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 Aakash Odedra presents a double bill - Kasturika Mishra e-mail: kasturikafeministpoetry@gmail.com Photo: Innee Singh October 13, 2023 One melting pot of a sultry Delhi night at Sunder Nursery, and a three side open stage one witnessed Aakash Odedra, a British Kathak and Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer looking for his lost identity and rootedness in a two part dance choreography. Presented by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art on October 7, 2023, the double bill featured the works 'Echoes' and 'Constellation,' two solos choreographed by acclaimed artistes Aditi Mangaldas and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Most of Delhi glitterati and connoisseurs who love meeting each other in any show attended Aakash's performance. City of dazzle and dreams, Delhi welcomed Aakash after 15 years, and he didn't disappoint anyone. The stage was set with a minimalist golden heap of beads on one side of the stage and a hanging circle of golden beaded hangers with gungroos tied on to the extreme ends. The bells in 'Echoes' become a metaphor of resonance, of freedom, of awakening. The Indian audience is used to standardized taste in Kathak recitals, few padhants, some kavitta and then Krishna Radha tales. Aakash however destroyed all mythical relativity the audience was waiting for and gained appreciation for holding their attention. Self-questioning mind, tempestuous rising desires in a world on a flight to grab identity, travelling from one safe space when inside the bead rings and again going away to another unfamiliar country or space, landscapes of ethereal elements, caged aspirations, dejection by people and feelings close to your heart, these images floated from point to point in the performance. Stillness yet fleeting emotions juxtaposed in the brief mirrored rhythm, transient echoes of "we" against the universe was the highpoint of Aakash's performance so tightly choreographed by Aditi Mangaldas and clubbed with sonorous refrain from texts by Paltudas, Meerabai and Bheekha Sahib.  The second part of the evening however was an accentuated theatrical piece on constellation with hanging bulbs brought to light one by one. In 'Constellation,' choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui seeks to highlight different patterns of sound and different sources of light that come together to create a constellation. The life of stars in the universe is to claim the light when discovered and fade away into oblivion. Aakash waded in and out of this celestial arena with ease and perfected nuances. Instead of the flat seating plan, we could have viewed the show with more ease had it been arranged on an amphitheatre set up. No matter how many seats one shifted during the show to get a good view and finally stood under the tree, one had to contend with faceless bouncers instead of support staff who can discern between wine sippers and actual rasikas!  @Kasturika Mishra is a poet, writer, and dance critic. |
