Rama Kshirsagar’s dance for the environment

 “Antarini takes this idea forward by using the language of dance to spark a conversation about our changing relationship with nature. We hope the performance encourages audiences to see ecological consciousness not just as an abstract idea, but as something deeply personal and immediate.”- Nikhil Soni, Head of Brand & Marketing, HCL Group

A quiet auditorium recently hosted something quite unusual on its wooden stage. Indian classical dance has spent hundreds of years singing praises to the earth and the changing seasons. Watching those ancient art forms suddenly pivot to face a modern mess of concrete and rubbish demands complete attention. This long history of deep reverence for the environment gives the new HCL Concerts production of Antarini - An Awakening Call a very real sense of weight.

Rama Kshirsagar and her talented dancers brought out a story about how far humanity has drifted from the wild places. They took the vivid facial expressions of Kathakali along with the strict rhythmic footwork of Bharatanatyam and tangled them up with loose contemporary movements. The performers used their bodies to map out the grief of city living and the sheer volume of things people throw away every single day. A spectator could easily see the exact struggle of modern individuals trying to remember their roots while drowning in urban noise. The people behind the event evidently hope the performance forces the crowd to face their local streets instead of looking for a pleasant distraction. Watching the dancers move leaves everyone in the seats wondering about the mindless things they buy and bin, and how those little daily choices leave a heavy mark on the ground outside.