Raj S. Rangarajan
NEW YORK - The rhythm, the swagger and the vibrant costumes were unmistakable. And, so were the charming, graceful movements and bold passion that the Odissi dancers showcased recently. The show was Neel: The Eternal Blue and the performers seemed to be extensions of the terrific ensemble they have created. One didn’t have to be born in India or to have learnt Oriya, the language spoken in Orissa in eastern India, where Odissi originated. All one needed was an open mind and an interest in the performing arts.
The multi-layered presentation was the creative choreographic effort of the Trinayan Collective, a group of dancers devoted to the study, performance and dissemination of Odissi. The spiritual content and sensuous variation of the music and the beat helped one comprehend the nuances that the dance-form offers.
Color has always been a mainstay in Indian dance interpretation and even the deities from different parts of India acquire different hues of the region and as understood by the locals for centuries. Krishna, the blue-bodied flute player, Shiva, the blue-throated one and kali, the blue-black goddess were alive, as one would expect, in merciful resonance with the limbs in tandem. The song-and-body gestures on occasion were robot-like though with a certain purpose symbolizing meaningful fulfillment. The blue color, of course symbolizes the fifth chakra in the human body, located at the bottom of the throat wherefrom creative inspiration springs forth.
Trinayan, or the third eye, represents the site of our inner selves, reportedly, the nexus of divine energy in each human being. Trinayan’s five core artists comprise Bani Ray, the teacher and re-stager for the group, Kakoli Mukherjee, Alicia Pascal, Taiis Pascal and Nandini Sikand, each with versatile skills. A Odissi dancer herself, Rajika Puri is the storyteller or narrator – a sutradhara – in traditional Indian theater who creates the collage of dances through stories, chants and lucid comments. An ardent follower of the Deba Prasad Das style of Odissi, Rajika’s knowledge of Indian and western classical music has helped her create for the stage (Flamenco Natyam) and the screen (Mississippi Masala) and many more visually appealing gems.
Each of the dancers has a personal story, and each is motivated with the common aspiration to dance and excel. From the age of 6, Bani Ray has been dancing and learned from gurus such as Shri Valmiki Banerjee, Sri Durga Charan Ranbir and late Shrinath Raut. An exponent of Mohini Attam and Manipuri styles as well, Bani is also active at Nehru Institute of Odissi Research and Training in Delhi. Originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kakoli Mukerjee has been dancing Odissi since the age of 12 and works for a weekly publication in New York. A Manhattan speech therapist by day, Alicia Pascal started at 15 and learned under Deva Deva Jagatpate and now under Bani Ray and Guru Durga Charan Ranbir. Taiis Pascal too enrolled when merely 11 and works as a certified physical therapist in a New York hospital. Born and raised in Delhi, Nandini Sikand started learning Odissi at the early age of 7 under Shri Shrinath Raut. She moved to America for graduate school and studied with Ritha Devi and currently is a disciple of Shri Durga Charan Ranbir and Bani Ray. This Neel effort was her debut exploration of dance and film and is working for her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology.
[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]
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