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| Sunday, 12 December 2004 |
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Street Beat : Taking on the best of the West and .....Coming out ahead Western music is rich in the traditions of narrative in song where superlative productions, both on stage and film, have carved special places for the mind to smile and the heart to miss a beat or two.
Aida Mansoor's production of a musical with a talented cast from the Elizabeth Moir School reflected on the two musical genres and it took my breath away when I went to see it the other day. 'Street Beat', a musical extravaganza loosely based on the Hip Hop movie 'Honey', which in its turn alluded to the theme of what is generally acknowledged as the greatest musical ever 'WEST SIDE STORY', shot my musical senses numb with its vivacity and utterly professional dancers and dance routines. These children need no kind revues. They demanded respect and boy did they get it from the audience. The story line was simple. The age old rivalries of gang psychologies, with their interplays of angst, in time diluted and turned into friendship through the expertise and expression of their respective dance-forms. The Eastern musical is now firmly established as a world renowned art-form, if a bit frivolous and over cut sometimes. But the ethnic margins that seem to divide us all so much, could have been exploded away world wide, if Aida Mansoor of the Elizabeth Moir School of our Colombo's suburbs had been called to the breech by all who seek a higher perspective in these things, among them the common fellowship of humanity. Her idea, handled masterfully, exploded my rather staid classical tastes with the force of a ballistic missile. She showed us a new thing or two. Most of all she showed us the value of the young. She made us, my family and I, and two full houses at the Bishop's College Auditorium, sit up and take notice that Rudyard Kipling's famous axiom, 'East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet' can be firmly dispatched into the land of the 'oomi gooli bird.' The production startled me with its professionalism. The choreography was truly stunning. I really don't say this lightly. Natasha Jayasuriya. Your western Hip Hop routines were staged with such verve, imagination and timing, it was hard for me to believe that these were children that attended an academic school and not a professional stage school. You are quite something as a dance teacher. Sri Lanka has a treasure in you. The performance began with a display of dancing skill by Charisha Jayawardena on the format of Michael Jackson's famous 'Thriller' routine, that Jackson himself would have applauded. I exaggerate not. Not one bit! The two male leaders of the packs hailed in with the same front names Nathan Kerner and Nathan Imboden.I have a connection with one of them and so it will be indelicate of me to lavish too much praise in his direction. Let me say that no one in that auditorium with any sense of objectivity could deny that these two young outstanding performers could have taken on the best in the West and come out ahead, both in their singing and dancing performances. The Hip Hop girls; Nilupulie Ehelepola, Charisha Jayawardena, Sintduja Jayakumar, Hee Won Cho, Dhivya Nathaniel, Juhi Subba, Nadia Mathew, Shazana Shahjahan, with Sheron Cassim the only other male in the 'gang' were no less adept. I have to make special mention of Nilupulie Ehelepola. You have the looks of a film star and the adroit confidence and musical expressiveness to take you far in show business young lady. The 'Bhangra Beaters' were an 'ode to joy'. Seema Chandani had done a marvellous job of conveying the vibrancy of Bhangra with the joyous innocence of the Indian dance form. There were cameos too. Nishali Perera is a serious singer by anyone's standards. Very impressive for one so young. An expressive and sensual voice that can convey an emotion rare in one so young. You could see Gresha Shulling, a past pupil at the school I believe, has done a bit of singing. Her stagecraft was impeccable and her presence made at least one male in the audience blush. Kaniya Pieris, Devika Menon, and Juhee Son all impressed. I truly am not resorting to polite hyperbole when I say this. These young ladies could sing a song and the smiles of appreciation I saw around me, were not all partisan. The Baila for me is the most infectious danceform of the lot. I believe a fortune awaits any entrepreneur who manages to package it as a musical commodity and sell it to the West. It is a pity that something of the Baila as a humouresque could not have been included. As far as dance went in terms of young bones this production 'Street Beat' had almost everything. It will be such a pity if one of our local TV stations does not take this production and put it before the cameras. It is that good. It will captivate any audience and truly affirm the commendable intention as expressed in the program notes of breaking down cultural boundaries, and transforming pride and tradition into sharing and friendship. Nigel Kerner |
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For the Occidental mind, 'musicals', as they are commonly called, are
the province of Western musical culture. Yet the Eastern musical made
popular by the Indian film genre of Bollywood has burst open this myth of
exclusivity with its explosion of colour and vivid dance routines that
sometimes rival the best of Hollywood.
