It was refreshing to watch a bunch of young talent host a charity show handling the logistics as well as choreography all by themselves and coming out with flying colours. More so, since the thematic presentation, Dastan-e-dhadkan was abstract and had to harmoniously blend into the framework of four dance forms – Kathak, Odissi, Bharatanatyam and Contemporary. With Odissi danseuse Nitisha Nanda at the helm (concept and choreography), the dances merged seamlessly articulating the theme of rhythm of life that is inherent in Nature, in human life with a start but with no finish. It speaks of the five stages of life from womb to death, underlining the Indian spiritual thought that the journey of rhythm (substituted for soul) is perpetual.
Articulate performer
Each stage is depicted by one set of dancers or rather one dance form and the thread that weaves it together is the sutradar/narrator ably portrayed by Bharatanatyam dancer Himanshu Shrivastava. In the entire ballet, he is the only dancer who articulated – rest only gesticulated and danced to pure music. The fundamental mnemonics of dance becomes the physical heart throb (literally) which is rhythmic finding its echo in the universe. The contemporary dancer Surya Prakash rolls on the stage with limbs entwined at times kicking and rotating reflecting the unborn child in its mother’s womb. The heart that beats within feels a sense of security protected as it were by its mother. It has not yet faced the mundane world. With each stage, we have Himanshu uttering a few profound statements in English on the stage of life represented by the dancer(s) and the pitfalls or progress as it goes. He also underlines the continuity within, the eternal rhythm that keeps it going come what may. The transformations are temporal is the message.
Childhood is all play and no work, no accountability and the Kathak dancers (Sakshi Tandon, Muskaan,Nidhi Kakkar, Anjali Munjal) zoom in gleefully in a brief footwork and chakkars. This stage is soon replaced by adolescence. Nitisha Nanda and Snigdha Shikha Pattajoshi spelt out the ups and downs of growing teens in expressive Odissi which stood out. Youth – Ankita Kaushik and Akanksha Rana (both in Bharatanatyam format) showcase youth at crossroads. With adulthood comes romance and marriage ‘grihastya ashram’ marking the beginning of a new family. A crisp portrayal of marital life by Anjali M and Mohit Sridhar (Kathak dancers) drove the point home.
Their child grows up, behavioural patterns change, defiance sets in adding to the woes of the once young, romantic couple (now parents). The last and final stage is old age where disease and death spell the end of human life which is only the physical body and its sensory organs. The pulsating biological clock stops but nothing else halts. The dancers glide in from the wings all in tow moving circularly to the Buddhist chant ‘Om mani padme hum’ (lotus jewel in the heart). The finale was aesthetic and enchanting. The only hiccup in this well-intentioned ballet was weak acoustics which muffled the statements by Himanshu and the last refrain. Kudos to Nitisha Nanda, Anjali M and Ankita K for conceptualising such a profound theme with such finesse. The show was hosted by Amaiya at New Delhi’s India Habitat Centre.