Ten Mahavidyas in Odissi Dance!

[Guest guest]

[Nora, this is in your neck of the woods -- would love to hear your

review if you get a chance to see it! - DB]

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (May 6, 2007): On a stage bathed in red,

garlands of severed heads rested heavily on the bloody chest of the

goddess that appeared in the revered forms of Kali, Tara, Sodashi,

Bhuvaneswari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagala, Maatangi and

Kamala. Her devotees trembled in fear and were shocked at the

paradoxical revelations of the divine.

 

" Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned " – this proverb, adapted from

a line in the play The Mourning Bride, by William Congreve (an

English author of the late 17th and early 18th centuries) certainly

seemed accurate to describe the scene. Who would have thought that

the usually sensual Odissi, one of the oldest Indian classical dance

forms, could conjure up such emotions?

 

The choreographer for " Arousing the Spirit Within – Revelations of

Odissi " was Guru Durga Charan Ranbir from India, a direct disciple of

the late Guru Deba Prasad Das, who was one of the four principal

gurus who participated in the reconstruction of Odissi dance in the

1950s. He was the first to introduce this dance form to the world

through the performance of his disciple Priyambada Mohanty in 1954.

 

Today, Durga Charan is regarded by critics and dancers alike as the

successor of Deba Prasad's dance legacy, which is distinguished by

earthy poses, fiery energy and subtle but intricate gestures and

emotions. Like his master, he believes that the performance should be

all about keeping true to the dance vocabulary.

 

" I use the Odissi language to make my own choreography, which helps

to further the Odissi tradition in its own way. And the key to

keeping Odissi alive is to take it around the world to different

audiences and students, " he said.

 

The recent show was presented by the Kalpana Dance Theatre, founded

by Malaysia-based Bharatnatyam danseuse Shangita Namasivayam. The

performance featured well-regarded danseuse Leena Mohanty and up-and-

coming Odissi star Debashish Pattanayak from India, and Malaysians

Daisygarani Vidhyakumari, Praveen Nair, Vidhya Pushpanathan and

Anusha Nair. The seamless motion of these dancers was tuned to the

hypnotic music.

 

Deba Prasad's dance legacy was displayed most convincingly

in 'Sthai', which boasted an amazingly complex and tedious

choreography. The dance piece revealed sculptured poses which were

conveyed in a duet performed by Parveen Nair and guest artist,

Debasish Pattnaik. The undulating torso and shoulder in seamless

transition and motion – a natural effect of tribhangi (the body bent

in three places forming an 'S' shape) – were tuned to the constancy

of the mnemonic syllabic line which was sung hypnotically. Yet, their

darting eyes, fluid wrists, twirling hands, and accented footwork

reacted to the shrill melody from the flute lead.

 

The six-part dance also included 'Mangalacaran', 'Pallavi', 'Dhira

Samire', and 'Moksha'. 'Mangalacaran' was an invocatory piece

dedicated to Lord Shiva and the dancers demonstrated their devotion

through prayerful gestures and by giving offerings. 'Pallavi' was

performed to the beautiful raag, Kedar Kamodi, an ancient classical

Indian melody and the piece exuded a rather brisk Odissi style.

 

The stop-move-stop-move choreography challenged the fluidity normally

associated with this dance form and the music was, on occasion,

overbearing and distracting. The dancers could also have been more

accurate and sharper in their movements to bring out the full essence

of this brisk-style choreography.

 

'Dhira Samire' was an " abhinaya " or expression piece. There was

intricate but subtle choreography for the facial muscles, eyes and

fingers, making the dancers independent storytellers of the famous

Geeta Govinda (Song of the Cowherd), a work composed in the 12th

century by the great poet-composer Jeyadeva of Puri, Orissa.

 

In this story, Radha's confidante urges her to meet Krishna who is

waiting for her by the Yamuna River. The boost of confidence gave

Radha the opportunity to develop a relationship with Krishna. In this

scene, Leena Mohanty, Daisygarani Vijayakumaran and Parveen Nair each

played their part well.

 

'Moksha', the concluding piece, did not depict a sense of

independence or the joy of liberation. It heavily echoed the earlier

Dasa Mahavidhya section and could not find release from its brooding

sentiment.

 

One setback of this production was the lighting. Though dance was the

focus, a little attention to design and texture in lighting would

have greatly enhanced the overall impact of the performance.

 

SOURCE: The Sunday Star, Kuala Lumpur

URL: http://tinyurl.com/23k39n

[Guest guest]

Thank you for this lead. No I didn't get the chance to see their

performance as I went back to Singapore for my monthly visit but

I've seen them practising at Vivekananda Ashrama, brickfield many

times.

 

Maybe I would give them a call to ask weather they video tape the

whole performance. I will buy it from them and give the reviews

later on.

 

 

 

 

, " Devi Bhakta "

<devi_bhakta wrote:

>

> [Nora, this is in your neck of the woods -- would love to hear

your review if you get a chance to see it! - DB]

>

> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (May 6, 2007): On a stage bathed in red,

> garlands of severed heads rested heavily on the bloody chest of

the

> goddess that appeared in the revered forms of Kali, Tara, Sodashi,

> Bhuvaneswari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagala, Maatangi

and

> Kamala. Her devotees trembled in fear and were shocked at the

> paradoxical revelations of the divine.

>