Ekaantha Seetha - woman of substance
this is the very first dance drama that i saw and it is an out of the world experience. one of my close friends and dancer said "it is once in a blue moon that you would come across such a mind-blowing performance". she cannot be truer.
what do i know to write about this Dance Drama called "Ekaantha Seetha"? on the pamphlet, i read that it is choreographed by bharatanatyam dance gurus, Sri and Smt. Dhananjayans. the ticket fees are contributed towards Shankara Nethralaya Eye Foundation. i just popped in. watching the dance drama was sheer joy and overwhelming bliss that has to be shared. hence, i decided to write about it and spread the word that there is a renaissance going on.
"ekaantha seetha" is a sanskrit phrase which means "a lonely furrow" - ekaantha meaning lonely(tranquility to be more precise) and seetha meaning furrow. yes, our epic character seetha is found from earth when king janaka is performing a yagna for having a child and that's why she is named so. when she goes back to mother earth in the final act of proving the nobility of her character, the act is referred to as "going back to where she came from".
for more details on the theme and some photos, right click here and open in new tab!!!
a glimpse of what took me aback in awe:
/// the grand opening- all the dancers entered not from the back of the stage but from the entrance to the hall in a dance procession carrying a dancer dressed as lord ganesha.
/// precise background setting - bow and arrow for the ramayana episode, crossed sword and scabbard for the jhansi episode and ganesha moorthy for the modern day episode.
/// a big time fan of Bombay Jayashri wouldn't find it hard to guess she had recorded the score for the character of urmila.
/// keen eyes will notice that the 2 dancers forming a horse made it more realistic. horse can never stand still, it will always be moving its legs and face even while standing. similarly, when the animal walks and runs, opposite legs in the front and rear make a synchronized movement. this was evidently taken care of in every formation of horse.
/// the most impressive points: TVG's world class music, cannot be more brilliant and apt; costumes, again cannot be more apt and colorful; expressions conveying deep emotions on the dancers' faces and their perfect movements; humor in the choreography script.
/// both rani lakshmi bhai's wedding sequence and aparajitha's wedding sequence were cooooooool, innovative and conveyed joyous spirits.
/// it had never occurred to me to think of seetha's role as a single parenting mom who took it on her to teach the twin boys various art forms instead of sending them back to the palace in ayodhya. this aspect of seetha's strength of character, knowledge and skills was enlightening as well as inspiring.
/// special credits for infusing humor into the script: kusa making fun of his mom seetha's feminine walk while carrying water from the river, the unconcerned photographer in a modern day wedding sequence, the sleeping and drooping chamcha player of the nadaswaram troop, a typical madras cherry setting with bus honks and roadside vendors, women pushing and pulling each other in the queue for drinking water,a drunkard behaving indecently on the road, etc, etc.
/// before i forget, how did they let mitran click photos when flash photography or video was prohibited in the hall? ;-)))
it would be useful to music enthusiasts to know who were the artistes involved in TVG's music production team and the instruments used. the concept of women empowerment seemed a little bleak and could have been more powerful if there was an anecdote to embrace women of the world, rather than women of just india. (but it may not work out, i cannot say)
what do i know to write about this Dance Drama called "Ekaantha Seetha"? on the pamphlet, i read that it is choreographed by bharatanatyam dance gurus, Sri and Smt. Dhananjayans. the ticket fees are contributed towards Shankara Nethralaya Eye Foundation. i just popped in. watching the dance drama was sheer joy and overwhelming bliss that has to be shared. hence, i decided to write about it and spread the word that there is a renaissance going on.
"ekaantha seetha" is a sanskrit phrase which means "a lonely furrow" - ekaantha meaning lonely(tranquility to be more precise) and seetha meaning furrow. yes, our epic character seetha is found from earth when king janaka is performing a yagna for having a child and that's why she is named so. when she goes back to mother earth in the final act of proving the nobility of her character, the act is referred to as "going back to where she came from".
for more details on the theme and some photos, right click here and open in new tab!!!
a glimpse of what took me aback in awe:
/// the grand opening- all the dancers entered not from the back of the stage but from the entrance to the hall in a dance procession carrying a dancer dressed as lord ganesha.
/// precise background setting - bow and arrow for the ramayana episode, crossed sword and scabbard for the jhansi episode and ganesha moorthy for the modern day episode.
/// a big time fan of Bombay Jayashri wouldn't find it hard to guess she had recorded the score for the character of urmila.
/// keen eyes will notice that the 2 dancers forming a horse made it more realistic. horse can never stand still, it will always be moving its legs and face even while standing. similarly, when the animal walks and runs, opposite legs in the front and rear make a synchronized movement. this was evidently taken care of in every formation of horse.
/// the most impressive points: TVG's world class music, cannot be more brilliant and apt; costumes, again cannot be more apt and colorful; expressions conveying deep emotions on the dancers' faces and their perfect movements; humor in the choreography script.
/// both rani lakshmi bhai's wedding sequence and aparajitha's wedding sequence were cooooooool, innovative and conveyed joyous spirits.
/// it had never occurred to me to think of seetha's role as a single parenting mom who took it on her to teach the twin boys various art forms instead of sending them back to the palace in ayodhya. this aspect of seetha's strength of character, knowledge and skills was enlightening as well as inspiring.
/// special credits for infusing humor into the script: kusa making fun of his mom seetha's feminine walk while carrying water from the river, the unconcerned photographer in a modern day wedding sequence, the sleeping and drooping chamcha player of the nadaswaram troop, a typical madras cherry setting with bus honks and roadside vendors, women pushing and pulling each other in the queue for drinking water,a drunkard behaving indecently on the road, etc, etc.
/// before i forget, how did they let mitran click photos when flash photography or video was prohibited in the hall? ;-)))
it would be useful to music enthusiasts to know who were the artistes involved in TVG's music production team and the instruments used. the concept of women empowerment seemed a little bleak and could have been more powerful if there was an anecdote to embrace women of the world, rather than women of just india. (but it may not work out, i cannot say)
Hi: Your description of the dance performance is very impressive.
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