Dance Festival of India |
| Written by Nita Vasudevan • Features • October 2008 |
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Presented on September 20, 2008, the Dance Festival of India accompanied New York-based contemporary artist Pratima Naithan in presenting the finest of Classical Indian culture to our metropolitan diaspora. Produced by Sridhar Shanmugam of the non-profit ARCH (Action Responsibility Creativity Home) Organization for creativity-based, multicultural education, Dance Festival of India aimed to display the intricacy of Indian Classical dance by uniting five otherwise detached art forms under one title of grandeur encompassed within the walls of Carnegie Hall.
The highlight of this act was undoubtedly the culmination Thillana piece in which the dancers in their Kalakshetra dance form displayed this arduous piece with alternating steps of choreography along with flawless hand gestures and engaging eye movements. The way in which all the dancers leaped across the expansive stage and their use of innovative formations, made an otherwise dreary 30 minute presentation of classical culture to the inexperienced, a brilliant encounter. Although one of the less prominent Indian classical dance forms, Odissi unquestionably made its prominent debut to the New York audience at the Festival. Adorned with elaborate orange costumes and glistening white crowns mimicking suns draped around their heads, the SUTRA Odissi Dance Theatre from Malaysia distinguished themselves from all the other acts by the importance they placed upon the tribhangi (literally: three parts break), and the independent movements of their head, chest and pelvis in contrast to the previous structure and rigidity. With elevated respect to the Goddess Sarasvati of Music and honor to the Sun God, the Odissi troupe skillfully praised the Gods by contorting themselves into the very images that we associate with the idols: becoming the chariot and charioteer of the Sun God, the musical notes from the veena of Goddess Saraswati and the revolving planets around the Sun’s superior being. Often solely associated with the characteristics of grace and simplicity, the Carnegie Hall audience was one of the first to ever see the grace of Odissi employed in exceptional story-telling and display visual imagery. The term Mohiniyattam comes from the words "Mohini" meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and "aattam" meaning graceful and sensuous body movements. Literally meaning the "dance of the enchantress", the Nehru Manipur Dance Academy from Kerala cast an endearing spell over the entire audience once they proceeded from backstage embellished in shimmering white costumes with gold fans royally pleated across their skirts. Originally performed by men reenacting origins of the dance form in which Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a Mohini to lure the demons away from the nectar of immortality of the Ocean of Milk, the all-female troupe swayed and dipped to the melodious flute music, performing famous scenes from Krishna’s life with of his naughty tricks and dances alongside his playful milkmaids. One of the most rare classical dance forms practiced today, this display of Mohiniattam was truly unique spectacle that will be difficult to repeat. Evolving from a once completely male-dominated dance drama, the form of Kuchipudi epitomizes grace and allure with a quicksilver quality. To the uninitiated eyes it appears as Bharatnatyam, but its quick-tempoed up-down, undulating movements are actually executed quite differently; Kuchipudi’s dramaesque touch is lined with seduction and a mood of eroticism. Presented by the Kuchipudi Arts Academy of Chennai, the dancers in this act executed one of the most challenging pieces of nritta (pure dance) with utmost perfection and absolute synchronization. Prior to this feat, the dancers reenacted the famous ‘Dice Game’ scene from the epic story, the Mahabharata, when Yusdhistira selfishly gambles his wife into servitude after losing all his money, publicly humiliating his wife in front of his entire court as she cries out to Lord Krishna for strength and honor. Satiated with such concentrated emotions, this particular scene was surely memorable for the entire audience, providing the apt climax to the dance spectacular. Notorious in all corners of the world outside of India, the dance form, Kathak, is startling to the eyes. Kathak revels its vertical straight stance, grand pirouettes, and intricate time cycles and rhythm through exquisite poems of romance, involving its audience in its unfolding and enjoyments. Originally a form performed in the Mughal Courts of Northern India during the early 15th century, Kathak relies on the beats of the tabla as the basis of its structure and cadence – inducing a reverberating pulse through the entire body of the dancer and even of the observer. With such delicate nuances of The Kathak Kedra School of New Delhi, the dancers ascended the stage draped in shimmering white costumes, pirouetting around the entire circumference of the stage as their expansive white skirts twirled in unison creating a beautiful scene of raindrops and elegant snowfall. Slightly raising their skirts to make their feet visible to the dumbfounded audience, the dancers pulsated with the tempo the rapid tabla, eyeing the audience with sharp eye movements synchronized with the musicians every drumbeat. Truly the pinnacle performance of the entire night, the Kedra School exited the stage only to be greeted by a standing ovation as they proceeded to take their bows.Classical Indian dances have always sprung from the religious urges of the people, finding its dramatic, thematic content deeply rooted in the richness of Indian mythology and developed tradition. Using their entire bodies to essentially communicate with the audience, on a more personal level, the dancer attempts to merge the aatma (soul) with the paramatma (supreme soul) – almost transforming their dance into a subtly form of devotion. ARCH organizers were not exaggerating the grandeur of this event to any minute degree, appropriately informing the general public that an event of this magnificence will never again be recreated.
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