The Ashtanayika Guide to Lemonade (Part 1)

Jun 5, 2016
2 min read

I wouldn’t call myself a blind follower of #QueenBey but a very discerning member of her Beyhive. I’m enough of a fan to have travelled all the way to Boston to see her in concert despite a very hectic schedule in New York. As usual, #Beyonce not only delivered, but she delivered the impossible! Her #FormationWorldTour somehow managed to be both minimal and bombastic at the same time! Yes, there were the intricately choreographed dance sequences, a sprawling setlist, and a towering 7-story LED cube that served as the stage’s centerpiece! Yet, I felt that she relished in performing her more evocative repertoire and often completely by herself on stage and unaccompanied by dancers. Also notably absent were club-bangers such as “7/11,” “Get Me Bodied,” and “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).” These omissions did not undermine her concert but instead allowed her to focus on showcasing the incredible artistry of her more recent work, #Lemonade.

With all the #Lemonade talk since the end of April, I think it’s time for me to share the first part of my guide to this visual album through the lens of Indian aesthetics. I found some astonishing parallels between the emotional arc of this album with that of the ashtanayika – the eight emotional & situational states of a heroine in Indian aesthetics as described vividly in several ancient Sanskrit texts.

To see some of these ideas in action, come see me dance on FRIDAY, JUNE 10 at 7:00 PM in the Kraine Theater in the East Village. For more information & tickets, click here!

VIPRALAMBHA NAYIKA

One Who is Deceived by Her Lover

PRAY YOU CATCH ME

You can taste the dishonesty It's all over your breath as you pass it off so cavalier But even that's a test Constantly aware of it all My lonely ear Pressed against the walls of your world…

What are you doing my love?

The poignant first song off the album is deceptively gentle, much like the vipralambha nayika who is firmly situated in the calm before the storm. The intense hurt and heartbreak is definitely palpable, but the heady mixture of anger, fury, and resentment hasn’t quite set in yet. This is most likely due to the fact she is still coming to terms with the shock of her lover’s infidelity and her overwhelming sense of loneliness and betrayal.