Enchanting exploration into a sacrosanct dance

Odissi by Nrityagram Dance Ensemble:

Reviewed by Indeewara Thilakarathne and Ranga Chandrarathne

Given the remarkable agility and the sheer mastery of ancient sacred dance forms and their apt adaptation into modern stage, Nrityagram dance ensemble which recently performed at Bishop’s College, stands out as a living legend which keeps alive the ancient Indian dance form in its purest forms.

It was a sheer blend of ancient sacred dances with modern stage craft in a continuous journey of excellence, an exploration into sublime movements of body in total harmony with back drop music scores.

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble from Nrityagram, a village in India where life is dancing, shares the similar objectives as those of Chithrasena Kalayathanaya.

Reflection (Pratima) was an item based on a Vedic verse Naasadiya Sukta. Naasadiya Sukta or Praarambha (hymn of creation) was performed by Manasi Tripathy, Pavithra Reddy, Rasmi Raj and Bijayini Satpathy.

Dramatic disposition of the choreographed ancient verse in Veda was breathtaking. To the soothing and inspiring music the performers recreated it in terms of delicately broken down movements. The movements on the stage synchronised well with the background music. It was a feast to the eye as the performers re-created the idea of the verse.

Sensuousness

In Chaaya (Image) where the performer explored inalienable nexus between the image of the dance and the dancer. Chhaya explored the lyrical forms of Odissi, an ancient dance form practised in Orissa as a sacred ritual dedicated to god. The history of this dance form which is one of the oldest in the world goes as far back as 2nd century. Predominant characteristics of Odissi are its sensuousness and lyricism.

By and large, the movements reflect motifs of Orissa temple sculptures and captures drum rhythms, melodies and the meaning of the songs from the canon of Oriya music. Here in Chhaya, the dance enhances the image of the dancer and dancer enhances the dance.

Perhaps, it was not only the images of the dancer but also their perfect vocabulary of dance which made Chaaya a poem in dancing. In terms of the composite experience, Chaaya was one of the defining movements of the dance concert. Bijayini Satpathy, Surapa Sen, Manasi Tripathy, Rasmi Raj and Pavithra Reddy performed for Chaaya. Mugdha (lost in love) is based on “Murali Paani...”

Oriya poem and depicts through the facial expression (bhava) and gestures (mudra). It was performed by Pavithra Reddy, Manasi Tripathy and Rasmi Raj. Here the performers re-created in terms of body movements, gesticulations and facial expressions, the legendary Radha-Krishna love story.

The zenith of the performance was when couple was lost in love. The background music for the piece created the ambience suited for the theme of the piece. Performers depicted the subtle nuances of the Oriya poem with their perfect body movements. The eternal love of Krishna was manifested in a choreograph which perhaps, captured not only the essence of the legend but that of dancing too.

Immortal

Abhinaya (expression dance) is based on a poem from Geet Govind. It was interpreted through a series of masterly defined facial expressions (bhava) and gestures (mudra). Geet Govind was written in Sanskrit by twelfth century poet Jayadeva. It is a romantic ballad about the immortal love of Radha and Krishna. The poem reinforces the Vaishnava belief that mankind is a feminine energy (Radha) and ever in search of union with the godhead (Krishna).

Surupa Sen performed Abhinaya. It would have been one of the difficult pieces for the performer as it was extremely difficult to define the poem in terms of facial expressions while focusing on the movements of the body on the stage. It was the sheer ability on the part of performer that enabled to make Abhinaya one of the best pieces of choreographs.

The last piece of the evening was Vibhakta. Vibhakta celebrates the duality in life which perhaps, is the very basis of creation. The dualistic nature of world was amply manifested in this piece.

It has been the belief in Hindu culture that creation commences when, with the power of yoga, one splits into two and becomes Ardhanareshwara (half-man, half-woman). According to the belief female and male half live in perfect harmony, celebrating each other. Surupa Sen and Bijayani Satpathy portrayed the male and female halves.

The concert reinforced the idea that novelty is a logical extension of tradition. The innovative and novelty springs from the rich legacy of art and tradition which fosters it from one generation to another. Odissi was a fitting tribute to a Guru, his ideas and vision.