Academy of performing arts under the direction of Jothi Raghavan has worked diligently to bring some of the fine productions by dancers from India to the Boston area. The recent Kathak presentation “Bhav – Raag –Taal “ by Abhinava Arts center in Banglore, India  held at the Sorenson Center for the Arts , Babson College on Suday Sept 25, 2005 could surely be rated  as one of the finest . Under the expert guidance of the duo Nirupama and Rajendra, the dancers presented what could only be described as a visual  treat. The presentation was a perfect combination of  amazing talent, perfect technique, energy, beauty, creativity, excellent costume and great music.

True to its meaning Abhi-nava or creative entity presented a new dimension in dance. Fundamentally based in the Kathak style the duo created new and interesting dance items that touched on elements of Jazz,flemingo and other dance tecniques.  The program opened with Omkar, an invocatory piece and quickly moved to Varsha. “The Varshabhisarika Nayika is one who soaks in the joy of the rain. She goes out in the rain to meet her beloved” said Nirupama who also was the sutradhar for the program.  Dancing to Raags Megh Malhar and  Mia Malhar played on the flute, Nirupama and Rajendra were able to bring alive the sensation of  feeling of the droplets of rain and then soaking in the Indian monsoon.

A more traditional Kathak piece – Raas Lila followed. The dancers drew upon the stories in the Bhagavatha Purana that states that the Raas Lila was performed by Krishna to suppress the ego of the Gopis.  In the typical Kathak style the Abhinaya was subtle. The costumes and colors were dazzling and the final Raas using dandiyas was a fitting finale to thes piece.

Next was an interesting presentation called TaDa. Choreographed by their illustrious Guru , Kumudini Lakhia the dancers performed perfectly synchronized pure dance moves set to music where the only syllables heard were TaDa. One could see a touch of Jazz in this composition.

The next piece was one of my favorites. In yet another creative mode, the dancers used the exercises for eye, neck, hands etc from the Natya Shastra and Abhinaya Darpana and presented it in a dance format. The use of the black and gold costume and the perfect synchronization of the created the illusion of a dance that was is close to the western “Mordern” dance style.

 Kadam Kadam came next which was a showcase of pure dance in the traditional Kathak style including fast foot work and Chakkars. They concluding item was “Nigaah” where the dancers prayed to God for peace and they ended the program by lighting a candle to the Indian flag.

Unfortunately since this group is young and not as well known, there were many dance aficionados who did not attend the event. For those who attended,  it was an enriching experience and for those who did not, it was a great loss. I am positive that we will continue to hear from this group in the years to come !

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