Srishti Dances of India's Lavanya:  A feast for the eyes
- Nalini Rau, New York 
 

October 30, 2004
 
New York was treated to a rare recital where Manipuri and Odissi dance styles came together at the Sri Ganesha Temple in Queens.  The dancers were Sreyashi Dey and Manoranjan Pradhan in the Odissi tradition and Poushali Chatterjee and Debanjana Roy in the Manipuri tradition.  The performance was a pleasing co-existence of two dance styles and music repertoire.  The two styles are different: with the marked knee-out bhangis of Odissi contrasting with knee-forward positions of Manipuri, the delicacy and understatement of abhinaya and feet of Manipuri with the more extrovert space-using movements of Odissi.  The dancers chose to keep the styles separate but came together on the interpretation of common themes and rhythms.  The pieces were traditional - the presentation was novel.
 

The performance began with the traditional Mangalacharan of Odissi.  The entry of the four dancers had grace and dignity, with the Odissi dance form unfolding from the tribhangi to the powerful chowka mandalas, then to the matching rhythm of the Manipuri dancers.  The dancers then invoked the divine dancers Hari and Hara.  Hari, or Krishna is central to both the Manipuri and the Odissi repertoire.  The Manipuri dancers enacted key legends of Sri Krishna, the slayer of evildoers.  The choreography was crisp, with the two Manipuri dancers taking on the role of the vanquished and the vanquisher: the demon and Krishna.  There was Krishna conquering the powerful serpent Kalinga, the demon Bakasura and finally protecting his kin from the wrath of Indira by lifting Govardhana to shelter all from the flooding rain unleashed by Indira.  The brahmaris were used to great effect to enact the struggle of good over evil.  The Odissi dancers invoked Hara.  Here the choreography brought out the untamed power of Hara with energetic rhythm and beautiful coordination.  The piece ended with the Panchakshara - Sri Adi Shankaracharya's evocative invocation of Lord Shiva.

The Tanum-Pallavi, a pure dance piece was a contrast to the first piece.  The dancers made good use of the repetitive bols and lilting music to bring out the difference in the two approaches to the same rhythmic patterns.  The use of space was interesting both in terms of the movements and angles formed, as well as the use of space with respect to one another.  The coordination was excellent.  The piece de resistance was the ‘drum dance’ of the Manipuri tradition.  Originally only the men played the pung.  Guru Bipin Singh, the disciple of Guru Amudon Sharma and founder of the Kolkata Manipur Nartanalaya of the Manipuri tradition, broke with tradition.  He taught his female dancers as well.  That he was right to do so was evidenced by the wonderful handling of the drums by Chatterjee and Roy.  They created complex rhythms with strength and grace. The performance on the drums became a dance unit with graceful hand movements marking time in air to the taal.  The Odissi dancers accompanied the drums with manjira and minimalist movements.  The whole effect was novel with only percussion being the focal point to the ear: the drums, the manjira, the feet and the bells on the feet.  And to many who had come just to see the Manipuri drums, it was satisfying.

Just as satisfying was the Manipuri piece of the forceful tandava and the graceful lasya - Krishna depicted by tandava and Radha by lasya.  The delicacy of movement and the kumin (Manipuri skirt) costume added a great deal to the enjoyment of this piece.  The final piece was Jayadeva’s Dashavatar describing the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu.   The Dashavatar verses are the introductory verses to Jayadeva’s Ashtapadi.  Jayadeva’s verses are now sung and danced both in Manipur and Orissa.  However the rendition reflects distinct characteristics of the two regions.  The verses in Odissi reflect a blend of Hindustani and Carnatic music styles and were sung in the ‘classical’ mode.  The Manipuri verses seemed to be more chanted.  The two renditions were a counterpoint to one another and punctuated the difference in movements and abhinaya in interpreting a common theme.  The piece began with a famous verse from the Bhagavad-Gita of hope and divine intervention: “yada yada hi dharmasya glaanir bhavati Bhaarata abhyuttana adharmasya tadaatmaanam srujamyaham”.  It was the perfect beginning for the Dashavatar, since the song tells the tale of Lord Vishnu coming to the rescue of the earth in perilous evil times from the beginning of time to the present: as Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Parashuraama, Rama, Balraama, and Krishna.  Jayadeva includes Lord Buddha as the ninth avatar, and also Kalki who is to make an appearance in this epoch.  Here again, the styles were kept separate, and the dancers moved in and out of the various roles.  Thus Dey was the fierce Narasimha rescuing young Prahalad, and Pradhan the cruel father Hiranyakashipu.  The piece was performed with verve and drama.  Male Odissi dancers are few, and hence it was a treat to see Pradhan perform.  And given the rarity of Manipuri performances, Dey should be lauded for bringing these dancers together.

The performance deserved to be better attended.  The dancers have been on a tour of the country and this was the final stop for the four dancers to perform together.  The connoisseurs who attended departed with the feeling of having seen a performance well done.

Sreyashi Dey is the president and artistic director of Srishti Dances of India, Pittsburgh, USA, and Manoranjan Pradhan is from the Orissa Dance Academy in Bhubaneshwar.  Poushali Chatterjee is the director of Nandanik Manipuri Dance Academy, Calcutta and Debanjana Roy is her student.

Nalini Rau is a reputed Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher and choreographer based in New York.  She is the founder of Natya Anubhava Academy of Classical Dance.  Among her staged performances are 'Gita Govinda', 'Devi Saraswathi', and 'Nauka Charitram'.  She has been interpreting Tagore's poems through Bharatanatyam since 1994.  President Venkataraman and Natyakalalayam presented her with the Natya Navaratna Award for her work in the Dandayuthapani Pillai bani.