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 Nyasam endorses our connection to the infinite consciousness - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com December 15, 2023 Nyasam - a map to our souls, a thematic presentation, was presented by accomplished performers like Geeta Chandran (Earth - prithvi), Lata Surendra (Jala - water), A.B.Bala Kondala Rao and Aditya Anukula (Fire-Agni) at the Experimental theatre, Mumbai, on 23rd November. Shovana Narayan was supposed to interpret Air (vayu) but could not make it due to personal reasons. It was interesting to watch how each dancer related to the basic elements of life, part of the "pancha bhutas" in their individualistic styles in different disciplines.  Geeta Chandran Geeta Chandran celebrated creation as God's leela, a transformative experience highlighting cosmic opulence through the energy that was Radhamayi Krishna. Geeta related to her celebration of the Earth through the raas leela of Krishna, which is an extract of the Varnam, stylised particularly for this occasion. Traditionally it is described as "Maha Raas" wherein every Gopi feels that Krishna is dancing with them, hence it is dance of "anandam" (eternal bliss), performed immaculately by Geeta, as she relates to both Radha and Krishna with equal ease and versatility. Symbolically, it also represents the union of the human soul with the divine soul.  Bala Kondala Rao Fire is jyothi, Parama Shiva is Jyothi Swaroopa. Fire cleanses, empties, restructures and restores. Awareness is the fire within that burns, purifies and nullifies negativity. Bala Kondala Rao explored the Ardhangni of Shiva-Parvati and Agni Puneetha Sita, In the episode from Shiva Purana, Parvati playfully closes the eyes of Shiva and finds that the entire universe has come to a standstill and immersed in darkness, until Shiva opens his third eye and bestows light on the universe and Parvati's own awareness of him as light. While Bala played Sita and Parvati, Aditya, the talented son of Bala, played both Shiva and Ravana with vibrant and powerful movements. The commentary in-between the presentation was a little distracting.  Lata Surendra Lata Surendra explored water as the elixir of immortality and the basis of human life that awakened the cleansing, nurturing, baptising aspect of water through Mother Ganga, the liquid axis, the pathway connecting all spheres of reality. Layers of her descent could highlight her saga, including her tears, rage and reluctance to leave the heavens. Her tears, in a way highlighting the saga of all rivers, resolved to direct attention to her misuse by humans with her entreaty for them to bestow upon her a heaven on Earth in lieu of the heavens she had left behind. Lata and her disciples presented varied facets of the Ganga, from its inception to the present situation which is the cause of concern and our duty is to take care of the holy river. Shovana was to have depicted the 19th century sage Ramana Maharishi's well-known encounter with death and the observation Yama, the God of death and justice, made to Meenakshi, the fish eyed goddess, on how the world abuses their trusteeship of "prana vayu" by causing death but hoping to never die themselves, an excerpt from the play "Unmasking of Death" by Ramchandra Gandhi. Curated by Lata Surendra, it was an unusual program indeed.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
