Tala 2012:

Spiritual journey through insightful choreography

By Ranga CHANDRARATHNE

The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie.

-Agnes de Mille

Dancing: the vertical expression of a horizontal desire legalised by music.

-George Bernard Shaw

Tala 2012, a series of insightful dance composition, will be held on March 22 and 23 at 6.30 p.m. at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Performing Arts Theatre. The Tala 2012 comes after a lapse of five years since Tala 2008.

A significant aspect of the show is that its focus is on spirituality vividly realised through aesthetically satisfying compositions of movements. All the dance items and segments of the Tala 2012 is different from Tala 2008. The Tala 2012 has travelled many parts of Europe; Washington, New York, Hawaii, Huston and Canada in addition to countries such as Japan, China and India.

The show will commence with the Act of White Heaven which was performed at the opening ceremony of the Nelum Pokuna, Mahinda Rajapaksa Performing Arts Theatre. The Pearl of the Indian Ocean which Channa and Upuli did for the ICC will be the next item of the show. The Pearl of the Indian Ocean will recall the legend of Kuveni and goddess Pattini. The dance item is unique in that it will be the fusion of major dancing traditions of Sri Lanka such as Udarata, Pahatarata and Sabaragamuva and the grammar of Sri Lanka.

Since the Dance Performing Arts Studio is highly influenced by Chitrasena Kalayatanaya and Dr. Pani Bharata’s tradition of dancing, Upuli Wijewardena will perform a special solo dance item choreographed by Channa Wijewardena. The solo was inspired by powerful and energetic movements of Dr. Panibharata and it will be performed with eight drummers and Jananatha Warakagoda will render his voice to the item.

During the show, Jananatha Warakagoda will present three performances; He will sing Sinhala folk songs and two of his songs which he originally sang for his CD Manik, and drum performances.

Tribute to Dr. W. D. Amaradeva

An important segment of the Tala 2012 is the segment entitled ‘Tribute to Dr. Amaradeva’. In this segment, maestro’s musical journey is revisited through the melodies of the songs that Dr. Amaradeva rendered his voice to. One of the significant features of the segment is that it traces the evolution of Sinhala popular song from its early days. A unique feature of the segment is that lyrics of the songs will be graphically choreographed to respective melodies.

Vindya Warakagoda and Shamita Hettige will sing the duet Nimhim Sevuva, the new version of Dr.W.D Amaradeva’s Nimhim Sevuva with music composed by Ruwan Weerasekara.

Romance in the village and sea

A special segment of Tala 2012 is Romance in the field and romance in the sea. The segment will offer a graphical recreation of the farming life particularly in paddy cultivation and the life fraught with uncertainty in the fishing community spread along the maritime provinces of Sri Lanka. Romance in the fishing community is virtually renewing every day as the husband returns from the sea with the harvest of fish, giving a new lease of life for the wife and leaving the husband for the sea is painful. The uncertainty in the fishing community has given a different dimension to the notion of romance which is different from the romance in the field.

Piya bole is a Hindi segment performed by Channa and his daughter. The segment describes how father would advise his daughter on life. Kannoru is a Tamil act for the Tamil audience. Awakening of the lion is an act that symbolises the lion flag which is hoisted at times of harmony and the act will depict the lion as a symbol of harmony. The movements of the show were born out of pure thoughts which turned into master choreography. The Sunday Observer is the media sponsor of the Tala 2012.