On October 6, 2019 the Triveni Ensemble (a MA-based dance group featuring director Smt. Neena Gulati of Triveni School of Dance alongside senior dancers) transported a packed auditorium into the world of the seven deadly sins.  The show, held at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum in Lexington, was an encore presentation of the earlier April show.  However, one could consider it more an “enhanced” version, as it featured reworked choreography and also culminated in a unique finale piece called “Sapta,” featuring the world-class jazz group, Natraj, performing live with the dancers.  The Encore presentation also included a special question-and-answer session with both Neenaji (director of Triveni), and Phil Scarff (director of Natraj).  The team of choreographers for Sapta worked tirelessly to make each piece distinct, to highlight each sin, and to work with all the dancers.  Their hard work paid off as the entire Ensemble did full justice to the choreography, resulting in Sapta being well received, yet again, by all in attendance!

Over the years, Smt. Neena Gulati, has proven her ability in taking abstract concepts and working her magic to breathe life into them through dance.  Such was the case with Sapta: the seven deadly sins – gluttony, pride, sloth, lust, envy, greed, and wrath.  These otherwise abstract notions became fully fleshed concepts through various mythological stories depicted in dance form.  While the dancers would bring these concepts to life through the choreography, as the show’s Sutradhar (storyteller), Neenaji had the challenge of weaving each tale to the next.  Moreover, she had to inspire the audience to view the particular sin from new perspectives prior to its presentation.  It was a marvel to watch as Neenaji pulled the audience into the tales with her flawless storytelling and vast array of emotions.  Due to her skillful artistry, she was able to seamlessly bridge the gap between these western concepts of the sins, and translate them into an Indian classical dance narrative.  Telling the stories in this manner, before each performance, helped illuminate key points that would otherwise be missed by an audience not familiar with the tales.  Only a dancer of Neenaji’s caliber could keep such a diverse audience – from young kids, to adults, and of various ethnicities – engaged and captivated.

Prior to the dances beginning, the Natraj ensemble presented various pieces of theirs as the audience began to fill the seats.  It was a treat to watch the jazz musicians in their element.  However, soon it was time for the main acts to begin, and for the audience to be dazzled by dance.  All the dancers portrayed their roles well.  Act I featured the sins of Gluttony, Pride, Sloth, and Lust.  Gluttony told the story of the gods Krishna and Ganesha, who both had a love of tasty treats.  It made the audience question where the line is between wanting something, and wanting something in excess.  Pride was a particularly strong piece (from music to choreography) that had the audience cheering and clapping loudly at the end.  It told the tale of the arrogant river goddess, Ganga, and how Shiva had to tame her in his wild locks.  Sloth was a more comical take on a sin, and provided moments of laughter to the audience.  The first Act ended with the sin of Lust that taught the audience that one must always keep control of desire.

After a short intermission, Act II began with the sin of Envy.  The sin taught the audience to be appreciative of what they have and to find contentment in their own lives.  Next, was Greed that focused on the story of Sita and the golden deer from the Ramayana.  It illuminated the fact that even “good” individuals, can fall prey to sin.  Following Greed was the sin of Wrath, which exhibited how unchecked anger can consume all around it.  Finally, the audience got to witness a unique collaboration between the Triveni and Natraj ensembles in “Sapta,” which tied all the sins together.  In the Q&A following, Mr. Scarff revealed that Natraj composed the song specifically for this Triveni production with guidance from Neenaji.  The music piece complemented the dancing perfectly as Neenaji took the stage as not only storyteller, but also dancer, alongside four of her senior dancers.

Sapta was a successful production that all involved should be very proud of.  While the production exhibited seven deadly sins, as someone who watched both iterations of it, I can attest to the fact that the only sin committed was if one missed this beautiful production! 

Triveni School of Dance’s next production will be their Annual Show on October 20, 2019 at Strand Theatre.  For details, please visit www.trivenidance.org

Triveni School of Dance is a non-profit organization based in Brookline, MA dedicated to the education and performance of Classical Indian dance, social awareness, and the celebration of cultural diversity.  Founded by acclaimed dancer, Smt. Neena Gulati, in 1971, Triveni became the first Indian Classical School of Dance in Massachusetts.  Triveni is also unique for training students in three styles of dance –Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi.

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