Merging mudras from Bharatanatyam with the flexible movements from contemporary modern dance, Puducherry was treated to ‘Padme’ on Thursday at the Krtashreya Aurodhan
Garden here.
‘Padme,’ which means lotus in Sanskrit, draws on the flower as a metaphor for human development and enlightenment.
Originally produced by Korzo Producties from The Hague, Netherlands, with Dutch dancers, ‘Padme’ has been commissioned and co-produced in its current form by renowned dancer Anita Ratnam and the Arangham Trust, and conceptualised and choreographed by Netherlands-based Kalpana Raghuraman, who is artist-in- residence at Korzo.
The costumes have been conceived by Sandhya Raman, with music design by Peter Lemmens.
Indian classical dancers were chosen through auditions and they come from different training styles, backgrounds and identities. Subsequent performances have also seen a change in the line-up of dancers.
The performance engages with the young dancers’ experiences with religion and relevance of spirituality in today’s world.
As individuals, the seven dancers are those who have excelled in their respective dance styles.
Challenge
The challenge for producer and artistic director Anita Ratnam and choreographer Kalpana Raghuraman was to bring together their distinct learning in an ensemble performance which combined ancient Indian and Western modern dance forms.
Costumes took on a contemporary avatar with red, black and cream being the dominant colours.
The music witnessed strains of jazz and drums, and a short set where the dancer performed to silence. Ms. Ratnam, who has performed several times at the Krtashreya Aurodhan Garden, discussed with Aurovillians present the possibility of taking ‘Padme’ to Auroville and engage in collaborative work.
