A touring production shapes the verses of William Shakespeare to the European form of eurythm and Indian classical music
The group performs a scene from the play Love, And Be Silent
This writer still remembers reading William Shakespeare’s Hamlet according to the beats of its iambic pentameter when memorising lines in college. Members of the production team from Eurythmy India would have approached it differently. The company will take to the stage today to present scenes from another of the bard’s famous works, King Lear, in a unique performance, ‘Love, And Be Silent’ that blends Indian musical forms with the European practice of eurythmy.
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“Eurythmy actually began as a pedagogical teaching tool invented by Rudolf Steiner,” shares Preeti Birla, vice president of the Eurythmy Society of Performing Arts. An eurythmist herself, Birla is taking on the role of King Lear’s Fool in the production. “The performance is different from Indian classical forms. Where mudra or abhinaya [expression] is key to Indian dance and theatrical arts, you embody and make visible speech and music in eurythmy,” she explains.
A moment from the performance
Developed by Steiner in the early 20th century, the art form uses gestures and movement to depict musical notes. “The performance art is a part of the Waldorf Steiner educational movement, but also a product of the study of anthroposophy. Every musical note and movement is associated with a physical gesture,” Birla elaborates. The production includes performers from not only India, but also Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Nepal among other countries. “The team includes members who have recently graduated as eurythmists. We wanted to create a production that will inform audiences about the art form,” she points out.
Preeti Birla
To reach out to an Indian audience, the production has added the touch of the sitar and tabla as musical accompaniments to the story. Describing the performance in Indian attire, sitarist Adwait Gadgil explains, “The sitar elevates the moments of tragedy. The shruti, an overtone or microtone, is in conjunction with the eurythmic movements on stage. These delicate notes find a vibrant expression in this form.” Paired with elaborate pieces of Sergei Rachmaninoff, it offers a unique experience on stage, he adds. Having already travelled through Europe, including a performance at Steiner’s Goetheanum in Switzerland, the production will put up two performances in Mumbai.
ON February 14 and 15; 6.45 to 8.30 pm
AT Dr. Ashatai Primary School, Kalaghar, Goregaon East.
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