An evening's delight with Indian rhapsody and dance

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.