On Saturday
afternoon May 15, 2004, Lotus Music and Dance presented a Student Showcase
featuring students of the esteemed Pandit Satya Narayana Charka, Director
of the East-West School of Dance. Dancers Michelle Boston, Joyce
Gupta, Ishrat Hoque (Rakhi), Dorothy KraussEisenpress, Kathy Mills, Sairah
Qureshi, and Gunjali Trikha, Pt. Charka’s students from his Manhattan Center
at Lotus Music & Dance, performed.
Pt. Charka's
Kathak students opened with "Mangalam," a composition blending traditional
and modern dance choreographed by Pt. Charka. Sequences of pure dance
(nritta), followed an ancient chant, blessing all things: Earth, Water,
Fire, Air, Sky, Sun, Moon, Universe, Individual, Body, Mind, Soul... Everything.
This piece was presented in Roopak Taal, a seven beat time cycle.
Following this, each student individually demonstrated the dynamic rhythms
and patterns of pure dance in the Kathak technique. The students closed
the presentation with "Prabandh," a 12th century composition in which rhythmic
patterns of the mridangam drum syllables were woven into graceful movements
of Kathak dance. Choreographed by Guru Maya Rao, the composition
is in Raag Sarang and Teentaal (16 beat time cycle).
The entire
program displayed the complexity as well as the universality of Kathak
dance. Its two major aspects, expression (abhinaya) and pure dance/technique
(nritta) were represented magnificently. The students’ colorful, traditional
costumes added to their performance and also gave the audience a flavor
of this ancient dance form. The program was very well received.
Anisha
Muni is studying at the New York University for a degree in Anthropology.
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