Rasa Unmasked by Sutra Dance Theatre

“Rasa Unmasked- Wisdom of India, Invoked and Savoured”

“Rasa Unmasked is a new dance work touring Australia and South-East Asia in March and April 2009. It is a sensuous, vibrant performance and the result of a remarkable collaboration, between:

Rasa Unmasked is a sensuous, contemporary dance work that sheds new light on India’s most vital aesthetic theory. The performance premieres in March in Sydney, Australia – before an international tour to Malaysia, Singapore and India.

Rasa Unmasked is the result of a collaboration between Anandavalli & Australia’s Lingalayam Dance Company, Ramli Ibrahim & Malaysia’s Sutra Dance Theatre and ethnomusicologist / composer, Alex Dea – all pioneers of classical art forms in contemporary contexts.

It is a stunning collaboration, seducing Malaysian dance doyen, Ramli, back to Australian shores after more than 25 years, since his time as dancer and choreographer at the Sydney Dance Company.”, says their Media Publicity pages

To watch a video

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Event Calendar

The Australia shows have concluded

Malaysia
KL :April 7th -12th:  Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, KLPac Website
Penang April 15th: Dewan Sri Penang, Penang, Penang Show Website

Singapore
April 19th: Theatre Studio, The Esplanade
India
April 22nd: Chowdiah Hall, Bangalore,
April 25th: Chinmaya Heritage Centre, Chennai
April 28th: Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi

For more details, reviews and to buy tickets visit: http://rasaunmasked.wordpress.com/media-release/

Rasikas vote (watched it- pl vote)

Filed under: Australia, Bangalore, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Chennai, Dance, India, Introduction, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Madras, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, South Asian Dance, artists, choreograhers, choreography, contemporary, dance drama, experiences, program, promotion , Delhi, Ramli Ibrahim, Sutra Dance Theatre

Silly laments- redundant and repetitive!

Here are a few of my own ponderings on certain recent and not so recent observations with inputs from fellow rasikas. Isnt it a blessing to be surrounded by a few kindred souls? Well, I am not the kind with “the coin has only one side and that is mine” attitude. We are just thinking loudly and  I am pressing it into words as we think….

What happens when …

• 1. You have to present a program to an audience, with concentration spans  of a pre-schooler during a Bharathanatyam recital ? (Come on I am exaggerating… it cannot be clinically filed under ADD yet). 
• 2. The artists have to cater to audience who aren’t interested in watching slow abhinya oriented padams/krithis ec? (OMG 2 halves of a Varnam is an ancient practice J). They are oK with short nritta pieces like Pushpanjalis, Kavutuvams, Thillanas, and very appreciative of some props on the stage like a pot/ some peacock feathers/or a snake’s hood in the costume… A dancer with a pot is good.. a dancer on a pot is excellent.. you get the point?
• As an answer to the above questions if the artistic directors of various companies decide to:-
• a. Heat up the tempo where all adavus merge to become one and the same .(This is the most prevalent approach).This in turn can lead to a multitude of dire consequences..
• i. All (well Ok Most) ardhis and theermanams are lost to both the audience and the dancers? Especially when these are student recitals, the Guru’s arduous samams and usis as well as the changes in nadai become one large mess.
• ii. The Sthayi Bhava is successfully lost..(Well who even cares any more)
• iii. The abhinaya becomes quick mime. Hey no time for the three levels of understanding in appreciating poetry(Padam-Words,Vaakyaartha- Sentence, Dhwani-Inherent tone (hidden meaning)…Don’t get the reason for our lament? Ok here I try to lay my case on your table with an example. Imagine the dancer was miming out lyrics that implied ” Devi the creator of the Omkara , vanquishes the “I” pride in mankind”… all she now does is write up the Om in 2 different fonts( one looked like Gautami, what was the other?) and throw out the hands forcefully in a oblique fashion to simulate a monstrous bulldozer razing out the ego in Man(that kind of force would demolish the man, his ego and the condo he lived in). That’s as much as you get in padartham.. Fine. No allusions to Creation theory, Devi being the Divine Mother, no spiritual awakening as a result of conquering one’s self. Devi is now a fearsome Wall-E ! ..
• b. Bring in Karanas and charis (some resembling Noopuram, Garudaplutha, dolapada,and vrischikarechita.. the common ones you get to see), and myriad “sculpturesque” poses (or the dance itself brought in between sculpturesque poses)?
• c. Introduce slokas anywhere and everywhere with the bells resounding to elevate the cursed rasikas to a spiritual plane?
• d. Jazz up the costume a little bit?
• e. Bring in other art forms to provide a variety?

