Huge masks, over-decorated costumes and heavy accessories made the performance presented by Ranga Sri little Ballet Troupe splendid. The troupe presented its mythological production ‘Ramayana’ here on Friday. Notably, to observe the concluding day of five day cultural fest organised in the memory of Prabhat Ganguly, the ballet troupe presented wondrous stage performance before the audience here at Shaheed Bhawan Auditorium.
On the concluding day, the troupe gave a splendid performance by staging its first production that was a mythological show based on Ramayana. This novel composition combined the features of ballet and puppet play and presented a folkloristic version of the ‘Ramayana’ in the manner of the Rajasthani puppet play. The dance belongs to Orissa and the movements of the human puppets are stylised. All the dancers wore square masks, crowns and headgears which were modelled and painted. The performers created the illusion of the wooden, head- heavy puppet, but gave skilful execution an almost fantastic animation to the faces. The theme of the ‘Ramayana’ was aptly introduced in the context of a village fair, with peasants and their womenfolk milling around in the excitement of the market. In the background, rival showmen are trying to attract revellers to their respective entertainments. The Puppet Masters began to show their marionettes, while the drummer announces the main attraction of the performance. A brief invocation to the spirits of the original characters accompanies the transition from the real life scene of the fair to the puppet stage, and preludes the action. The Bhopalites enjoyed the show whole-heartedly and with excitement. As the story of lord Rama was showcased through the puppet-cum-ballet dance, it was a unique presentation that left the audience enthralled. It is a bit difficult to perform with heavy masks and highly decorated costumes but the artists managed to perform the show with perfection.
The stage setting and lighting added life in the performance
leaving the viewers mesmerised.