Neither flamenco nor salsa, it’s ‘naatu’

‘Naatu naatu’ is also a winner when it comes to choreography

NTR Junior and Ram Charan in suspenders, matching steps in a crackerjack duet of a dance, caught the world’s attention like never before. Many wondered why and many others, why not, even as ‘Naatu naatu’ became a catchphrase.

While M. Keeravani and Chandrabose deserve their Oscar win for best song, there is something to be said about one of the most cleverly choreographed dance sequences seen on the big screen in recent times.

What would one call this ‘Feet of Fury’ that is neither flamenco nor salsa — dance forms offered as examples of taste and refinement by the British dandy in the scene?

Choreographed by Prem Rakshit, this is the dance of the masses, reminiscent of the Teen Maar, the ubiquitous drum dance often seen in the streets of Telengana, and also in movies from the South. A 6/8 beat, it is meant to impel the listener into a frenzy of spontaneous unrestricted movement all the while invoking the ‘village drummer’, the ‘local goddess’, the ‘green chilli’, the ‘bull’ — symbols of Indian rusticity. The ‘Naatu naatu’ thus carries the punch and pizazz of the Telugu heartland.

What follows is a repartee, amid a flourish of drums, in unapologetic vigour as if to say: ‘can you match this? ‘Naatu’ incidentally also means to plant a tree. The song therefore is about land, about nativity, and about owning that nativity with pride.

Dances in India have always been grounded, characterised by the wide stance of the feet, knees bent and pliant. The contact of the feet with the ground is a humble reminder of one’s intimate relationship with the earth. The percussive nature of movement seems to typify most ancient, forest cultures. We yield to the earth, while the white world seems to yearn to escape the pull of gravity.

No doubt, in terms of scope and canvas, the choreography of this dance number has whiffs of a Hollywood musical. Luminaries of cinema like Busby Berkeley ushered in an era of unlimited possibilities between camera and choreography back in the 1930’s. Dancers in hundreds in meticulous formations were captured from various angles: ‘By a waterfall’ in  Footlight Parade, and ‘Lullaby of Broadway’ from  Gold Diggers are just two examples of these luxuriant visual treats.