 3. You want to impress the audience with geometric excellence , drawing perfect lines and angles  (sometimes at the cost of lasya)?

• 4. The Gurus are learning/getting inspired from the commercial CD’s. What happens if two of your pieces are in Vazhuvur style and 2 others in Kalakshetra and has elements of PS’s Bharathanrithyam woven into it for that extra pep… And at times it also borrows from the Bollywood, Kollywood and Hollywood (That one for the expressions)
• 5. And most important of all if audience shower their ooooo’s , aaas and resonating applause for each pose, and each jathi completed by the dancer? Are they expressing their gratitude at the completion of the torment?

The Answer for all these What Happens when or if questions may by and large fall into the  following  wide categories …

• a. Under the right circumstances, and with God’s blessings, creative juices flow and some excellent productions shape up. At times it may be in the form of exciting group choreographies giving us, the delinquent rasikas more than a reasonable amount of stimuli to hold our response…At others it may come out as an excellent innovative approach or at its worst an experimental piece that can be tinkered to be a wholesome production
• b. But more often than not… slightly initiated rasikas can’t help feeling that “ignorance could have been bliss”. On the positive side, you will witness the best stand up comedians you will ever get to see..

Well, what if after a seemingly bad show the Artistic Director/Guru walks with his/her head held high, with a pervading sense of accomplishment?  But one probably has to remember that  the good and bad , the right and the wrong are in one’s own perspective, very subjective.. That production may have touched a section of the audience…

For those who didnt like it: Make sure to make a mental note of not attending the programs by the artiste/group again,  to save yourself from experiencing the chill down your spine yet another time.

PS: Does  the Lion mount of Chamundeshwari look magnificient or wicked? Should the expression mimic Aslan from Narnia or the Cruella Deville from 101 Dalmations?  Well, got it who cares ! Its just that its hard to let go at times…

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Dance, Dance Gurus, Performing Arts, Rasika, artists, choreograhers, choreography, contemporary, experiences, review, students, talent , do's and don'ts for dancers

Ajith Bhaskaran Dass’s Suvarana’s Dance Company sparkling production Ujjwala

Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and his group of dancers from the Suvarna Dance Company presented the “Ujjwala- Awakening of the Inner Flame” at Dewan Tuanku Abdul Rahman Auditorium in Malaysia Tourist Centre, KL on Aug 30^th . Ajith has an impressive lineage of Gurus including Smt Bhanaumathi Krishnan, Smt. Shanta Ponnudurai, Ramli Ibrahim, Smt. Shantha Bhaskar, Adyar.K. Lakshmanan, Guru Gajendar Kumar panda,  Sri. Dhananjayan and  Smt. Shantha Dhanajayan. He is the artistic Director of Suvarana Fine Arts ansd has performed extensively all over SE asia, Indai, USA, Canada and Europe. he has worked with several internationally renowned dancers .. Dhananjayans(Sangamitra), Lakshmi Viswanathan( Caturanga and Banyan Tree), Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar (Pancha Mahabootha) and Padma Subrahmanyam(Ritu Mahatmayam). he has an impressive repertoire of professional productions and artistic collaborations both in Malaysia and abroad. He regulary conducts workshops and lecture demonstrations.

The program was scheduled to begin at 7.30pm but started at 8.00pm. It was a ticketed program and there were people who had brought in the tickets and waiting at the lobby. Quite an encouraging sign for artists in KL isn’t it?

Their brochure describes Ujjwala as “a dance feature which explores the element FIRE in its various representations. This dance work attempts to translate into movement and mood, not only the physical nature of fire but also explores the intrinsic nature of this element through human emotions and psychological states.”

