By Soma Bhattacharjee
“Great dancers are great not because of their technique, they are great because of their passion”. – Martha Graham
This “passion” of Monica Chanda, Artistic Director, Gitanjali Dance Academy, was portrayed by her dancers , staging her seminal dance production, ‘Devi- The Triumph’ on September 3 at U Soso Tham Auditorium. The day marked the celebration of the 17th Annual Function of the dance academy, which saw a colourful showcasing of talent ranging from the toddlers to the senior-most students of Gitanjali.
The various recitals had a message to convey; if the toddlers, performing, most delicately to an improvised rendition of Tagore’s “PhulePhule” spoke about letting our girl child fly to where the sky is her only limit, the production, ‘Devi – The Triumph’ brought to climactic point the essence of the female prowess once it is awakened.
“Rooted in the classical dance style of Bharatnatyam, we however included the vocabularies of Chhau, the martial art form of Orissa, as well as Acro-Yoga, to describe the ascent of the feminine energy within our bodies,” says scriptwriter Madhubanti Chanda.
The music arranged by UpmanyuBhanot from Delhi had completely mesmerised us all. Shillong’s very own Saptarshi Chakrabarty’s melodious crooning was an apt accompaniment. The budding artistes lived through it throughout their performance and swept the crowd away in awe, leaving all women rejuvenated on her strength and others to ponder upon.
The later part of the evening had transported us into another realm by the thundering performance of Vidha Lal and Abhimanyu Lal ensemble through their Kathak recitals.
