Navarasa Dance Theater features performers’ personal stories
Navarasa Dance Theater features performers’ personal stories
Six will take the stage on Saturday, April 14, and Sunday, April 15, at the Keshet Center for the Arts.
These performers have traveled across the globe, though the dancers will perform for the first time in Albuquerque as part of Navarasa Dance Theater’s “A Story and A Song.”
“Each time we mount a show, it brings in each performer’s personal journey,” says Aparna Sindhoor, Navarasa Dance Theater founder. “Each person also learns new techniques and choreography for each staging.”
“A Story and A Song” is a tale of women, environment and love told with wit and dynamic interplay of classical dance (Bharatanatyam), martial art (Kalari ppyattu), yoga, aerial dance, theater and live music.
Sindhoor says it’s a folk tale of a woman who can become a flowering tree exploring the beauty of nature, love and compassion.
South Indian stories from A. K. Ramanujan’s translation of folktales and Native American tales by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz and local tales and songs by grandmothers, parents, friends and family have inspired the creation of “A Story and Song.”
“(I) am indebted to my father Prof. Balasubramanyam for the treasure of songs and to (my) mother Dr. Srivalli for telling stories with an alternate perspective,” she says. “(With these elements) the performance encompasses live singing, spoken word, aerial dance, theater and contact improvisation in a powerful way that has mesmerized the audiences around the world.”
Sindhoor worked with Anil Natyaveda on the choreography and direction. She then worked with S.M. Raju on the concept and script.
“The biggest challenge is getting everything to work out because it bounces between languages,” she says.
Navarasa Dance Theater has worked with Keshet in the past and continues to grow its relationship with the Albuquerque organization.
“We’ve worked with them on a different production and it’s kind of home for us,” she says. “For this production, it’s a new adventure. New Mexico brings in this marriage of Native American culture with all the other cultures. It’s getting back to the roots in a very small way and I think it’s amazing.”