BORN TO MOVE

Rukmini Vijayakumar’s Bharatanatyam practice is a spiritual investigation that honours tradition while reaching for contemporary cultural consciousness.

- AVANTIKA SHANKAR

Sunset fell over the trees of Epping Forest and the London-facing waters of Hollow Pond glimmered in the light of magic hour. As one of the city's favourite picnic spots became suffused with the rich colours of the English summer, Rukmini Vijayakumar was lost in a realm between earth and air. Her bare feet beat a noiseless rhythm in the vivid green grass as her arms reached up towards the heavens. At that moment, the sun burst through the trees and shrouded her silhouette, crowning her in a mantle of sunlight. As if on cue, a camera snapped, immortalising Vijayakumar's communion with the sun.

The photograph is now a part of the series Salangai, shot by UK-based photographer Suleika Mueller and styled by Tamil-origin stylist Aartthie Mahakuperan, which documents Bengaluru-based dancer, choreographer and actor Vijayakumar's strikingly contemporary approach to the age-old traditions of Bharatanatyam. The English forest in which she performs is hardly an unusual setting for the project; on the contrary, it perfectly captures how she can transform any space into a stage, bring any landscape into her imaginary world.