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| Maanya Sthree- Exceptional Women |
Ranjani Saigal
03/29/2012
The Abhinaya Dance Company, under the direction of Mythili Kumar presented Maanya Stree – Exceptional Women at the Little Kresge Auditorium at MIT on March 3, 2012. Featuring brilliant Nritta and excellent group formation, the dance was a true delight to watch. Dancers Rasika Kumar, Malavika Kumar, Anjana Dasu, Sindhu Natarajan, Anu Ranganathan, Megha Ranganathana and Anjali Thakkar, were expert dancers whose precise choreographed moves fit the music perfectly.
The music by Asha Ramesh and Babu Parameswaran performed by an exceptionally talented orchestra including Mythili Kumar & Malavika Kumar (nattuvangam - cymbals) - Asha Ramesh (vocal & music composition); N. Narayan (mridangam & kanjira); Shanthi Narayan (violin); Raja Sivamani (veena); Ragavan Manian (flute); Ravi Gutala (tabla); Peter Van Gelder (sitar) was a musical treat that accentuated the fine dance presentation. The recording was very well done.
The event opened with a unique invocation titled Prithvi Sooktam . Choreographed by Rasika Kumar verses of the Prithvi Sooktam from Atharvana Veda were used to pay homage to the earth, its magnificence, its abundance, its seasons, its creatures, and the human race. “Set us on the path to prosperity and good fortune, O Mother Earth!â€
The next presentation was a Madurai Muralidharan composition that paid homage to the holy river Kaveri. Rasika described the origin of this river and her moves depicted the energy and joy of the waters of this river and followed its path from the Sahyadri’s to the Bay of Bengal.
No female centric dance concert can be complete without a tribute to Goddess Durga. The dramatic tales associated with Goddess Durga make for a great presentation. Durga Aparajitha – the unconquered used the beautiful hymns from Devi Bhaagavatham & Devi Mahaatmayam to pay homage to Mother Durga. The choreography brilliantly depicted the fight between Durga and the demons Mahisha and Rakthabeeja.
The second half of the presentation opened with “Hey Bharata Nari†- a composition that depicted the famous characters Ahalya and Sita as weakling women who were abused by their spouses – one who was turned to stone despite her innocence and another who was sent to the forest for no fault of hers. While Rasika’s Abhinaya ability was wonderful, unfortunately the piece did not delve into the Ramayana in depth and presented a rather contorted view of the incidents.
Rasika presented a very unique and brilliant rendition of Chitra Divakaruni’s poem, Traitor Body. This was followed by the dramatic depiction of an Indian American women who was a victim of domestic violence. The presentation ended with Nirbhaya Stri or fearless woman.
The entire presentation was absolutely brilliant in terms of the dance elements. Unfortunately the lack of context for many of the pieces in the second half resulted in a view that Indian women as mostly meek and abused through the ages - which perhaps was not the intent.
Kudos to the choreographers for trying new ideas and executing the movements with precision and grace. The dancers were extremely talented. It was impressive to see their dedication to the art form despite having very busy professional lives. They are a true inspiration to dancers in America and perhaps the world over.
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Photos :Don Perrault
