ON July 21’2022
Pics by Madhusudan S. Menon – Dance and Music Photography – Menon
An evening celebrating choreographies born during lockdown was presented by the prestigious NCPA ,Mumbai under CATALYSTon July 21’2022 , with Kuchipudi by Parvathy Menon, Odissi by Mitali Varadkar & Shreya Sabharwal and Kathak by Sanjukta Sinha & troupe
The national lockdown had worked as a catalyst that had ‘sown seeds of new knowledge and forced artistes to start thinking out of the box to create work never thought of before’ .
The evening showcased live performances by artists who had redesigned a choreography that was originally shot in their individual spaces.
The evening commenced with the solo Kuchipudi performance by Parvathy Menon, whom Ms SwapnokalpaDasgupta – Programme Head – Dance NCPA , introduced as the ‘Bahu of Mumbai ‘ as she is the daughter -in-law of the celebrated & renowned Exponent, Mentor, Choreographer, Curator Kalashri Dr Lata Surendra.
Parvathy Menon
Parvathy Menon, is one among the senior disciples of the renowned Guru Kalamandalam Mohana Thulasi and veteran A.B. Bala Kondala Rao. She presented Jyothirgamaya – Towards light ‘ highlighting the inner awakening vital to transcend the flux of life, through the persona of Devaki – Mother of Lord Krishna . The four walls of her prison – Karagriha, akin to each human heart suffocating within four walls during the lockdown and threatened by the COVID Virus- as insensitive as the negativity incarnate in the form of ‘Kamsa.. The fleeting vision covering his entire life , accorded unto Devaki and Vasudeva by Lord Krishna, from his leelas at Gokul to the battle field at kurukshetra, highlighted the vital message to all mankind to anchor in the merciful Lord, with that faith vital to transcend every waiting trial in a causal world. Endowed with a very expressive countenance, the graceful dancer Parvathy, mirrored the anxiety of Mother Devaki as she gives birth. Her wide eyes reflected Devaki’s disbelief and dismay, as the Lord accorded the fleeting vision of what his life would gather at Gokulam ! The dancer skillfully used the charanam Chinni Krishna rara nanu palimpa of the Attana varnam in Adi tala. by Composer: Turaiyur Rajagopala Sharma and highlighted the transitions in Krishna’s life effectively. One only wished that she had balanced the nritta aspect strategically so as not to have it break the flowing sequence towards the dramatic climax that she was creating. Instead of the otherwise still and movement sequences that the vocalist and dancer resorts to, in a live kuchipudi performance, she could have worked out the dramatic climax with the energized aesthetics of Kuchipudi, having nritta and nrittya bringing to life the battle scene of Kurukshetra, with the dramatic vision of the divine opulence accorded by the Lord unto Arjuna , etched and reflected in Devaki’s eyes. The heart of a Mother who gathers her child with a mixed anxiety of all that is to follow and her very motherhood that embraced its effulgence ! The segment set the prelude to the duet sheathed in Odissi by disciples of renowned Guru Shubhada Varadkar
Mitali Varadkar & Shreya Sabharwal
The two talented disciples of renowned Odissi Exponent and Guru Shub hada Varadkar – Mitali Varadkar & Shreya Sabharwal began their segment with Ram bhajan – _Ran jiti ram rahu aaye_Ram bhajan from Tulsi Ramayan. followed by the pure dance through the Jhinjhoti pallavi and concluded with the beautiful composition by seer composer Adi Shankara -Shive shrungara_ with Mahishasurmardini , The choreography of all pieces was by their mentor, Smt Shubhada Varadkar.The movements were well co- ordinated and synchronized . However one wished that the young dancers paid more attention to the beautiful aspects of the dance form with more oneness and sensitivity .The nritta aspect of Odissi is a visual poetry with with arcs, lines of arms, graceful tilting of shoulders and one longed for a deeper visual impact through the obvious talent within them !
Endearing as they were, in their breathless highlighting of each item inculcated during the lock down, one sincerely wished that they also cultivated the art of controlled breathing as they held sensitive mikes in their hands and sought to share the experience of imbibing each item iduring the two year trial of the lockdown!, . Small connects make a performance memorable else one remembers all that is not dance. Youngsters should also become aware of an aesthetics that highlights a poise in every movement of a dancer on stage, to have them emerge as artistic practitioners of their styles.
Sanjukta Sinha dance Company
The finale was truly the befitting climax of the evening by.Sanjukta Sinha dance Company . Sanjukta is among those Indian Dancers, who through the synergy of the classical with modern vocabulary have been impacting not only Indian but the International audience as well. The thought given to every aspect of the presentation was quite evident in its defining professionalism. The meticulously choreographed light designing had the space transform to the energized defining of Mahadeo or caress the longing within the jeeva for Krishna or draw attention to the silence and sound threading every dancing feet , leading to the climax with the final discarding of the material by the jeeva for the surrender that is bliss in the conluding piece.
The performance was marked by the practised co- ordination between dancers with the ongoing climax in every piece until the silence that marked the last piece- where even gingroos were abandoned, highlighted the blissful potent aesthetics of dance – the consummate oneness of the body that is dust transforming to energised dust .that is light !
Sometimes in the overt concentration on the aim to impress, as is happening in the dance scenario all around and drawing attention to the personality executing it, one’s soul feels the need to be stirred, to be moved to be overwhelmed by what is sought to be expressed than what is created to impress ! Nevertheless the evening was a memorable one that had one gather the sincere commitment in young and serious practitioners a pristine foil to the more professional approach.
Kalashri Dr Lata Surendra – post performance discussion
The post – performance discussion was one can say the cherry on the cake with the renowned & celebrated Bharata Natyam- Guru, Exponent , Choreographer ,Curator Kalashri Dr Lata Surendra taking on the stage with a directed discussion on the impact of covid on dance and dancers . With her inimitable, intimate style she led the discussion through humour , life quotes , her experience lauding the spirit of humanity which as she put it could be ‘destroyed but never defeated !
Kalashri Dr Lata Surendra
Kalashri Dr Lata Surendra summed the potency of classical dance forms with – ‘as dancers we have always been part of the virtual- translating the tangible to the intangible . The potent fourth dimension is what dancers are always seeking and leading rasikas to through their ornate aharyas that they have the audience forget in their virtual weaving of a theme and therefore this new age virtual world is nothing new for us’
CATALYST AT EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE NCPA – celebrates choreographies from Lockdown
