Breathtaking ballet
Darshana Ashoka Kumara
While spellbinding the audience, veteran dance guru Nalin Maligaspe
and his troupe brought their newly composed ballets, 'Black White and
Red' and 'Solace in Stone' on stage at an mesmerizing event recently at
the Elphinstone theatre, Maradana.
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Scenes from Black, White and Red |
The novel theatrical experience of Maligespe comes under the theme of
'A New Dimension to Sri Lankan Dance Medium of the Human Body'. The
renowned state award winning dance teacher Nalin Maligaspe has harnessed
not only theoretical knowledge in classical and modern dance but also
two decades of experience to infuse life into these art creations.
These two theatre productions project his ability in absorbing new
trends in the global dance theatre.
Earning public fame at his early stage career while wining series of
awards for dance in the early 1990s Maligaspe won the best performer
award at 'Mega 95', one of the biggest musical ceremonies. Meanwhile, he
picked up State awards for novel compilation of ballets in 1989 (Kadatholu
Nimeshaya), 2003 (Ruhiru Pathana Kirula) and 2004/2005 (Mata Maa da
Ahimiwa Etha). Maligaspe's modern ballet composition 'Black, White and
Red' can be easily categorized as a pioneering work of Sri Lankan modern
performing arts for its novel features. He uses body movements and
gestures to reach the desired end. While breaking new grounds in
performing arts in Sri Lanka Maligaspe sets the stage for the crucial
encounter - modern ballet techniques and inner torments of the human
psyche through new blood to the stage.
"Black, White and Red" is based on a story of two people who are
alone and captivated in a self-made prison. They are distanced and
forgotten by the outside world. The underlying idea projected in the
creation is the authoritative value system which governs the human
civilization as a whole.
The ballet's main character is a guitarist who has ceased to contact
with society and living in his own dreams in a dark, gloomy dungeon
located under the Earth. The place which is the permanent residence of
the Guitarist has minimum connections with the outside world where all
relationships are made and lost continuously. The link between
Guitarist's world and the mainstream world is a small channel, the
second character of the play.
He feeds the guitarist with food brought from the outside world. Once
a piece of paper, coloured and glossy, used to wrap bread makes way for
a female figure to emerge. She takes hold of the Guitarist. Fires
rekindled. Music and the woman gather tempo and one inspires the other.
Deft fingers around the guitar and sweetness of the woman. Finally the
guitarist falls asleep.
The story denotes like-minded people who have been expelled from the
dominant value system. The characters on the staged symbolize the clash
between the spiritual and worldly existence of the human being. It
debates that human beings have various desires and wishes during their
life.
The question arising in the minds of spectators is whether it is
correct to judge people with dominant ideas and force them to behave as
dictated by the majority (perhaps the minority).
The friend of the guitarist who has connections with the outside
world is also embraced by hot, fiery and filth (as labeled by the world)
feelings as seeing the female figure. Both of them and the water barrel
positioned at the center of the stage forms ominous silhouettes. The
temptations of the outside world invade the peace of the abode.
Then there is a brawl and the rules of the civilized world do not
apply anymore. Justice is fast catching up and police sirens sounded.
The conflict between the civilization and the real human being erupts
again. The work casts a new light to the question of civilized Homo
Sapiens ('wise man' in Latin) who have been engulfed in self-made
prisons. From 'Black, White and Red" Maligaspe make an attempt to
transcend complexes of the human mind and question the construction of
civilization. He adopts an artistic way to explore the human mind.
The second ballet 'Solace in Stone' can be categorized as a classical
genre work. The ballet is based on romance and dreams of youthful
innocence. The protagonist is a hot-blooded youth in his prime. His love
is beyond understanding. It is complicate and sweet but elusive. Again
it brings in psychological analysis. 'Solace in Stone' examines woman's
mind, which gives pride of place to security all the time.
The story is written in a masculine view. But it tells the audience
that all beings have struggled for love throughout the history.
The salient feature of the two ballets is music compositions. Young
talented music composer Sanjeewa Paranamana has contributed for the two
works by creating stunning piece of music specially focusing on western
classical music genres. Paranamana's music compositions have been
immensely supportive to project the expression what Maligaspe endeavored
to transmit. |
