20 October,2016 10:36 AM IST | | Suprita Mitter
A dynamic mix of ritualistic dances from Manipur and a classical rendition that narrates stories of the women in the Ramayana, promise to make for an engaging, diverse line-up of performances to catch this week
The Manipuri martial art Thang-Ta
The eighth edition of the Nakshatra Dance Festival, which starts today, has performances that use dance as a medium to narrate powerful stories.
Breathing new life into stories from Manipur, Priti Patel an awardee of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, will present Anantashakti: Leishem Kanglon. "The storyline of the production is simple. We depict the activities of the universe - creation, preservation and destruction. But instead of using the concept of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, we have woven local Manipuri stories into the performance," says Patel, who has had comprehensive training and a performing experience of almost 30 years. She was initiated into the world of dance at an early age by eminent Manipuri dance gurus, Bipin Singh and the Jhaveri sisters. "Anantashakti is the cosmic play of the supreme energy in this universe.
The term anadi means that which has no beginning, and that which is eternal," she adds. The performance will feature the ritualistic dances of Lai Haraoba and acrobatic martial art Thang-Ta. "We are using a refined form of the martial art. The research included looking at traditional stories, Manipuri scriptures and tales. We will use Manipuri music performed by artistes live on stage," she sums up.
On: October 21, 7 pm
At: Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call: 22824567
Meet the epic ladies
When four classical Indian dance forms come together to depict soul-stirring stories from the Ramayana, the result is a visual treat. The opening act of the dance festival is a collaborative one titled Tejasa:Women of Ramayana, starring well-known dancers Ranjana Gauhar, Gopika Varma, Uma Dogra and Deepika Reddy.
(Clockwise from left) Uma Dogra (Kathak), Ranjana Gauhar (Odissi), Deepika Reddy (Kuchipudi) and Gopika Varma (Mohiniattam) will present Tejasa Women of Ramayana
The imaginative production will tell the story of four powerful women from the Ramayana. Dogra will portray queen Kaikeyi using Kathak, Varma will play Surpanakha through Mohiniattam, Reddy will tell the story of Mandodari through Kuchipudi, while Gauhar will use Odissi to play Sita, who is also the narrator of the story. She tells takes the audience through what happened to her when she got married and came to Ayodhya. All the characters are people who influenced her life. Each dancer narrates her story from a deeply personal point of view.
"The production was conceptualised by Ranjana ji. Ranjana ji then called each of the dancers because she wanted the stories to be told in different dance styles. Each dance has its own flavour. So, the music used in each act will also be different. We loved the concept and agreed immediately," shares Dogra. The artistes also travelled to Delhi a couple of times to brainstorm (Gauhar is based in Delhi) while the act was being scripted. "We were allowed to pick our music and choreograph our 15-minute pieces. Sita is the narrator and tells the story in between each performance. We are also using audiovisuals this time. There are photographs, videos and even narrations by historians about the characters in the Ramayana. It is a well-researched act. The viewpoints are not ours but are based on what historians and scholars have been saying over the years," Dogra adds.
Each character in the performance tries to justify her decision by portraying the circumstances that led to it. "I chose the character of Kaikeyi because I find her strong and powerful. She was a decision-maker and a great warrior, and saved Dashrath once. That is when he asked her to ask for any two wishes that he would grant. She loved her son and Ram too, but was poisoned by her maid and blinded by her maternal love. There are contrasting shades to her character," says Dogra, adding that in Delhi, she was part of the Bhartiya Kala Kendra whose Ramleela is world-famous, where she has also played Mandodari.
"The dramatic portions of Kaikeyi's life, like the one where she insists that Ram leaves on a Vanvas, are mentioned in Tulidasji's Ramcharitmanas, which is written in Awadhi. North Indian classical dancers find that easy to adapt," she concludes, before rushing off to a rehearsal.
