Episodes from epics come to life

Striking choreography

It was a unique occasion when various dance forms came together at Ojas, in aid of Vishranthi, a home for senior citizens, recently.

The programme, held at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, saw the dancing duo Nirupama and Rajendra and their team capturing the stage with graceful style, admirable choreography and good coordination.

The show began with the inaugural piece Sambhrama, a bharatanatyam recital, performed by a group of six men.

They filled the stage with energy and heightened the curiosity of the audience. Soon after that, Nirupama and Rajendra, dressed in red, performed a graceful piece bringing the essence of the monsoon and spring through their effortless kathak recital.

The stage was then occupied by a group of dancers, dressed in a pan-Asian attire, presenting an ancient dance form known as Margi.

“This is almost a 5,000 year-old dance form which has been recreated. Steps are very simple and graceful, the whole point was to portray the sentiment that the world is one and art forms are one. Music and dance can bring the world together,” explains Nirupama.

The show was divided into small segments and the dances were based on small anecdotes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

“The first piece that we are going to perform is Sringararama in kathak style. The dohas are taken from Ramcharitamanas, it is in Brij Bhasha and the music
is composed by Praveen Rao. This story is based on Rama and Sita. Rama and Laxmana visit the gardens of Mithila and are smitten by the beauty of the land.

Sita arrives at a temple nearby to pray and one of her companions spot Rama and is dumbfounded by his valour and beauty. Sita and Ram meet and are transported into a world of dreams,” adds Nirupama.

What deserves a mention is the choreography of this piece. The part where they are dreaming, about talking to each other, had been portrayed with a lot of thought and executed with precision. The sequence stood out in the entire performance as the audience applauded the effort.

“It is a great concept and what is really commendable is the fact that instances from our epics have been taken out and essayed well. The inaugural piece was very interesting,” says Ayushi, who had come to see the show.

The second half of the show had the story of Krishna and gopikas.