Classic d

A simple stage, reminiscent of a school hall, set the scene for Shree: I Am Shakti. Two small god lamp areas guard either side.

As we munched on our popcorn (it was a real family affair and a small tuckshop outside supplied the usual snacks — although to the dismay of the uncle sitting behind me, stocked no Johnny Walker Blue), figures clad in orange, red and yellow saris, white flower headpieces and maang tikka jewellery were brilliantly lit up for the audience.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. The last time I’d seen a bharata natyam dance was in a hot marquee somewhere on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast.

Anusha Pillay, Reshma Chhiba and Panna Dulabh, the akkas (older sisters) heading up the Sarvavidya Natyaalaya dance school, assured me that Shree: I Am Shakti was not another Bollywood showcase or purely classical bharata natyam piece. The school, which has been running for the past eight years in various locations in Lenasia, Roshnee and Benoni, teaches children from age five onwards learn this traditional dance form. After the success of last year’s Shree: I Am More than Just My Body, a show in which rape and gendered violence was explored through dance, poetry and spoken word, I was intrigued by what the second iteration of Shree would entail.

The show brought the entire dance school, from the beginner class to the professional-level Sarvavidya Dance Ensemble, on stage at different times. Divided into different set pieces, each dealing with its own theme, the use of narration throughout meant that even a bharata natyam newbie like me could follow the intention behind the production.

This year’s show picked up where last year’s left off and delved into the manifestations of Shakti in her all her temporal and spatial fluidity. The multiplicity of ideas and practices surrounding Shakti Ma meant that Sarvavidya had much to play around with. Conceptually, many of these aspects were represented. The dance