The Program itself was divided into 5 sections

Part 1: Aditya Agni- Eternal Flame

Using verses from the Aditya Hridayam and Agni Suktham this piece was conceived as a salutation to the Surya Bhagawan. The strength of group choreography was utilised here to show the eternal flame…

Part 2: Joothisvaroopini- Cosmic Effulgence

This segment presented a new varnam written by Shri.V. Balakrishnun (Bharathaanjali, Singapore). I was told that this was the first time the varnam was being performed. The piece has been musically composed by Sri T.S. Lazar in Ragamalika( Some very rare ragas like Jothisvaroopini, priyadarshini, Bindumalini there). This varanam depicts the Goddess Shakthi as jwalamalini and Jwalamukhi, the inferno of cosmic energy. (Devi closing Shiva’s eyes, birth of Meenakshi and Muruga and the destruction of Bandasura were some of the episodes covered in this composition).

Though I don’t want to get into reviewing any of the performances I attend, it would be unfair if I didn’t mention that this piece was embellished some very well rehearsed and synchronised movement s (The showing of the Arumugam- almost as synchronized as the a few Chinese group dances that I always thought was almost a miracle). Jathis as in a few present choreographies, had some special “sollus” incorporated into it. I recall these- “Ujjwala” and “Natanam” built into the jathis.  The presentation was at a very brisk pace and the choreography had taken into consideration the demands on physical stamina of the dancers and Ajith definitely deserves a mention for all the homework he has done. Ajith had some quick costume changes here. (Did he manage 3 during the varnam?). Some wonderful Gudhitamettis there. During the tattimettis, I noticed the alternate use of samam and usi eduppus.

There was a 20 minute interval after this and I want to tell you there wasn’t an exodus. Rasikas here don’t seem to mind commuting late. This is my second performance here at KL.  I had watched people leave during Sheejith’s Rama Charitham at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. Just sayingL The loss wasn’t Sheejith’s thoughJ

The Post Interval session presented 3 segments…

Part 3: Kamagni-Burning desire.

 It was as they described it, “a sensuous conversation of love” to Bharathiyar’s “Vennaiadi nee yenakku”. This piece was musically composed by Shri Deepu Nair, Chennai.

Part 4: “Krodha Jwala”- Fire of Fury saw Panchali Sapatham being used to portray the Draupadi vastrabhaharanam and her wrath and fury and her vow to destroy the Kauravas. The piece had the dayakattum playing and Ajith was the Shakuni and Draupadi. Sollukattus were used every time the dice was rolled. There was one Kantam sequence that I immensely enjoyed. This brought back memories of the Panchali Shapadam by Smt. Chitra Visweswaran (Well I am thinking of her all the time so it is bound to happen!:)

Part 5: The finale… “Ujjwala”, the final awakening of the inner light of spirituality used traditional sufi poetry musically composed by Rajesh Vaidya and T.S. lazar.

The Crew:

·         Nattuvangum: Smt. Usha Ramachandran (daughter of Guruvayoor Durai and artistic director of Laasya Fine Arts). Reminds me of Smt. Indira rajan , her Guru (and incidentally one of my Gurus) in her Nattuvangum style.

·         Vocal: Smt. Bhavani Logeswaran

·         Mridangam: Shri.T. Ramanan

·         Violin: Shri.T.S.Lazar

·         Flute: Shri.G. Nataraj

·         Percussionist: Shri Theban Arumugam

·         Guest artistes:

o   Khairul Shahrin from Maya dance Theatre, Singapore. Khairul is trained in quite a few contemporary and modern dance styles apart from Bharathanatyam and Balinese Dance Forms.

o   Meena Kumaree trained in Kalakshetra Style, was the narrator for the Ujjwala.  Did I tell you that the show had a narrator (who didn’t stand behind the scenes).  She introduced the pieces (in English) and with her excellent diction and theatrical skills providing a setting for the upcoming scene.

