The Raja Radha Reddy Centre for Performing Arts recently organised Parampara Series which presented classical genius under creative themes giving fresh approach to otherwise traditional art forms. By UK Banerjee
An Indian classical dance is primarily prone to solo performance. Out of the eight recognised genres, this is true for six, barring Manipuri dance and occasionally Kathakali dance-theatre. Otherwise, the solo performer of any style is at liberty to essay her entire art — both nritta (pure dance) and nritya (intepretative dance) — and, if she has more than one character to interpret, she would launch ekaharya abhinaya: donning many roles in a single costume.
The latter has its flip side in terms of any possible paucity of talent; and that is precisely where group performance comes handy for multiple characters, presented by individual dancers in appropriate attires.
But the main advantage of group performance lies elsewhere. For a soloist, the scope of using time and space on a given platform is necessarily limited. For ensemble performance, on the contrary, there is an endless way of utilising the full proscenium geometry — arcs and circles, lines and diagonals, supine bends and helical springs — and presenting exhilarating compositions in terms of one, two, three or more dancers.
ParamparaSeries, presented recently by Natya Tarangini, show-cased, on three evenings, as many ensemble performances. This was organised by Raja Radha Reddy Centre for Performing Arts. As Raja explained, “Parampara, conducted right after the soothing monsoon and just before the withering autumn, has stood firm for the last 18 years.Parampara has blended concerts by presenting classical geniuses under creative themes: giving uniquely fresh approach to otherwise traditional art-forms.”
The curtain-raiser was a sparkling Mahanatam (the Majestic Dancer), eulogising Shiva, also known as the Cosmic Dancer whose rhythmic feet animate the universe from within. Taking full advantage of the ensemble of dancers — seven female and one male — the choreography flowered at two levels: Shiva-and-Parvati on a lofty platform and the bevy of youthful disciples traipsing down below. Together, they made myriad patterns at a varying pace highlighting duality in its many manifestations and ending in pairs of fauna — squirrels, parrots, deer and mammoth elephants.
Raja said, “I was inspired by Kalidasa’s Malavikagnimitra where the playwright pays tribute to Shiva’s dual nature: the right side depicting the male and the left the female; the right expressingtandava (virile dance) and the left lasya (lyrical dance); the right showing the lord himself and the left ever-mellow Parvati. I addedjatis (mnemonics), karanas (bodily postures) and charis (gaits).”
The second evening saw Yaiphabi (the Blessed) unfolding in Manipuri style. Produced by Anjika from Kolkata and directed by Priti Patel, its first part went back in history to the pre-Vaishnava times, when the maibes-maibis comprised the primitive preisthood re-enacting the creation myths of Manipur. The second part was the familiar Manipuri dance based on sankirtana (choral chanting of devotees) and Raas-leela (Krishna’s love-play with milk-maids), sans Krishna.
Said Priti, “I tried to encapsulate lai Haraoba within the short time specified. Its rituals are otherwise fairly long. In Manipuri Raas-leela, I highlighted only the part where milk-maids inter-act among themselves and an interesting dialogue takes place between the pung (Manipuri drum) and the jagoi sabi (dancer), hence the absence of Krishna.”
The finale on the third evening, almost verging on dance-drama, wasAntaram (inner nathre): patently a labour of love among the various styles. Four petite danseuses — Gopika Verma, Krithika Subrahmanian, Yamini Reddy and Suhasini Mani Ratnam — joined hands to present respectively Mohiniattyam, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Sri lanka’s Kandyan dance. Suhasini also acted as a spirited story-teller: threading together four celebrated female-figures of yore and relating them to modern morals and values.
Thus came Vasavi (Yamini) as jnanashakti (intellectual power) preferring knowledge to renouncing the body; Kannagi (Gopika) as kriya shakti (power to act purposefully) revered as a goddess in Kerala;Andaal (Krithika) as ichcha shakti (will power) for manifesting single-minded devotion; and Rhamba (Suhasini) as the consummate woman: sharing a self-willed love-life with Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur and embodying the dynamism of the other three iconic characters. Individual dancing, and support by cyclorama projections — especially that of Rhamba perched on the eight-storeyed Gol Gambuj fort — was riveting.
Yamini summarised the four dancers’ motivation, “Choreographed by ourselves, we attempted to do two things in Antaram. First, we sought to present a collage of classical dance, theatre, painting and architecture that celebrates our vibrant arts and crafts.
Second, we wanted to re-discover the power of women through mythic and historical stories of strong feminine characters in an expose that reveals the strength of their inner psyche.”