Ramli Ibrahim, the celebrated dancer from Malaysia, and his group from the Sutra Foundation (Malaysia) are not new to Hyderabad. A consummate artiste of Odissi and Bharatanatyam, Ramli has made important contributions to contemporary dance as well. At Ravindra Bharathi recently, he and his group reinvented the Odissi idiom in all its traditional charm and yet laced it with the avant garde in their presentation of Krishna, Love Re-invented .
The production began with Mangalacharan , an invocation to Krishna, with a pleasing and subtle backdrop with an equally subtle lighting which added a most dramatic effect to the dance sequences. The divine atmosphere built by the lyrics and dance was equally enhanced by the lighting of Sivarajah Natarajan, a talented artist who wields the skill to transform the stage backdrop into a painted canvass with his lights. The wizard set a magical ambience to the dancers’ exploration of movement and space even as they carried the narrative with their expressive body language and hastabhinaya (hand gestures). However, one wishes that there are more moments when the lighting is bright enough to see the dancers facial expressions in greater clarity.
The love play of Krishna and Radha and the gopis unfolded in the Sthai as Krishna intoxicates the gopis and the devotees at the onset of spring. The Krishna Tandav choreographed by Guru Dabaprasad Das and remounted by Guru Gajendra K Panda presented Krishna dancing vigorously and enchanting the gopis with the beauty of his dance. English prose interspersed to carry the description forward in the immaculate recording to which the dance was performed. The many images created by the dancers were applauded by the spectators.
Mohane deli Chahi , the Banamali lyrics choreographed by Guru Deba Prasad Das and reworked by Gajendra Panda with music and vocals by Laxmi Kanta Palit was delightful in its portrayal of the how the gopi is mesmerised with the first encounter with Krishna and is besotted by the melodies from his flute. The tasteful costumes were traditional in the wrap of the sari but at the same time pushed the boundaries of tradition with the sari not draping the upper part of the body. The dancers with well trained and toned bodies carried their costumes with grace. Ramli’s aesthetics are picture perfect to the last; the jewellery and other accessories were tastefully coordinated.
The group choreography was interesting in the wonderful imagery it incorporated in addition to the literal interpretation of the text.
Nchante Range Srihari choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, with vocals by Guru Ganesham Panda and music by Bhubaneswar Misra, is another charming piece which began with the fantastic ambience created by the lighting by Natarajan inducing the spectator to be a part of the spectacle of Krishna serenading the gopis with various musical instruments and his flute. The divine play in a moon-lit forest was beautifully presented by the dancers. The majestic ukutas , (the mnemonic syllables), the auspicious booming of the mardala, the clarity of the dancers and the ease of movement in the Odissi idiom and, above all, the serenity of spirit with which the dancers danced made an impact on the spectators. The Pallavi that followed, choreographed by Gajendra Panda with music by Laxmi Kanta Palit, portrayed the sublime Rasa with Krishna replicating himself to be with each one of the gopis and all of them dancing in bliss. Aptly the production came to an end with a well executed Moksha which brought the climactic mood of the Pallavi to a devotional still centre.
The dancers Tan Mei Mei, Gauthami, Trisherna, Divya Nair, Geethika Sree, Harenthiran, and Vetheejay reveal their meticulous training under Ramli and their body kinetics seem to amalgamate well the multiple idioms of dance training including ballet which renders their performances with a lightness defying gravity much against the rooted-to-earth kinetics of classical Indian movements. This writer would love to see them polish the rough edges in their movements, at some places.
The programme was brought to Hyderabad by the ICCR in association with the Sutra Foundation of Malaysia. It is proved yet again that art knows no boundaries of nationality, religious belief or language. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad the leading Islamic scholar who founded the ICCR would have been thrilled to see Ramli Ibrahim’s Krishna, Love Re-invented.
