NEW DELHI: Dance, there will most certainly be but before that, there will be practice. Relentless, tiring and sometimes trying practice. Anything that sees its genesis in the imagination of art impresario Shobha Deepak Singh’s artistic nest, is bound to be impeccable. And for that practise is a prerequisite. It won’t be long before the thumping beats of dancers performing at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra’s Kendra Dance Festival takes us into the world of performance ecstasy.
As a first, dance-dramas from outside the Kendra’s repertory will be staged. Singh wanted to make the event as inclusive as possible so talent that had been breed outside Delhi, could also be viewed by the discerning in the capital city. There will be customary mythology and folklore seeped dramas, but this time, those dealing with conservation and environment have been created. Traditional as well as contemporary styles will be staged.
Some of the recitals are Samudranatanam-Jalam choreographed by Madhu Gopinath and Vakkom Sanjeev from Kerala; Choreography works in Bharatanatyam by Justin McCarthy from Delhi, and Movement And Still choreographed by Kumudini Lakhia from Ahmedabad. Signature Kendra drama ballets titled Meera, Kaalchakra and Shree Durga are in the line-up too. “Kaalchakra works on a metaphysical approach to the concept of water—one of the five elements in Panchbhuta. When a clay pitcher breaks, the liquid inside and the water outside are united. The universe is like the ocean, the water and we are beings. As Kabeer too says, when a clay pitcher filled with water breaks, the water will merge with the water of the ocean,” says Singh.
Conversely, Samudranatanam Jalam treats water on the theme of give ‘respect and save water’. Various moods of water such as its calmness, romance and love are depicted through a narrative method which interweaves myth and reality. “In the second part, the transformation from myth to reality happens where the misuse of water by the world is portrayed. The demon appears which a symbolic representation of those who contaminate water. The destruction of life due to the scarcity of pure water and the water being contaminated is depicted. The aftermath of this is the pralayam (all-destroying flood) by the angered water,” she says. Here the message is that even though water is life saving, it is also unforgiving and ruthless when it wants to be.
The final act is by Kadamb choreographed by Kumudini Lakhia whose exploration for dance within ones own body is always alive. It’s true for all other dancers too, she says. “What you will witness now is an experimental idea which is a result of challenging one’s energies to create a contemporary piece of work. The process is one of attaining divinity.” She says. What more remains to be said or done.
Till May 19, at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, 7 pm onwards.