Chitrangada – a multi-dimensional sensory experience

8:47 PM 0 Comments

Shahana DattaGupta

[Ed's note: This article was written a day after Chitrangada was hosted on 21st Aug,2010. However we didn't find an appropriate channel to publish it since.]

Among a few celebrations and shows in the Seattle-area around the time of the 63^rd Indian independence-day last week, was the spectacular ballet Chitrangada, presented by Pratidhwani, a local non-profit organization for the promotion of the Indian and South Asian performing arts.

This epic story of a young Manipuri princess raised to be a warrior by her son-less King father, who falls in love with the mighty Pandava warrior Arjuna, has been previously told in several ballet-expressions back in the homeland. Although Pratidhwani’s presentation did adapt Rabindranath Tagore’s classic script and music (- most appropriately, since this is also the 150^th birth centenary of the great Poet Laureate -), it did so with several innovations, without succumbing to the lure of Bollywood routines. The ballet was choreographed by a team of seven, no less, with a variety of Indian classical dances – Manipuri, Kathak, Bharatnatyam and Odissi to name a few – as well as folk and contemporary dance forms, some vigorously athletic, and others inspired by gracefully flowing yoga routines. The musical narrative, therefore, was a medley, using Tagore’s original Rabindrasangeet in some scenes, with other compositions carefully selected for the alternative expressions. This was undoubtedly an ambitious and challenging undertaking, and some of the transitions were somewhat choppy, yet the narrative was successfully held together with multiple devices. One was the program brochure itself, which had a simple outline of the story in English along with exquisite sketches of the various scenes by Yogendra Bhagat. The other was the expressive overlay by the two dancers Piyali De and Suma Mondal, who introduced each upcoming scene with their mudra-based enactments alongside the beautiful English narration in the sultry voice of Sneha Mathan.

The dance performances by the forty five dancers were all expertly delivered – with technical fluency and energetic enthusiasm. It had one amazed at the depth effort and breadth of talent that undoubtedly went into the choreography and four months of intense rehearsals, (especially considering that most of those involved hold down full-time day-jobs and family lives!) Director Moumita Bhattacharya deserves special mention, not only for masterminding this production, but also for her performance of the warrior Chitrangada, which was laced with grace, sensuality and sheer power. The two other primary roles, Arjuna by Ria Dutta Roy and Surupa – the transformed Chitrangada - by Tanvee Kale were also expertly performed. Over and above the delivery of the dances themselves, the handmade costumes – their resplendent colors and various traditional and non-traditional origins – turned the performances into a captivating feast for the eyes. Complementing the costume design (led by Moumita Bhattacharya and Ria Dutta Roy), were a simple but clever set design (led by Sameeksha Subhedar and Bikas Saha) and a spectacular lighting design (led by Pratidhwani drama-wing lead Agastya Kohli), both of which raised the level of the presentation several notches. And one would be remiss not to mention the publicity and marketing leading up to the show using professional graphic collateral and social media, the choice of venue, the ushering, ticketing and other tactical arrangements that together completed what appeared to be a strategic endeavor to produce a classy show with Broadway-style glamor. Tickets for this event sold out three days ahead of the show, a first for Pratidhwani and perhaps most other performing organizations in the area.

As with any ambitious and experimental project such as this, involving so many dimensions, technical details and people (- the cast and crew consisted of a sixty-strong pan-Indian team -), many aspects could be improved. The scene transitions, as mentioned before, could have been more seamless; on occasion, the jump from Tagore’s compositions to the other musical routines felt jarring to the acute musical ear. Perhaps these transitions could have benefitted simply from audio-visual tweaks; as it was presented, the audio faded with exponential rapidity and the lights followed suit, not allowing one to move so easily from the closing of one scene (and musical style) to the next. The splendor of the visual presentation sometimes competed with the dancer and the nuances of his or her facial expressions – a delicate balance, no doubt hard to achieve for even the most sophisticated choreographers and designers.  The overall length of the ballet could also have been shorter, making for a tighter presentation (akin to the way the program handout was presented).

Aside from the dance and performance-related aspects of this ballet, the story itself provided fodder for an imaginative presentation. How could the ancient story of the struggles of a young woman who adopted what were traditionally considered male responsibilities (protecting a kingdom, leading an army) be interpreted and represented in modern times? Concepts of beauty, masculinity and femininity, as well as societal roles are challenged in the storyline. The moment at which Arjuna realizes that his attraction to the powerful, athletic aspect of a woman runs deeper than the skin-deep aspects of femininity is decidedly pivotal – beauty itself is redefined in that singular instance. How do we rediscover these latent insights in our wise, old mythical stories? How can we move beyond production to story-telling in a manner that reveals these insights? While the use of different dance forms, costumes and lighting lent a decidedly polished and modern flair to this classic tale, was there, perhaps, an opportunity to mine the narrative itself for an alternative, experimental representation?

Nevertheless, the multi-dimensional production that was Chitrangada, was nothing short of stunning. The audience undoubtedly left with a rich, memorable, sensory experience that has raised the bar for performing art shows in the local community. Audiences are going to expect more and more, and Pratidhwani must be prepared to deliver! Pratidhwani means “echo,” and as an organization, its mission is to source talent from the local expatriates and present quality, performance art to diverse audiences. As such, it is a platform for creative expression for all those living in the Seattle-area, and Chitrangada presented itself as a successful culmination of all the creative expressions the organization supports – dance, drama and music. Chitrangada echoed with the powerful synergy that happens when diverse talents and artistic expressions successfully collaborate, cross-pollinate and innovate.

Shahana Dattagupta is a Seattle-based writer, actor, Hindustani classical vocalist, visual artist and architectural designer. Her first book, Ten Avatars, has been received with enthusiasm and acclaim by Seattle readers, and has recently become more widely available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online retailers, including in India. She is also the co-founder of Flying Chickadee, a platform for independent, transcultural writing and expression, most notably captured in its periodic online ‘zine Courageous Creativity.