WHEN the body is void of any restraint, and movement gets all the freedom to fulfill the inordinate cravings of the soul and the heart, dance gets an all new definition. It is no more structured, or bound by prescribed forces. It could, on the other hand, be seen joyfully swinging on the cradles of spontaneity and to some extent, existentialism as well. These are few of the many comprehensions that emerge after one witnesses Padmini Chettur’s ‘Pushed’.
Looking beyond the description of ‘Pushed’ as ‘a journey of anger, pain, pleasure, happiness, sorrow, love and lust’ as stated, the production really is almost impossible to be ‘popularly’ interpreted. Just as Chettur expresses it as a journey through these six emotions and an effort to transcend tangible times and spaces, the performance actually provides all the scope to be interpreted and connected in diverse ways; it is an abstract and an immensely personal expression, after all.
The production boils down to these essential highlights; six dancers, sober, powerfully apt costumes, the raw beauty of exploration of the body to the fullest and plenty of space. The music, by Maarten Visser, could well haunt you for hours after you hear it and due to its unconventional nature, complements the dance beautifully. The dancers move, in an almost beast-like manner at times, in a linear non-narrative, all across the stage - crawling, walking, stretching, jumping, falling, with an excellently perfected coordination, their faces void of any emotion.
Padmini’s fascination and devotion to the legendary Chandralekha’s school of thought could be felt in the production. The brilliance in coordination could be seen in the minimalistic lighting by Zuleikha Chaudhari, as much as that of the dancers - Krishna Devanandan, Anoushka Kurien, Preethi Athreya, Akila Palani, Aarabi Veeraraghavan and the mastermind behind the production, Padmini Chettur.
‘Pushed’, which premiered in the Seoul at a Korean festival in 2006, has received great acclaim since then, and was performed recently as part of The Park’s New Festival at Kalakshetra.
saranyachakrapani@epmltd.com