An effort to break barriers

Two veterans showed how traditional, folk and contemporary dances can blend seamlessly

Samagam- a confluence of classical and folk performances by Daksha Mashruwala's students

(The concluding part of the Nakshatra Festival )

Students of two stalwarts, Daksha Mashruwala and Kumudini Lakhia, presented engaging performances at the recent Nakshatra Festival hosted by NCPA, Mumbai. It was called ‘Samagam’ and the aim was ‘Merge to emerge.’ The result was a confluence of classical and folk by Kaishiki and Kalanjay, strung together by Daksha Mashruwala.

Through Odissi, interspersed with folk dances, the dancers explored the six seasons — Grishma, Varsha, Hemant, Sharad, Shishir and Vasant — as described by Kalidasa in

Ritu Samhara. The scorching summer and the soothing Monsoon showers have always inspired poetry and romance. In this segment, the music made one visualise the showers and one could almost get the smell of wet earth.

The closing action of a dancer splashing a puddle towards the audience made those in the first row literally duck to avoid getting wet. The mellowness of autumn was commendably conveyed using tabla and other percussion instruments. The chill of winter came through in the action of warming hands near the fire depicted through a red spotlight. The blossoming of spring was conveyed through effective motifs.

Riveting spectacle

Tribals from Tripura performed Hojagiri. The dance showed the fitness of the artistes as they balanced various props such as earthern pitchers and bottles on the head, forehead and shoulder, gracefully swaying to the music. They balanced themselves on other dancers, or pots, and made it a riveting spectacle.

In Baramase Ghantu of Sikkim, dancers in swirling skirts, swayed, stood and sat in spectacular formations. The men of the Aheer community of Madhya Pradesh, the gwalas of Bundelkhand, celebrated Krishna Leela through Baredi dance.

Rajasthani Tera Taali dance announced the onset of summer. Colourfully clad girls in sitting position, clanging the ‘manjiras’ tied to different parts of the body, creating rhythmic sound in perfect sync, sometimes clasping swords between their teeth, the auditory and pictorial effect of the piece was amazing.

Dangi nritya from the Maharashtra-Gujarat border, had a festive feel with couples dancing, the men lifting women on to a pyramid and moving in perfect circles.

In the last piece, Odissi and folk came together in a fine visual narrative, which was too absorbing for the audience to notice the projection of slides displayed in the background.

As part of the CSR initiative of NCPA, schools had been invited to send their students for the shows.

“We want to create an awareness and appreciation for our art forms in young minds,” said Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, dance programme manager of NCPA. Samagam’s folk numbers received loud cheers from the youngsters.

Kathak dancers of Kadamb, trained by Kumudini Lakhia, presented ‘Movements and Stills.’

Crisp and precise

Technical virtuosity, stamina and body control were the highlights of their crisp, brisk segment comprising upaj, tatkar, todas and paran. Fast, yet graceful, the dancers moved with geometrical precision in the opening piece. While two were performing chakkars, the other two joined in and it was sheer artistry with clapping, jumping, swirling in sync. Lakhia is an expert in group choreography. Her disciples stunned the viewers with their fluidity, footwork and poise even in the jumps.

Movements and Stills, peformed by Kumudini Lakhia's students

Next came a moving Urdu ghazal. ‘Aaj jaane ki zid na karo,’ (“Don’t be in a hurry to go away tonight”). Seated under the spotlight, the dancer expressed her plight through this soulful song.

Kumudini Lakhia introduced the last piece with these words: “This piece might shock, but that’s the very idea. Now is the time to break boundaries but how? I invited Santosh Nair from New Delhi to train my students,” she said. “In India, dance is accepted as tradition, and many don’t want to see anything new,” observed Lakhia. “In dance, effort is important. This is a small beginning to break boundaries,” she added. What followed proved her words, with dancers trained in classical idiom showcasing contemporary moves.

The dancers walked in slowly (clad in Palazzo pants and checked tops) to Kathak bols and reproduced them with their footwork. The entire presentation proved that art goes beyond the cosmetic and that there was beauty in minimalism and subtlety.

In her final statement, Lakhia said that there was an uneven balance of give and take in the field of dance — give a lot and take less. What they finally took home was the applause of the audience. That evening, a deeply moved audience rightly gave a standing ovation to the team and its guru.