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 'Let it Flow' by Anart Dance Company - Dr. Anonna Guha e-mail: anonna@nrityanjali.org.in November 17, 2023 Maulik Shah, Ishira Parikh and Anart Dance Company presented 'Let it Flow' on 8th of October at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, for the prestigious Nakshatra Dance Festival 2023. The ethos of the production was to explore the different nuances and aspects of Kathak dance while exploring the space that was available. Like a meandering river, the production flowed from one place to the other; from one destination to the other, touching, feeling and exploring various aspects of Kathak and the cultural significance it holds.  The melodious thumri "Nadiya tu dheere bahena" was a thread that linked the entire production beautifully. The haunting Sufi composition "Baha chale, Rang chale" created an atmosphere of haunting divinity. The Bandish "Man mora bawra" was explored through the use of dupattas. It depicted the pathos, the longing, the pining of the Nayika for her beloved. This integral aspect of Kathak was manifested and presented in a lyrical yet contemporary way, with beautiful movements of dupattas that were played with, depicting the longing for the beloved.  The performance ended with the feature that characterises Kathak: speed, vibrant movements, to Parans, Paramelu, Tihai. Mnemonic syllables Dhettam dhettam, Ta thunga tak, brought a variety of movement. The deliberate choice of these bold bols, while forming a horizontal line, diagonal line, making a curve, made it a captivating finale. The physical space of Experimental Theatre was used in an innovative manner and became the highlight of the evening. Different heights and levels were made and used in an intelligent way, to give an illusion of how dance can travel from one place to another. At one point the dancers also made sound travel by positioning themselves in different spaces amongst the audience, which made the audience murmur their surprise at the suddenness of it all.  Maulik Shah and Ishira Parikh 'Let it Flow' was a masterclass in presenting a dance performance effortlessly, and making it appear that it was created specifically and entirely for that space only. The presentation was highly acclaimed and appreciated by the audience. Maulik Shah and Ishira Parikh once again displayed their mastery over their visualisation techniques and innovative choreography and brought out the brilliance of the dancers of Anart Dance Company.  Dr. Anonna Guha is a double doctorate in Sociology on the topic 'Dance in the urban culture' and in Human Relations & Personality Development. She is the Trustee and Managing Director of Dr. Tushar Guha's Nrityanjali group. Anonna is adept in Kathak, Folk dance, Creative Dance and Raabindrik Nritya. She is the Dance Curator of the Kalaghoda Arts Festival. |
