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Reality and fantasy meet to create magic

Surreal performance
Last Updated 07 April 2014, 14:56 IST
With bodies as streamlined as a fish, the four performers glided down, swam, hopped up and swiftly changed their movements on a rigid prop, making us believe that mermaids were for real, at least on that stage. 

Matsyaangnaa’ choreographed by Madhuri Upadhya depicted the indulgence of six classifications or enemies which prevent a human from attaining moksha through mystical mermaids. 

It set the tone for the three dance performances featured in Prayog 4 -- an Indian contemporary dance production using classical dance forms, martial acts and yoga at 
Kamani Auditorium.  
 
Performed by the Bangalore-based troupe Nritarutya, the first act featured four women performers, along with the music by Praveen D Rao and costumes by James Pereira. 

The concept reflected the Vedic philosophy of ‘Arishadvarga’ - the six emotions of desire and passion - kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (attachment), mada or ahankara (pride) matsarya (jealousy) and interpretation of life. 

As they flowed like water around the stand, a fixed prop, lighting added a surreal effect to their movements.
 
“The idea of everything around us being an illusion has been a line of thought for most of my choreographies. Where does reality end and fantasy begin, what is the thin line dissolving the two? I don’t know…” says Madhuri Upadhya as she elaborates 
upon Matsyaangnaa. 

Descending from a rim of lights, the solo performer emerged on the stage in the act Trishanku, which was also choreographed by Madhuri Upadhya. 

Madhuri says she is inspired by life and the present times where there is a feeling of not belonging anywhere.
 
Featuring music by Raghu Dixit and costumes by Sonali Sattar and Himanshu Dimri, the performance dwelt upon the mythological instance where Trishanku was stuck between heaven and hell and got a new world to inhabit, albeit upside down due to the sins he committed. 
 
In it, the dance was restricted to a circular space where the performer appears  upside down, using an aerial silk cloth and dissolving into darkness in the same position. 

His unrestrained  circular movements coupled with his energy portray his sense of 
belonging nowhere.

The act ended with an emphatic finale with Chakra, which was choreographed 
by Sathya B G. 
 
Making use of the ‘circle’ as a shape to interpret his movements, the concept of karma ‘what you give is what you get’ was explored within Chakra or circle. 

His visual for the piece is a never ending cycle of actions and its repercussions, explored through idioms of breath, life and movements. 

Combination of male and female energies, the black and the white, completing the circle of life is brought out using Bharatanatyam ‘Adavus’ in a unique way. 

The dynamic performance reached its zenith when the ensemble bounced basketballs on stage.

It was a breathtaking spectacle; not often is a stage converted into a basketball court. Kudos to the team who could pull it all off with such panache!

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(Published 07 April 2014, 14:56 IST)

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