"CCA and myself are very happy and thankful to Narthaki for opening a new column for discussion on such work. Roses and thorns are part of life."  - VP Dhananjayan

 

"It was a stupendous evening. The genius in the 'master' strung together a mélange of superlative talents and mesmerized the audience into a trance. The choreography was superb, the flow was seamless, the music, the artists, the theme, the nuances, every bit of the entire production is perhaps the best it can ever get. I felt so proud of being an Indian, of our puranic substance and the caliber of our talents."

 

"It was a nice show. All aspects of production were of high quality. This reminded me of Sanghamitra. I still enjoyed it."

 

"We whole heartedly enjoyed the program. I really liked the guy who acted as Laxmana, his role in last part, Aparajita as a photographer was hilarious.  The whole marriage scene was well choreographed."

 

"Thanks for bringing this wonderful dance performance to Atlanta. We enjoyed all the episodes (especially Vaidehi and comedy part of Aparajita)."

 

"Aparajitha played by Pavitra stood out. Urmila brought out the power in the character. I expected more from Shrilatha. I have seen her more than once and was always impressed by her Abhinaya but not much as Sita."

 

"Lav and Kush were the best male dancers. Music quality was harsh. Overall good, though many scenes could have been totally avoided."

 

"The ballet was of Broadway calibre and I enjoyed immensely.  I felt sorry for those who missed the opportunity to witness such an excellent performance."

  

"An 'out of this world' event..."

 

"A feast to the eyes!!"

 

"I was VERY VERY IMPRESSED and felt that ALLLLLL dancers should go to see the production."

 

"It was such an awesome performance - I did not expect it to be so long - I was confused a little in the beginning but then I understood what was happening - they can dance so well and the costumes were beautiful – WOW!"

 

"It was such a beautiful dance - thank you for bringing it to Saskatoon."

 

"It was wonderful to see such a mix of guys and girls and the boys dance so well and gracefully too."

 

"My old student Carla Guggenheim said she saw the show and visited back stage briefly. She raved about it, said you are the Jerome Robbins, Petipa, etc. of Indian choreographers - references to a contemporary choreographer who did West Side Story, known for brilliance and subtlety, the other and old classical ballet genius from before Nijinsky - all good references! She said the whole crowd loved it too."

 

"I think three hours is too long. Some of us have to drive about an hour and a half to reach the venue, when the traffic is good. Or it could take 2 hours one way. Then 3 hours of a show and the drive back for another two hours is quite taxing."

 

"I was very disappointed."

 

"So much more could have been done to bring out the essence of the beautiful subject. I think an opportunity has been wasted."

 

"It was a practically packed theater of maybe 600 people - standing ovation at the end... audience jumped to their feet - this is EXACTLY what the Indian diaspora thirsts for.  That is why it is so successful. "Don't try to give them what you think they SHOULD have... first find out what they want."  The producers have done their research - tested and tried the audiences year after year and know how to provide exactly what is "wanted." This is watching familiar stuff - takes them back to their homeland and memories... their familiar memories that begin to erode with time - this evening helps reconstruct it."

 

Famous Kalakshetra dance guru (Chinna) Sarada Hoffman attended the LA performance and watched from the back row. After the show she met with the Dhananjayans and congratulated them that it was "different and beautiful." These words of appreciation are especially cherished by the Dhananjayans. “I think we don't need any bigger award other than these golden words from our revered Guru Sarada teacher. She won't make any remark unless she really liked it,” says guru Dhananjayan.

 

"I have always enjoyed CCA presentations for their high production values, concepts, choreography and of course the aesthetic costumes. Ekaantha Seeta was no exception and in fact took it to the next level. It was a combination of artistry and entertainment of high calibre and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would enjoy doing a challenging role under the guidance of a master choreographer/teacher especially like the Dhananjayans."