CHENNAI: Apsaras Arts, Singapore, an internationally renowned dance company with Neela Sathyalingam as the creative head, has gained recognition in Indian dance theatre and given performances around the world. They would be presenting their premier show ‘Alapadma’ (The Lotus Unfolds) in Chennai on February 28 at Narada Gana Sabha. What is Alapadma? Explains the art director Aravinth Kumarasamy, “The lotus is a flower sacred to nature, representative of gods and the universe. The lotus symbology is an enigma worthy of artistic exploration.”
Inspired by the multiple representations of the lotus, the dancers and muscians from Apsaras Arts explore its metaphorical meanings through dance. In this production, Alapadma stands for a fully opened the lotus in the form of a ‘dance mudra’ as codified in Natya Sastra. The dance will explore the mythologies and iconography predominant in the ancient civilisations of India, Egypt and South East Asia. Kumarasamy says the many aspects of the lotus such as Srishti Sarasija (signifying creation), Pada Pankaja (mythology), Leela Kamala (romance), Alankara Ambuja (iconography) and Sahasrara Padam (human wisdom) will be brought alive in this musical dance composition.
In the Srishti Sarasija, the choreography illustrates in mythology the lotus flower, believed to be the centre of the universe, arose from the navel of God Vishnu and at the centre of the flower sat Lord Brahma the creator of the world. Through the selected verses from the pasurams of Periyalwar the dance will narrate how in the beginning were the waters of chaos enveloped by darkness until the primeval lotus rose from the abyss.
The commitment of Apsaras Arts to deliver that deepens the public understanding of traditional dance is laudable. Their repertoire including Aalam, the Banyan tree of Bharatanatyam; the Heroines of Raja Ravi Varma; Nirmanika (the beauty of architecture); Anjasar (wonders of Buddist movements); Dance of Divinity (Aadum Aruljyothi) and the Untold Story (Angkor) stand testimony to the company’s efforts in innovating the ancient India’s art form and of the increasingly globalised appetite of the audiences.