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Chitrasena troupe in India:
Dance and drums join in heady combination
Rupa Srikanth
DANCE: The sounds of the conch and the accompanying chants signalled
an auspicious start to ‘Nrithanjali’, a presentation of the dance and
drums of Sri Lanka.
The opening piece was from an ancient ritual, the Kohomba Kankariya,
performed to seek the blessings of the
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Fascinating: Mask dance |
deities. And as the silence was broken on the darkened stage,
the eerie familiarity of the sounds washed over the audience.
Was this from a different culture? Or was it a reflection of our own?
The sense of deja vu persisted all evening, in the resonating percussion
and in the graceful movements of the dancers.
Historical links
If one delves deeper, one can find historical links between the two
cultures as in the rituals brought in by Indian shamans to Sri Lanka or
in the repertoire of Kandyan dance that includes tales from the
Ramayana.
There is a sense of history in the styles too especially in the plie
stance that is found in Mohiniyattoom, the shoulder shakes of Kathakali,
the mnemonics and the rhythms of the drummers, et al.
The tableau was teasingly familiar and yet dissimilar because the
flavour was entirely native.
The Sri Lankan extravaganza presented by the Music Academy, Chennai,
showcased the different dance forms that have been part of their
ritualistic culture for thousands of years: the Kandyan dance, the Low
Country dance and the Sabaragamuwa from the Midlands.
The accompaniment is mostly percussive, and each region has evolved
its own distinctive drum like the Geta Bera, the Yak Bera and the Dawula.
Professional dancers
Traditionally dancers were from hereditary families, until the first
professional dancer Chitrasena arrived on the scene in the 1930s.
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Colourful: Upeka dancing to the beat of the drum |
He challenged the hitherto male bastion and founded the Chitrasena
Dance Company.
Together with his wife an ace dancer, Vajira, he re-packaged the
repertoire for the proscenium and made the dance forms more accessible.
Today, their talented daughter Upeka heads the ensemble, and
continues to travel around the world showcasing Sri Lankan culture.
The group along with the Ravibandu Drum Ensemble, this tine, was on
their way back from New Delhi after performing at the 14th SAARC Summit.
Amalgam of styles
‘Nriyhanjali’ included a dramatic mask dance, the Naga Raksha, the
fleet-footed sword dance, the Asipatha, the amalgam of the three styles
in Thridhara, the most skilful Kandyan dance, the Ves, the whirling
court-jester like dancer in the Low country dance, Thelme, and the Dance
of the Eagle, the Ukussa Vannama.
Well co-ordinated as a group, and deeply involved as individual
dancers, the men and women are between the ages of 19 and 55.
They were: Upeka, Priyanga, Mathotage, Geeth, Mahesh, Umi, Venuri and
Thaji.
impressive
The drummers, Ravibandu, Susantha, Prasanna, Priyanga and Jith were
no less impressive.
The drum fiesta in Bahu Ranga and the foot-tapping finale were their
most memorable.
The recreation of the customary bamboo backdrop, albeit in a
two-dimensional outline added authenticity.
But what would have added value was a little explanation prefacing
each item.
The Hindu |
