Within the parameters of kathak, Prerana Shrimali and ensemble’s Bhu/earth (Bhumi) dance ballet was a traditional thematic performance, a salutation to mother earth with an underlying indictment on exploitation incited by human greed. There was no didacticism whatsoever and the entire presentation had staid tones.
The most aesthetically inviting was the sound of ghungroo (anklet bells) along with tapping of feet in the background while the audience waited with bated breath for the emergence of the dancers on stage. The invocation seeking the blessings of the immortal mother earth as the group dressed in the colours of earth with a shade of green costumes formed patterns while dancing to the beat of the percussion and the song interlaid with bhol.
Prerana, the principal artiste juxtaposed the love for nature and its constant abuse through her signature dignified abhinaya. The positioning the other four dancers took facing the backdrop at one corner of the stage with Prerana stationing herself at the opposite corner facing the viewers was a commendable piece of choreographic artistry.
Circular movements
Her depiction of the constant entry and exit of the sun and moon i.e day and night, infancy to old age or birth, death and birth again through circular movements of her hands to swar bhol (solfa notes) and not song was crystal clear. She was able to convey the thought process through sheer dance.
The plucking of flower off a bough to decking it in her hair was excellently done to a speed cycle ranging from madhyam to drut (medium to fast tempo).
The theme steadily developed to unveil varied aspects of the earth and its boon to humanity, flora and fauna like elaborate detailing of agriculture from tilling to watering to sowing and reaping the harvest suggestive of earth’s yielding nature to feed man and bestow joy on mankind was brought out through group activity on stage.
So also was the potter moulding the mud into whatever shape he desired--here the lead dancer made it a point to dwell into the intricacies of clay moulding right from stamping the mud to fashioning a pot with an oblique, unsaid reference to the birth of human being from this very earth reminiscent of creation of man from earth into a being with a mind, body and power of discrimination. How this discrimination is being misused and how the origin or source from whose womb we are born and nurtured with supply of food, water, trees, the seasons, birds, animals formed the latter half of this presentation.
The desecration of earth was reflected with sensitivity. Footwork and dance to pure percussion alone by the group of three is worth a mention. Having said that, the presence of four dancers zooming in and out as and when required could have been parted into two’s and three’s at a time to make it artistically more appealing.
Despite her expertise with the medium, Prerana could pay a little more attention to display of emotions to drive home the point.
Her senior disciples- Veena Vanmala, Shipra Joshi, Sonam Chauhan and Niharika Kushwah, the live orchestra with sitar et al and more so the percussion (tabla) enriched the presentation hosted at India Habitat Centre as part of the Habitat Photosphere concluding event.
