“Dance and acting are different. One is about being as close to reality and convincing the camera of the emotion that you portray, the other is communicating subjects and legends of a different time. While you do this, you follow codes that have been set for you by books and teachers. While both have the freedom to bend and experiment, the pursuits on camera are frozen in time. On stage, you can change it a hundred different ways.”
And Coimbatore will watch one of them as she performs Trance- Dancing Drums in the city tomorrow. “As a story teller I have used characters, epic tales, poetry and rasa in my performances. However, in all these mediums, the narrative is fixed because of lyrics or emotional quality of the melody. In Dancing Drums, I interweave them all into what I like to call, simply ‘trance’.” Her previous thematic productions like Maya Ravan and Krishna have won hearts across the globe. She says, while those were primarily musicals, Trance focuses more intensely on dance. And she says this performance is a wide canvas that transcends religious boundaries. “The face of traditional dance is changing,” says Shobana and believes artistes are just tiny stars on a large canvas of creative possibilities.” She describes dance as a spiritual practice. “As a story teller I have always been fascinated with our legends, these can be re-told time and time again. And there is always an interested eye and ear for it.”
Shobana says she has just one fear. “I should not become redundant or jaded.” She says since rhythm is abstract, it is open to many interpretations and that is what fascinates her and makes a dance production like Trance... challenging.
Happening
Trance – Dancing Drums is organised by Combative Round Table 9 and Coimbatore Ladies Circle No.1 as a part of a fund-raiser. The funds will be used to build classrooms and toilets
Begins at 6 pm at PSGIMS Auditorium on February 25
For tickets, contact: 99947-98356/ 96299-28147
Tickets also available at bookmyshow.com
