Carolina Prada, a Mayurbhanj chhau dancer from Columbia is taking the ancient Indian dance form to a global platform
Carolina Prada’s traditional Mayurbhanj chhau performance reminds one of the grace and beauty of temple sculptures while its lyrical qualities are akin to a poem. Carolina, who was born in Medellin, Colombia, is the only female soloist of this generation to research, choreograph and perform the traditional Mayurbhanj chhau at the professional level. This Colombian is taking the ancient Indian dance form to the next level and to various places globally.
Shiva’s dance of creation and destruction flattened many boundaries and traditions through the vigorous but fluidic postures of Carolina. It is not common to see a woman take up the dance form that requires rigorous, back-breaking training, and that too by a woman of foreign origin. But every step of hers, the long one-leg stances, the stretches and the splits proved how she had become one with chhau.
The exquisite presentation by the Colombian national, whose name equates to strength, grace and impeccable deliverance showcases vividly why Indian classical dance is a sacred and powerful means of expression that can unite both dancer and audience with the divine forces of the universe.
While Odissi captivates with its roundness, grace, feminine postures and devotional intention, Carolina’s traditional Mayurbhanj chhau display overpowers the senses with the perfect combination: Tandava — the martial and forceful aspect — and lasya — the soft and lyrical one. In addition, it has that ritualistic trait connected to nature, the entrancing characteristic of the music and the strong identification of the dancer with the character played in the item.
To promote Indian classical dance, she travels every year to her country for workshops and performances. At a recent show at the Cambridge School auditorium in New Friends Colony, Delhi, Carolina stressed on the need to promote the Indian classical arts and pass on the love for them to the next generation.
“One can only dance if one has god in his or her heart,” Carolina told the students as she encouraged some of them to come up on the stage and try a few basic steps of chhau. And there were rounds of applause from the audience as the kids tried to uncoil and hiss like a snake, walk the tiger steps and jump aesthetically like a monkey as demonstrated by the 35-year-old dancer.