 at a workshop by artist John Baby (left) at the art room of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in December.jpg.image.160.84.jpg)
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Kottayam: People who attended the Soorya Festival on Wednesday would later remember it as the day Manipuri colours rained down, dipping them in myriad emotions ranging from sheer mirth, unprecedented energy and wonderment.
The Manipuri festivities, in all their inflections and tenor, were presented by Baishali Sarkar, the renowned Manipuri dance performer, and her group through their 9-act dance performance. The eye-popping scenario of dance rituals combined with magnetic energy fetched all the accolades from the audience collected at CMS college auditorium. The evening, though wonderfully lit, felt pallid against the magnificent performers.
Act One – Dasavathar
The lovely damsels of the group, lead by Baishali Sarkar, enacted the ten avatars (reincarnations) of Lord Vishnu. A soft song detailing the avatars coupled with swift motion of hands amid bewitching colours rendered the story the mythical touch it sought. Hand movements are vital in the Manipuri dance forms, since contours and movements were banked on for expression. Mythologies are largely subject to regional variations; among the ten avatars featured by the Manipuri performers, one was named Buddha, replacing Balarama, who was more in tandem with the south Indian listing of avatars!
Act 2 – Nada Sangeerthana
A breathtaking combination of mridanga and a jig (percussion with dance) was the concept of Nada Sangeerthana, an amalgamation of sang (together) and keerthana (devotional songs). The act started mellow with the boys of the group bringing in the percussion and stringing it effectively with great footwork, swift hand movements, bhava, and a glee that was to be when all the three combine with an intent to enrapture. The performance gained momentum and speed as it progressed, and there was a collective gasp followed by loud applause when the performers broke into a splendid Garba dance routine, swivelling with their mridangam.
A divine love-play, the stage was set to dreamy lighting alternating from blueish tones to chromatic huesAct 3 – Thandava Lasya
Baishali Sarkar was back with the Thandava Lasya, a dance form where both the masculine and the feminine were depicted through seemingly languid, but complex movements. Gracefully executing the concept, the dancers sprinkled romance in the air with their nuanced bhava; it was a duet being danced.
Act 4 – Stick Dance
And in came a young man, holding three sticks (two, technically as the third one was in the air) and the stick saw no moment when it even touched the floor in its own free will! Inspired by the Manipuri martial art form, Thang ta, acrobatic movements are paired with an immaculate balancing act of one stick with two other sticks. Setting the crowd to dizzying heights of delight, the show ended on a high note after the performer deftly balanced the stick on his nose.
Manipuri dance performance at Soorya FestivalWatch the high-voltage Manipuri dance performance at #SooryaFestival in Kottayam#Kerala
Posted by onmanorama on Friday, October 9, 2015
Act 5 – Thougal Jagoi
Thougal Jagoi is the dance ritual performed as part of the Lai Haroba festivities, an event to please the gods. Celebrating during May-June, universal lovers of Manipur, dance and partake in what they call the 'merrymaking of gods'. Depicting the 'origin myth', creation and evolution, they invoke their guardian deities and sylvan gods, who are part of their pantheon despite the strong prevalence of Vaishnavite faith among the Manipuris. Baishali Sarkar and team had the audience's rapt attention when they danced to the gods; Sarkar was adorned with a headgear of long peacock feathers in traditional luminous Manipuri attire.
Act 6 – Dhol Dholak Cholom
For this act, the men were back, armed with cylindrical drums and a large round drum that were customary while performing this routine. An intense interplay of drums, footwork and dance, it is the occasion when they celebrate Holi. The energy was tangible and infectious as the drummers did a routine of the primeval head-banging with their dhols reprising the Garba dance, this time, high on velocity and arresting in appeal.
Act 7 – Mandila Nartan
Mandila Nartan celebrates the union of Radha and Krishna. Largely played out in temple mandapas, this picturesque dance is accompanied by the tambura. A depiction of love brought to life by Baishali Sarkar, it ended with a group of lovers dancing together in celebration.
The eye-popping scenario of dance rituals combined with magnetic energy fetched all the accoladesAct 8 – Blind Cutting
Fierce and cutting edge, this performance was watched with bated breath as a blindfolded young man was set to chop off a cucumber that another held in his mouth. Setting the mood of a creeping fear, rising anticipation and surging admiration, the show came to an electrifying end.
Act 9 – Vasant Ras
Set against the imaginary backdrop of the gurgling Yamuna river, the Vasant Ras or Ras Leela is a dance-drama that brings back Lord Krishna and the Vaishnavite stronghold to the forefront again. A depiction of Krishna with his gopis and Radha, the performance is enacted in the traditional Manipuri wedding attire. A divine love-play, the stage was set to dreamy lighting alternating from blueish tones to chromatic hues, rendering the mythology its charm; it was a show of rhythmical subtlety, lyricism and drama that culminated in the union of Radha and Krishna. This was the final act of the Manipuri performers, a glorious finale to this cultural event that encapsulated those temporal frames into one integrated memory.
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