere and colours I happen to visualize, which I perceive as a form of mercy if I can express it as such. This is usually naturally connected to some source of spiritual knowledge that I investigate through this art form. Quite often it is also hardship and difficult emotions that need a way to get out. I like to think that anything, as negative or dark as it may be, can be transformed into something of beauty. That is my main aim during the creative process. To seek the challenge of how something unfavourable can be transformed into something favourable. Usually whilst imagining this, colours and images automatically appear. In turn, this inspires me to scroll through my music library in search of tracks/ideas that help me visualise an instant image of movements and forms. When this image stays, I usually assume this is what Krsna would like me to work with and so I start my research. Every production has its own process; I don’t have a set formula. The only thing that is consistent is the essential use of music and knowledge in order to shape a creative process that can actually help us deal with the hard aspects of our personal life. When it then comes to creating movements, this usually happens naturally; I start somewhere and just continue which creates a sequence we usually call a ‘phrase’ with a specific title that reminds us of the concept of the phrase. Quite often though, I also improvise at home and record this on film. If the material appeals to me and fits with what I envision, I study and learn the material with my dancers. Yes…this approach is a tough road to follow but also very satisfying once mastered as our movement vocabulary grows from this and the quality of movements develop more intensely. I also sometimes ask my dancers to create a phrase that I then fine-tune and integrate into the choreography; this is to diversify the languages of movement and also to keep challenging myself as a dancer as I usually also perform the choreographies.

What was the “It” moment that made you think “I want to be a choreographer”?

There actually has never been a clear ‘it’ moment for me, it just kind of happened during my childhood & teenage years. I often felt the urge to create dance pieces especially when dealing with extreme hardship which is a wonderful vent for me. I also received much encouragement from my family, teachers and especially from my late mother Marutvati Keilman-Jorquera; she was and still is the most important source of inspiration and encouragement for my sisters and me. During my younger years, I created at least one short piece a year as part of the repertoire of the dance academies in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Later on I discovered that my preferred form of movement was contemporary dance. I actually had a very hard experience when I induced a severe injury lasting for more than 6 months; the positive side was that it helped me reflect upon my dance career and it encouraged me to create pieces collaborating with younger dancers such as my sisters Rasarani & Sarada Sarita. This led to our very first bookings and because the performances seemed to appeal to people, I named the group of dancers the ‘Samadhi Dance Company’. Since then the name just stuck. Due to my inspiration and satisfaction to work and create pieces with my dancers, the decision to choreograph progressed quite naturally.

Is it possible to simply look at someone and know they have the right mind set and will be a great dancer or does it take time to develop with most people?

It is definitely possible to simply look and know a certain dancer is very inspiring and that I can easily create something powerful or touching with them. However, the right mindset and work attitude is something that only becomes apparent over time. This also has to do with the maturity of the dancer, the level of compatibility with the other dancers and my work approach. Sometimes it works very well for a while but things are always subject to change. This is quite common and it’s important for the dancers to express themselves openly about it and to take a break or leave when things change in a way that doesn’t work for me or the group. Changes can be painful but very beautiful at the same time and, it gives way to new dancers. When it comes to creating for students it is much easier to see if someone is right for a specific type of choreography or not, but when it comes to professional productions, there are of course other aspects and demands to be taken into account.

Is it difficult for the average person to understand and pick up the technical aspects of the dance?

Yes, dance is a very specific art form where the mind, body and spirit are constantly challenged. Even though I work with extremely talented dancers, I am often told that I go too fast. This is something I strive to improve on because it is extremely hard to communicate that which is abstract and non verbal by nature. A certain connection and compatibility is needed and technically, the dancer needs at least 6 to 7 years of professional training in order to keep up. Remembering a large amount of material and sequences of movements also requires a type of intelligence that has developed over the years through training. We also rely on video recordings to actually memorize sequences although through the recording one cannot experience the primary movement or individual bodily experience. As mentioned, dance certainly is a very specific art form and therefore we feel very privileged to be able to execute this profession even though it is constantly evolving. These changes are often very confronting due to the nature of the body, the mind and the constant development of the art form worldwide. Life as a dancer is very delicate and subject to many external factors one has to constantly deal with and surrender to. This also requires a very strong yet flexible mind, a humble and somewhat submissive mindset, a strong and stable physic and a very disciplined and mature working attitude. In short, it is a very demanding profession and ALWAYS a challenge.

What are the plans for Samadhi in 2012?

In May 2012, we will present our most recent piece entitled ‘Mohini’ at theatre Podium Mozaïek in Amsterdam and excerpts will be performed throughout The Netherlands, Europe and India during the summer and autumn seasons of 2012 and 2013. We also have several unique collaborations planned with: an innovative designer label Upper Mansion from Hong Kong together with the renowned hair artist Leo NG from Hairfashion in Amsterdam. Photographer Karen Scheffers is also involved in this project which is still ongoing.

In April 2012 I was also invited by the artistic directors Feri de Geus and Noortje Bijvoets of the intercultural dance company Le Grand Cru to perform and give an interview for their documentary and exhibition/installation ‘Dance/Devotion/Deviation’ which will premiere on May 20th 2012 at Theater De Regentes in The Hague. It will also be performed at various renowned festivals and events worldwide. This latter project is extremely interesting as it portrays the influence that religion and spirituality have nowadays on specific religious Dutch-based artists. During the interview I speak about the influence that Krishna consciousness has on my work and I briefly explain the essence of the philosophy from my point of view.

During the summer we’ll also perform at several Hare Krsna festivals and events such as the Rathayatra’s in Copenhagen, Sweden, Cologne and Amsterdam as well as festivals in Radhadesh, Belgium. These events are so very inspiring for us as this type of audience is always extremely encouraging. They naturally understand the philosophy much better than the average viewer and therefore reciprocate in a very touching and inspiring manner; it feels like performing for family. Last summer we were extremely honoured to be personally invited by Bhakti Charu Swami to tour India and we are still discussing the possibilities. We will also be hosting an audition for bharata natyam and odissi dancers at the end of 2012 for a new live music production in 2013 where we would like to work with live kirtan music, an idea I have been thinking of for a long time. So there’s enough to stay busy and inspired!

Well…Vraja’s experience, her natural talent and hard work seem to finally be making an impact in the Netherlands and the dance community; it seems like Samadhi have a lot in store for us in the coming years; check out performance dates, short films, performance photos and more information on their website http://www.samadhidancecompany.nl/

Photos by Karen Scheffers.