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 Aparajita - The Invincible Woman - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com Photos courtesy: NCPA June 24, 2023 The grand finale of the annual Mudra Dance Festival presented by National Centre for Performing Arts on 28th April as part of International Dance Day celebrations at the Tata Theatre showcased dance performances based on the theme 'Aparajita - the invincible!' Choreographer, scholar and cultural icon Dr Sonal Mansingh, unfolded the myriad and subtle nuances of her art to a spellbound audience. The other performance was a dance recital presented by eminent artiste Dr Sandhya Purecha and her group.  Sonal Mansingh Prior to the performance, programme officer of NCPA, Swapnokalpa Dasgupta invited Sonal Mansingh for an interactive session with the audience. The spectators watched and listened in rapt attention as the dance guru whose active career spans over 6 decades, narrated her meeting with Jamshed Bhabha before the inauguration of Tata theatre who said in typical Parsi Gujarati that 'you will soon be dancing in Tata theatre.' When asked as to how she emerged victorious and started dancing again after the fatal car accident in 1974 in then West Germany, Dr Mansingh shared, "Initially the doctors said that it may be difficult for me to walk, leave alone dance, shattering words to my ears and heart. But there was a chiropractor in Montreal, Canada, who had watched my performances and came to know of my accident. He especially came to visit me and said, 'You will dance again!' I assured him of following his treatment and instructions. I hung on to that one ray of hope!" For over a year, Sonal Mansingh was in a plaster cast weighing 4 kg with no movement whatsoever. It is really a miracle how she started dancing again like a true Aparajita! Since then she has been an inspiration for millions who have read her story of indomitable spirit and passion for dance.  Sonal Mansingh's group Sonal Mansingh and her repertory consisting of seven talented dancers presented two items namely Ardhanarishwara, the inseparable feminine and masculine aspects of the Divine based on Adi Shankara's Stotram and a rare choreography of Dashavatara of Lord Vishnu based on the interpretation of poet Jayadeva's Geeta Govind, representing the relentless tussle against the wicked and the good emerging victorious to reinstate peace on earth. Mansingh led seven dancers, four male and three female, with consummate coordination creating magic on stage with their emotive and dancing skills aptly complementing the text. Appearing in varied incarnations like Matsya, Koorma, Buddha, Mansingh mesmerised the audience with her effortless, fluid movements, elegance and poise. Both dances are choreographed and set to music by Sonal Mansingh. The spark in her performance underscores decades of deep learning, training, understanding of the Indian culture and invaluable contribution as scholar, cultural visionary and founder of one of the earliest cultural organizations, the Centre for Indian Classical Dances: Shri Kamakhya Kalapeeth, established in 1977 in Delhi.  Sandhya Purecha The second 'Aparajita' featured Dr Sandhya Purecha, Bharatanatyam dancer, mentor, scholar and chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi. Based on her research, Purecha presented an innovative and creative presentation 'Arth Sringara' based on Kalasa Karanas with relation to Kalidasa's Ritu Samhara that incorporates the beauty and splendour of nature in its varied facets of plants, flowers, birds, animals.  Sandhya Purecha's group Exploring the five seasons - summer, rainy, winter, autumn and spring - it was exciting to watch Purecha dance with eleven disciples in perfect harmony and uniformity. The angika abhinaya pertaining to the gait of the peacock, deer, swan, elephant, tiger were well portrayed, winning instant applause from the audience. The melodious interludes on the veena by maestro Narayana Mani, the percussion impact by Satish Krishnamurthy and the impeccable voice over by Aleric Ferns added a special impact to the performance by the talented team of dancers. Kudos to NCPA for presenting two Aparajitas on the same day.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
