Manipuri danseuse Priti Patel’s choreography for Ananya Dance Festival will present traditional ritualistic forms like lai Haroba with the martial Thang-ta. She shares details with Divya Kaushik
There is a popular story why lai Haroba, ritualistic dance form of the Manipuri tradition, is used to describe the process of creation or to symbolise a beginning of the world. The legend has it that there was a time when the only one who existed was guru Sidaba, the highest lord, in dark vacuum. Once the seven shades of the rainbow shot into his dark space and the beautiful light emanating motivated him to witness the world. He sent Atiya guru along with a creature to create the world. The creature spun a web-like framework for the establishment of human inhabitation. To give a solid structure to this framework guru Atiya needed something and therefore went back to guru Sidaba. The latter provided him with some dirt from his navel to solidify the framework and also nine men from his right side and seven women from his left side as his team. As they sat down for work, they were interrupted by one Harba. Guru Sidaba sent the goddess of lightning to assist Atiya. With her beauty and charm, the goddess enticed Harba away. The framework was then solidified and declared fit for human habitation. On its completion, the occasion was celebrated as lai Haroba. Twelve main sequences of the dance form, part by part, depict each process in the creation. lai Haroba, therefore, is used extensively to portray the process of creation in Priti Patel’s choreography Anantsakti that will be presented during the Ananya Festival.
The Manipuri dancer’s choreography depicts the power of universe and the process of creation, destruction and preservation. “It is about the cycle of life. Since lai Haroba in Manipuri dance is all about the process of creation, so we will begin with that. The second part of the choreography will be about dissolution of destruction. It will be presented in Thang-ta, the martial art form of the Manipuri dancer tradition. Folklore links the creation of Thang-ta and its related dances with the native gods. More than destruction Thang-ta explains the removal of negativities around us. It represents the destruction of the negative elements. The third part of the choreography will be about preservation. Among the classical categories, Raas leela — a highly evolved dance drama, choreographed on Vaishnavite Padavalis — is the highest expression of devotion and excellence in the Manipuri dance. One would be able to see that to witness the entire circle of life that revolves around creation, destruction and preservation,” explains Priti who was initiated into the world of dance when she was just five. By 12, she was put under the tutelage of late Guru Bipin Singh and the famous Jhaveri Sisters. The rigorous training that she underwent brought out the best in her. She excelled as a danseuse, particularly in the Vaishnavite Raas leela form of the Manipuri dance tradition.
Priti had earlier come to Delhi with her performance at Nehru Park in 2006. The presentation was loved by people across age groups, “as it is not very often that one witnesses the traditional Manipuri dances.” One of the reasons why the choreographer is looking forward to her forthcoming performance is to introduce the youth to these ritualistic temple traditions which according to her have not been explored much. “Though we will be able to present only limited elements from the traditional dance forms in one hour but we are trying that this choreography will introduce the youngsters to the traditional form. There is a difference in the styles of these dances when performed on stage and when in temple. Fortunately, we have the facility of performing with the live music here, which is as per the tradition. But not major changes have been done to the dance form as it will be like spoiling the sanctity of these religious dances. We cannot take much liberty with these dance forms,” she said.
Over 40 participants will be seen on stage playing instruments and dancing. Mostly the dance ensemble consists of a person playing percussion instrument called the pung, a singer, small cymbals, a stringed instrument called the pena and wind instrument such as a flute. The drummers are always male artistes and, after learning to play the pung, students are trained to dance with it while drumming. The lyrics used in Manipuri are usually from the classical poetry of Jayadeva, Vidyapati, Chandidas, Govindadas or Gyandas.