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Chitresh
Das Dance Company presents East as Center
featuring Guru
Govindan Kutty, Chitresh Das and Ni Ketut Arini
 by
Karen Drozda
June 7, 2003 -- ODC
Theater, San Francisco
The ODC Theater's
penchant for hosting dance events that educate as well as entertain thrilled
dance fans again last week, with sold-out performances of East as Center.
Master Artist Chitresh Das is this year's ODC Theater Artist-in-Residence,
and as such may present up to three times in whatever capacity best serves
his work. East as Center introduces, compares and unites three
traditional dance forms from India and Indonesia through a common literary
tradition.
Three different traditional dance forms performed together provoke a fascinating
visual dialogue of similarity and difference, that heightens the appreciation
of each individual dance form as well as the traditions common to all
three.
A common aspect of all three art forms is the incorporation of two distinct
layers -- pure dance (Nritta) and dramatic storytelling. This evening's
program featured a brief introduction of each style in its pure form,
followed by a combination of all three forms in a dramatic storytelling
passage from the Ramayana. Each dance form is presented by an internationally
acclaimed master.
The pure dance introduction featured Balinese Legong, performed by Ni
Ketut Arini and Kompiang Metri Davies, South Indian Kathakali performed
by Guru Govindan Kutty with Surajit Sarkar, and North Indian Kathak performed
by Master Chitresh Das with Jaiwanti Pamnani, Charlotte Moraga and Farah
Yasmeen Shaikh. Each dance master was also the choreographer and composer
for their part of the program, with Chitresh Das as Artistic Director
for the entire performance.
First on stage were the Legong dancers, who entered dressed in elaborate
gold brocade and brightly colored silk with flowered headdresses. Their
bodies were corseted with the stiff brocade, and they entered the stage
tipping their heads from side to side like clockwork dolls with two red
flowers in their headdresses bobbling comically. Their faces were expressive
masks, with exaggerated smiles or frowns and dramatic eye movements. Graceful
hand gestures derive from nature, or are based on sacred Hindu mudras.
Moving on bended knee, they seemed to float about the stage with inhuman
grace.
The Kathakali dancers arrived with a similar bended knee, but with softer
more flowing costumes and freer gestures of arms and legs. Their tradition
is a dance-drama or, literally, "story-play." The actors do not speak,
but interpret the verses and songs sung by accompanying vocalists. Storytelling
involves the whole body and an elaborate scheme of facial expression,
mime, and gesture. Interpretation of the text is mainly conveyed by hand
gestures (mudras) that form a decipherable sign language.
The Kathak dance segment was divided into two parts -- the first danced
by the four female Chitresh Das dancers, and the second a solo by Chitresh
Das himself. They all wore brightly colored silk tunics with flaring skirts
and matching pants, with the ghungroo -- a thick cuff of ankle bells.
Their dance was not narrative at all, but emphasized the rhythms shared
by the dance and the music in a continuous flow. The stamping of their
bare feet and shaking of the ankle bells formed a counterpoint to the
traditional Lucknow court instruments of pakhawaj drum, sarod and santoor.
Each dancer also chants the beat while dancing, counting rhythmic tal
cycles of 7, 10 or 16 beats. While traditionally musicians keep the beat
(or tal) for the dancers, Chitresh Das has developed a technique he calls
Kathak Yoga, where the dancer accompanies him or herself.
Chosen as a unifying element for the dramatic storytelling portion of
the performance, the Ramayana is one of the two major epic tales of India.
It celebrates the exploits of Ram, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu.
Committed to writing in the third century AD, it continues to be tremendously
popular throughout India and Southeast Asia.
The excerpt presented is called Seeta Apaharan or "Sita's Abduction,"
which occurs while Prince Ram is exiled in the forest with his brother
Lakshman and wife Sita. Mischief occurs as they encounter various demons
and animals of the forest.
Ram is danced by Surajit Sarkar in Kathakali style and costume, his wife
Sita by Kompiang Metri Davies in Legong style and costume. The Demon King
is danced by Chitresh Das, along with his sister and the Golden Deer in
Kathak. The Vulture King is danced in Legong style by Ni Ketut Arini.
Leaving aside comparison and analysis, the performance was great fun to
watch. Sita's Legong costume included a long train of heavy silk that
started as the front panel of her skirt and trailed through her legs and
about five feet behind her. Her every movement had to allow for the draping
and placement of this train, as well as a long sash that hung down in
front and trailed on the ground as she sank lower. Either element could
easily trip her, yet she managed to be violently abducted by demons without
appearing to notice the hinderance.
Another charming character was the Golden Deer, danced in Kathak (without
bells). Using stylized hand and body movements, the dancer completely
became a shy graceful deer who was also the Uncle of the Demon King in
disguise.
The Vulture King who attempts to rescue Sita is powerful and dramatic,
tragically losing both wings in his fight with the Demon King and dying
as he directs Ram and Lakshman to Sita's rescue. Ni Ketut Arini's sensitive
performance conveys a complexity of character and emotion in a very short
period of time, through the stylized costume and gestures of the Balinese
dance.
As each of the three styles used hand movements as narrative, the audience
received a crash course in sign language. Ram's brother, Lakshman danced
by Charlotte Moraga, displayed a distinctive hand and body posture that
was used by other actors when talking about him. The gesture for "demon,"
a grimace with the tongue sticking out, was also discernable among the
storytelling sequences. An English-language narrator also helped the audience
follow the story line as the action unfolded.
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