Aahuti, a collaboration between Nrityagram and Chitrasena Dance Company, was an aesthetic proposition in every way
Aahuti, a collaboration between Nrityagram and Chitrasena Dance Company, was an aesthetic proposition in every way
Over the years, Nrityagram, in the able hands of Suropa Sen and lighting designer Lynn Fernandes, has developed its own aesthetic of presentation. His latest production ‘Aahuti’ was no exception. This collaboration with Chitrasena Dance Company was characterized by stunning visuals, inspired choreography and an inspiring soundtrack.
‘Ahuti’, the Sanskrit word for ‘offering’, was just that. An offering to the audience, the Odissi and Kandian dance forms, and to the flexible, athletic bodies that make up this art. The brilliance of Surupa Sen and Heshma Vignaraja’s choreography was rooted in moments of transition, where dancing bodies melt and transform through light and shape before our eyes. As the mind understood a line drawn by the dancers on stage, it developed into a curve, then a circle, and in the blink of an eye it became a dissolving square. Lynn Fernandes’ eye for color helped enchant, sometimes washing the dancers in a dramatic blue, and in others, highlighting them from the sides like temple sculptures, emphasizing their silhouette.
visual treatment
After ‘Samhara’ (2012), the first collaboration between the two dance companies, ‘Aahuti’ is the second joint production. The sculpted dancers of Chitrasena are no strangers to Indian audiences, and it was a treat to see the female dancers, Sandani Sulochani and the exemplary Thaji Dias, in addition to the two male dancers (Kushan Milind and Akila Palipana) in this production. Drummer Varun Shree Hemchandra enhanced the portions of the Kandian dance with his precise playing. The Nrityagram ensemble embodied the Odissi form in its most aesthetic avatar, the characteristic of the stage, crossing the stage with sinful grace.
The performance, structured in four main pieces, began with a sankirtana highlighting various aspects of Vaishnava mythology. With two dancers in opposite directions occupying a fierce, rooted choir positions, this piece set the tone for the kaleidoscope movements to come. This was followed by the full arati, where dancers assumed a jigsaw-like formation in Lynn Fernandes’s smoky soft-lit oeuvre, to emphasize movements that were conducted laterally in the Odissi body and vertically in the kandian. It was meant to emphasize walking movements. The conclusion of this work displayed a contrast between the majestic chariot of Puri Jagannath being pulled forward by all the dancers in the stillness of instrumental music. The third piece, the Ravana Tandava Stotram, began with a solo section by the agile Thaji Dias, representing the character of Ravana for Kandian dance and Sri Lankan traditions. With the inclusion of Pavitra Reddy on the stage, the Shaiva statues were further explored through this piece. The last part, ‘Alap’, was a part of ‘Samhara’.
Chitrasena Dance Company in ‘Aahuti’ | photo credit: special arrangement
Asked whether she envisioned the production as a mix of ideas or a dialogue, Suropa Sen categorically chose the latter. Yet a closer look at the production revealed that the understanding of form in choreography has been dissected into its most basic units, and this exploration ties this collaboration together. On the surface, there are similarities – for example, the square of the chauka, the strength of the seating is reflected in the almost upright Kandian sitting posture known as ‘mandiya’ which is a ‘mandala’ (an ornate religious design employing geometry). is) came from.
Yet the beauty of this conversation lies in the contrasts – the beautiful tribhanga meets Kandian’s massive chest and wavy spine. The superimposition of lateral and vertical movements created a matrix on the stage that invited us to view dance as a coordinated effort together and as two distinct styles of movement. The episodic aspects of these forms manifested themselves through production – the Odissi draws inspiration from erotic temple sculptures and divine nymphs, while the Kandayana, a traditional form always practiced in rituals by men. Thus the conversation converges itself – between the line and the curve, the woman and the man, the lateral and the vertical, the Indian and the Sri Lankan.
This writer from Bangalore is a dancer and research scholar.