Heritage series at Ganesha Natyalaya presented a blend of Tango, Japanese Noh music and Vilasini Natyam. By UK Banerjee
World Heritage Series at Ganesha Natyalaya is an occasion when different cultures from the world join in and present their heritage. Within a short span of one evening, the variety is impressive. The recent third edition was no exception. It provided a mix of the sacred and the profane, when the Noh music from Japan shook hands with Vilasini Natyam of India’s Andhra Pradesh, Bharatanatyam co-existed with Tango from the latin America and a very special presentation of Bharatanatyam was choreographed to the piano — accompanied by the tambourine — to visualise the story of Cleopatra, the proud queen of early Egypt.
The tone was set by Miya Abe, a Noh theatre artiste from Japan who has been grooming herself to Bharatanatyam in India, chanting the sacred Gayatri Mantra with utmost solemnity. The Japanese drum players then took over: with four mizhavu-like large vertical drums, a kettle-drum and a rhythm-keeping hollow brass pot. Called wadaiko, the ensemble of musical instruments has been indispensable from ancient times for festivals and religious rituals in Japan. Under the leadership of Hirose San, the group proceeded with great gusto to produce a variety of rhythms and resonances in successive cycles, the best being re-capitulation of fishermen’s cadence, with names of each fish being pronounced with high-voltage energy: almost breathlessly. Said Hirose, “This was Delhi Wadaiko Band that I formed in 2006 to respect Japanese traditional spirit and strengthen India-Japan bond. The drums used are made by Indian craftsmen from the mango tree. My fellow drummers are Furiye San, Kono San, Sekino San and Yukako San, with the lady-member Kaori, who is a student of Bharatanatyam here.”
Purva Dhanashree, a Hyderabad-based danseuse, followed with Vilasini Natyam: a little-known tradition of temple-dancers in her state. First, she presented churnika, a floral offering to Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and the guardians of the eight directions. Next was a resplendent jatiswaram, in raga Kalyani and the 16-beat adi talam: traditionally performed during bala bhoga, the morning repast of the temple-deity.
Explained Purva, “Unlike similar traditions that evolved in other regions of the land, ours is ritual-specific and ceremony-specific, covering operatic aspects of the temple-dance. The dancers were originally known as Kalalvantulu, further researched and re-cast by Swapna Sundari, under the guidance of Maddula lakshmi Narayana.” On differences from Andhra’s other classical style of Kuchipudi or from the popular Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu, Purva pointed out, “This form is largely oriented to lasya (mellowed movements); thrives on sways and undulations like an elephant’s trunk; and has a restricted hasta kshetra (hand-expansion space).”
In an interlude, Amrit Sinha, who runs his own dance institution in lucknow, depicted a short piece on Shankara Sri Giri… in Bharatanatyam, using virile tandava elements. Then followed a fast-paced Tango — the well-known partner dance from Argentina and Uruguay — by the American dancer Kayomus Kamakhan and his livewire lady-companion: as a vivacious pas de deux on 1-2-3 beats. He said, “I teach the dance forms like rumba, salsa, ballroom, waltz and tango in this city. Tango follows the lead-and-follow style of the close-space dancing patterns. I call this particular piece Passion, inspired by Khalil Gibran’s quote: For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; a passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destination…”
The grand finale was the opus, Cleopatra, both choreographed and danced by Dakshina Vaidyanathan in Bharatanatyam — with superb musical support on piano by Ashwini and on tambourine by the petite Akanksha — taking cue from the life’s events of the legendary Egyptian empress. In a breathtaking costume, the first part captures the proud queen: a self-proclaimed goddess in Egypt and very proud of her iconic beauty. Dancing with great aplomb, Dakshina blended classical idiom with Egyptian gaits and gestures: a picture of vanity! Called the Sensuous lover, the second part sees her entry in a rolled-up carpet — delivered as a costly gift — to Julius Caesar’s parlour. With her affair with the emperor plotted by her as power play, she literally enters his bed-chamber to seduce him with her ethereal charm. Dramatic action is judiciously mixed with dance movements.
In the last part, the Brave Woman, having lost the battle of Actium, the vaunting queen declines to surrender to Octavius’ army. In an act of defiance, she calls for the asp — the most venomous serpent of the world — allowing it to bite her. As Dakshina depicted, Cleopatra ebbs away her life: with her dignity in tact. About the music, she said, “I’ve used three compositions. The first one is a traditional Arabic tune and the second is Taylor Swift’s love Story. The concluding piece is a sitar-melody by Anushka Shankar: Dancing in Madness. I also have lines from Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra.”