Ramayanam - A Dance Drama

Yesterday I did something unusual...I attended a dance drama. I went because Girija's daughter, Raagini, was dancing for the first time on stage. So, as you can imagine, I went with fairly basic expectations. And was I in for a huge surprise. 

It was a mind blowing event. They were enacting the Ramayana in dance drama form, and to say I watched mesmerized beginning to end, would be no exaggeration. I'm no connoisseur of dance, but the grace, the rhythm, the beauty and the skill of the dancers.....the singing......the music.....the compositions......the choreography.......was all of such high caliber, that it was almost like a spiritual experience.

The dancers, aged right from seventeen to forty, were all disciples of Smt. Gayatri Keshavan, who runs the Academy of Bharatanatyam and is herself a well known dancer with a strong dance lineage. I was left in total awe of what she had taught and enabled.

They started with the Mallari, a composition associated with the Nadaswaram, a high energy piece which kind of invokes the energy of the space and sets the momentum for the rest of the program.

The dance was set to the eka sloka ramayanam, which covers the whole of the Ramayanam in this one small slokam:

Poorvam Rama Thapovanadhi Gamanam
Hatva Mrigam Kanchanam
Vaidehi Haranam, Jataayu Maranam
Sugreeva Sambhashanam
Bali Nigrahanam, Samudra Tharanam
Lankapuri Dahanam,
Paschath Ravana Kumbhakarna Madanam
Ethat Ithi Ramayanam

And the choreography brought out each of those sequences with such clarity and elegance, that it held the entire audience spellbound. There was one sequence of Jataayu trying to rescue Sita and his slaying which was enacted or rather danced with such precision and expression that even thinking about it can bring back the goosebumps. So also the fight between Rama and Ravana. 

The third and concluding piece was the Tillana, a sequence with really intricate foot and head movements, beauty and art through the physical body, a pure visual treat.

Here are some pictures from the event:

That's Raagini in the center

Raagini again first on the left

This is like the finale scene

The entire troupe, and in center is Gayatri Keshavan and to her left is the chief guest, Poornima Gururaja, who is yet another renowned dancer and who currently also runs her own academy for dance. Her speech was one of the most authentic, touching, and inspiring ones I've heard. Kudos to her for picking up the essence of the event.

It was also really interesting how Ms Poornima in reference to a discussion on Ramayana, rather more specifically on Rama said " he has always been considered the maryada purushottam, the dharma purusha and is revered for always doing right....  however, we need to see that he did 'right ' only by his role, and not necessarily so in his personal life..... there needs to be a balance there... that is also a takeaway we need to see from the Ramayana". It was refreshing and impressive to hear this perspective in an otherwise fairly orthodox and conservative forum.

Also touching was how Ms.Gayatri Keshavan mentioned that it was her mother who had many years ago told her to do the Ramayana to the Ekasloka, and it was today she had fulfilled that desire. It was a deeply personal and intense moment that we were honored to have shared with her. 

Kudos & Congratulations to her, and the team for a magnificent performance!

And a special Congratulations to Raagini, proud of you girl !