Graceful moves on coordinated beats

The group of eight performers kept the audience rivetted right through the show with a tightly woven series of sequences that showed off their prowess in this stylised form of martial arts that originated in South India centuries ago.

They moved with sinewy grace and rhythm to the beat of percussion instruments and an electric guitar played by well-known musicians like Adarsh Shany and Bruce Lee Mani.

The artistes came onto the stage in turns either singly, in pairs or as a group, showcasing their range of movements and their expertise with different weapons like swords, wooden staffs, daggers, spears and even axes which they handled with dexterity and finesse.

The dance ballet involved high whip-around kicks, twisting somersaults and several one-handed cartwheels among other moves and movements. Circling each other like jaguars, doing back flips and moving in sync and coordinated rhythm without breaking eye contact, the troupe of young men and women combined several  elements of gymnastics, music, flexibility, strength and dance really well together.

The show was choreographed by Dil Sagar (a Bangalore-based Kalaripayattu champion who has trained in the art from the age of seven) and produced by Aliyeh Rizvi and the Connective Arts Foundation.

Although the movements were very reminiscent of martial arts and the techniques were originally developed for the purposes of self defence, Akanksh as a show combined the aggression of the martial art itself with music and rhythm to create a unique visual impact.

Shrouded in mystery and secrecy and almost disappearing into redundance, Kalaripayattu seems to be making a strong comeback across genres becoming a form of fitness and dance that holds a definite appeal that is unique and different.