PS:

Overheard Ajith saying “  While I do focus on the aspect of story telling, I have to convince myself of the story being told”. Also I saw him walk up to the musicians and thank them personally. (when the audience left after the formal curtain call) . Good signs again! Yes yes I di see Mavin Khoo there… I have a few pictures will soon upload them for you..

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Chennai, Dance, Dance Gurus, Institutes, KL, Kalakshetra, Kuala Lumpur, Madras, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Padma Subrahmanyam, Performing Arts, Rasika, Sheejith Krishna, Singapore, South Asian Dance, Sri Krishna Gana sabha, Suvarna Dance Company, Workshops, artisits, artists, choreograhers, choreography, contemporary, experiences, program, review, students, talent , Ajith Bhaskaran Dass

Dance Of Numbers.

Well, numerical concepts have long been dealt with by choreographers. But recently, Sangeeth Natak Academi organised a Festival of Dances entitled “Nritya Sanrachna” in Hyderabad. The festival, which presented several dance forms of India, was conducted at Ravindra Bharathi from 21st to 25th of July 2008.

Kutcheribuzz says “The dances were choreographed based on numbers, or Sankhya Yoga, for which India is renowned from ancient times.”

Here’s a look at the number, the concept and the choreographer

• 10- Dasavataram-Bharathai Shivaji (Mohiniattam)
• 9-Navarasa-Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant(Bharathanatyam)
• 8-Astanayika - Singhajit Singh (Manipuri) 
• 7-Sapta Aavartathe seven movements or orbits) - Prerana Shrimali from Delhi (Kathak)
• 6- “Shatrutu” (the six seasons) by Swapna Sundari in Vilasini Natyam
• 5- Pancha Bhootas- contemporary performance by Anita Ratnam
• 4-Chaturvedas-Rajashree Shirke (Kathak)
• 3-Trimoorthi-Shashdhar Acharya (Chhau)
• 2-Dwaitam-Radha and Raja Reddy(Kuchipudi)
• 1-Advaitam-Dr.Padma Subrahmanyam (Bharathanrityam)
• 0-Shoonya-Sonal Mansingh (Odissi)

The programme was co-sponsored by the Department of Culture of A.P. Government and Shankarananda Kalakshetra of Hyderabad. Ananda Shankar Jayant coordinated the entire event.

Read the whole article here

Filed under: Anita Ratnam, Arts, Ashta Nayikas, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Conference, Dance, India, Padma Subrahmanyam, Performing Arts, Rasika, South Asian Dance, artists, choreograhers, choreography, contemporary, dance festival, experiences, learning, program, review, talent, titles , Anada Shanakar Jayant, Hyderabad, Kuchipudi, Mathematics, Numbers, Odissi, Sankhya Yoga, Sonal Mansingh

Dance as a sibling?

Madhu Natraj article featured  in The Asian Age reads…

Dance is my sibling”.

Bizarre, pompous, precocious? But in my mind there is no ambiguity about this statement.

I have always felt that my mother (also my Guru) first conceived dance and then I was born!

My earliest memories are of watching rehearsals, playing with Ghungroos, reciting “bols” and subjecting unsuspecting guests to my own brand of movement.

Through all this was a quiet presence, my companion, my sister – dance.

Yes, dance is a woman, oozing Shakti, sensual, rebellious, demanding, at times unapproachable, raw, impulsive, gentle and completely indispensable!

Another interesting excerpt from the article

Legendary dancer Betty Jones (Limon technique) class was first. Next was Sara Pearson, looking like a New Age hippie. Her Rajasthani cap got me even more agitated about my pending shopping expedition.

Sara asked each of us to create 20 movements out of our index finger. I thought she had gone nuts and to add to my discomfort, she made me demonstrate my… (ahem) choreography!

And then it happened.

She said, “If you can create 20 movements with three of your joints, given your whole body will you ever be short of creating – movement?”

To read this complete article click here

Thanks to Mr.KT for providing us with the lead and link

Filed under: Arts, Bangalore, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Conference, Dance, Dance Gurus, Performing Arts, artists, choreograhers, choreography, contemporary, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, learning, students, talent, upcoming artist , Madhu Natraj. Maya Rao