An evening's delight with Indian rhapsody and dance
By Yogita Tahil Ramani
JAKARTA (JP): Eyeballs bulged in crazed wrath and a face contorted in disgust etched eminently beautiful characterizations of emotional disgust and turmoil.
Footwork did some talking, but the repertoire of limb movements and facial expressions spoke volumes, translating lyrical verse of Indian revolutionary poet Sri Subramanya Bharati into a fusion of dance and acting.
Bharatanatyam may be imitable to the last symbolic expression, but individual creativity gives an inimitable quality to the age- old school of Indian dance.
The Bharatanatyam dance performance on Aug. 16 at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta, enraptured audiences with its authentic style. A part of Pastojak '97 (Pasar Tontonan Jakarta or the Jakarta Performing Art Festival '97), it was preceded by a musical recital by Ustad Shahid Pervez, Shri Tijay and Sunita Aswani.
Dancing is the closest path to God, according to a noted Sufi poet Rumi. As every Hindu ritual, religious occasion and general event requires, dancer Kanaka Srivasan began the dance performances by paying tribute to the Lord -- in this case, the Nataraj, more commonly known as destroyer of evils and cosmic dancer Hindu Lord Shiva.
Gestures give body to Indian dance as drama would to acting. Feet hit the ground and thumped in precise timing, eyes conveyed myriad moods and hands illustrated meanings as 12 exuberant beauties jumped and swayed to the intricate movements in Pushjanpali, the first dance of the evening.
Richly colored saris were donned with gold belts around waists in ornamental finery. The dynamic and demanding Bharatnatayam originates from Tamil Nadu, and the dancer's body is visualized in triangular portions.
To term expressive the Nav Rasa (Nine Emotions) performed by Kanaka would be doing an injustice to her symbolistic performance. She was the epitome of expression, giving equal impetus to each emotion of happiness, anger, disgust, fear, sorrow, courage, compassion, wonder and peace.
Indian dance explains through Abhinaya, acting replete with gestures -- where the hands go, eyes follow; where the eyes go, there is the mind; where the mind goes, there are the feelings, and where the feelings go, there lies the mood.
Expression Item was true to its meaning, as beautiful dancers in embroidered print saris formed innumerable statuesque poses, each telling its own story, following timed pauses to the sung Tamil lyrical poetry. In one, a woman stands to let water flow from her hands, and another dancer kneels to face her in the act of receiving.
Another beautiful dance performance had the Gopis-Krishna theme, modeled around the story of Lord Krishna luring his Gopis, or village belles, into dancing with Him in the fields. A popular garba, or dance with sticks, was included in the performance as well.
Famous Indian poet Rabrindanath Tagore once said: "For us, music has, above all, a transcendental significance". The music recital of sitar player Shahid Pervez and tabla player Shri Tijay was spellbinding and earned sustained applause. It was a transcending experience for the musicians themselves, who performed the rhythmic jugalbandhi (music answering musical questions) of tabla and sitar to the enthralled audience.
The Raga-Tal musical system is distinct in India's high- pitched and low-pitched classical rippling musical tones that characterizes the Western sol-fa system. Three essentials of Indian music are melody, harmony and rhythm.
Emoting lower strings of the Tarab beneath the main strings of the sitar added intensity and depth with raga yaman; as the tabla drummed rhythmic tonal variety to the music, the effect was frenetic on the audience. The tanpoora (simple string instrument) was played as well by Sunita Aswani.
Western dance and musical influences are threatening to eclipse the traditional Indian arts scene. This notwithstanding, Indian music and dance classicists have earned international recognition. Last week's performance reaffirmed their enduring influence on the disparate worlds of East and West.