Of passion and posture
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
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From African rhythms to the sensuousness of Odissi, lots was on display on the Delhi stage.
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AFRICAN RHYTHM Boom Boom Troupe from Mauritius.
The best of ICCR's three-day festival of African Rhythms at the Kamani lay in the dances of Ghana presented by the National Dance Company. Amazingly unselfconscious about the body, the Africans have a smouldering passion and delight in dancing — there for all to see. From the Akan Ceremonial Ahengoro beginning, with dancers in procession with lion staff, coloured parasols held over the royal couple, lusty singing and dancing making an entry from the rear of the auditorium, to the finish, it was a show of top professionalism, the artistically painted backdrop of turrets exuding a typical African feel. The amazing physical agility of the male dancers was complemented by the grace and sensuality of the female dancers in the Gonje Music item and in Nmani (Clabash Music). Items like Atsea, Takai/Tora (where the Muslim faith has not diminished the sheer pleasure in using the body for rhythm, one whit), Kpanlogo, Bamaya, and Sikyi presented glimpses celebratory, flirtatious and theatrical. Costumes were very tasteful. Really impressive was Solma where traditional dance from Northern Ghana is innovatively used to tell the story of contemporary Africa with its high points and abysses. The imaginative choreography and excellent rendition communicated powerfully.
The Mauritius Boom-Boom troupe presented a mixture of African, French and Indian influences, songs ranging from being reminiscent of the Harry Belafonte days to Bhojpuri lyrics like "Majakaro Mere Jaan". The repetitive African style dancing lacked variety.
Afro-Indian fusion
From Nigeria came fare presented by Lipika, the troupe attempting an Afro/Indian fusion. The choreography presented few challenges, though the very fact of forging cross-cultural artistic links was worthy of appreciation. In "Discovery of Fire", the war cries and jumps of the Ape Man were overdrawn, the intermittent flashes (the ICCR management seemed to have no problems with flash photography interfering with the mood lighting) spoiling the feel of groping in darkness. Following the discovery of fire, the Sanskrit shlokas and the "Dinda Na Dirana Naga Dom" tarana syllables were used for purposeful movement expressing progress. "Across the Earth" with two dancers representing a togetherness between an Indian and an African bird, became a metaphor for Indo-African friendship. Atilago the tribal dance finally brought in some unadulterated Nigerian rhythms.
Odissi evening
In terms of time and artistes featured, the programme under the Odissi Forum banner at Sai auditorium showed good planning. Reela Hota with her Yoga background does a picture-perfect Odissi in terms of movement, her trim body an example of balance and poise. Swivelling or balancing on one leg meant nothing for her. But in the Shivashtakam, the pleasing body postures, in the too-sweet expression while picturing Shiva as "Trinetraya" or as "Bhasmangarakara Maheswara" deprived Shiva of the fire and power of his character.
National Dance Company of Ghana in performance.
Shivani and Shalini, the Pattnaik sisters now settled in the U.S., render grace-abounding Odissi, the fluidity of their torso deflections giving the dance rare sensuousness. Despite Shivani's too-close feet in the chauka, the dance remained a beautiful physical construct, sans internalisation, the Ardhanariswar item pretentious in the overdone eye glances and expressions, the abhinaya having little to do with the sahitya.
In the Hamsadhwani pallavi rendered by both sisters, the wide-eyed look and side glances and facial expressions were a misfit in nritta.
Ranjana Gauhar's fluidity, while not on a level with the earlier dancers, her involvement in "Radha Rani Sange Nache" in Piloo and also in the item visualising Vidyapati's poetry of the nayika's dream "E Sakhi dekhayi ek aparoopa" was evocative. With Saroj Mahanti's score, the item personifying the qualities of Vasant or spring taken from Ritu Samhara also had its appeal. But while the composition was convincing, the nritta interludes sounding like bits lifted off pallavis gave a cut-and-paste look. Why not mardala experts devise new ukutas for special items, like the teermanams the Bharatanatyam dancer uses?
Gita Mahalik's Krishna Abhilasha has been reviewed before.
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