Right now, I don’t think I’ve ever been more drawn to bright colours in my whole life. Anything but that grey please! If you’re in need of some colour therapy and are a fan of Lewis Carrol’s Alice books (I used to listen to the story on cassette tape repeatedly when I was a kid), I’d recommend checking out the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Alice – Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition. This, I guarantee, is a rabbit hole worth diving into, not one with dark and depressing theories on the web. It’s big, it’s bright and it’s very colourful. Just what we need to bring some sunshine into our scattered lives.

Exploring its origins, adaptations and reinventions over 157 years, this immersive and theatrical show charts the evolution of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from manuscript to a global phenomenon beloved by children and adults alike. Quite the cultural and style icon, Alice has made a strong impact across art forms. Spanning art, film, performance, fashion, and photography, this exhibition brings scenes from the books to life, like the Mad Hatter’s tea party and the hall of mirrors – both visual delights. It shows us the grip that Alice has had on our imaginations and on creatives, what with the costumes and dresses inspired by Carroll.

This exhibition has many intriguing and fascinating elements which bring in contributions from the subconscious and the horizons beyond everyday art.

One of the most surprising and enjoyable exhibits is “The Infinity Dress and Omniverse Sculpture”. The collaboration between fashion designer Iris van Herpen and sculptor Anthony Howe explores and incorporates the kinetic dimensions of physics and design and makes one aware of the wonders of the art meeting science or vice versa.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-infinity-dress-by-iris-van-herpen

I didn’t realise just how much Lewis Carroll’s stories have inspired the most creative minds over 150 years!

Get tickets here: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/alice-curiouser-and-curiouser

Reviewed by Julia Nelson, a member of the Abundant Art Team, leading our PR and generously contributing to our ‘Reviews’!

Breakin’ Convention presents “The Ruggeds,” an energetic  team of B-boys from Eindhoven, Netherlands – talented and heart-warming performers who befriends the audience and invites them into their home. They present an eclectic mix of breaking, acrobatics, music and humour through a story of urban living!

The curtains part to reveal an inviting shared interior space. An imaginatively designed set showcases multi-storeyed urban living. A comfy lounge with a television playing on, a study with stacks of books and a desk with a laptop placed next to a low reading light. A cosy loft bedroom. All split is different levels set in square boxes on the stage. These are framed in a metallic structure that are handy for the boys to climb up and down, doing their agile acrobatics and summersaults when they are not in the mood to use the conventional ladder conveniently placed.

Youths stream out of their loft bedrooms and TV lounge to loiter in shared spaces gradually transforming their movement into energetic and unusual dance moves. They are fun, crazy, athletic, brimming with infectious energy.

Interactions between the dancers are layered with dynamic breaking to alternating foot tapping and lyrical music. Weaved through innovative segments with a strong undercurrent of social messages “Between Us” also hints at the dichotomies and struggles of modern day living. In a sequence we see them turn into lifeless mannequins falling side to side and back to front, taking turns- some fall while others save, not once touching the floor leaving the audience on the edge of their seats gasping for air-in case there is a miss, one might disintegrate into pieces. Perhaps they mimic the lifeless mindless automatons that we have become in our pursuit of material goals.

Another sequence about plastic and littering sends a strong message about the environment.

The sequence where the entire group of dancers are hypnotised by the TV is thought provoking

There is a strong comic element to their acts which triggers laughter especially from the young audiences

Amidst solid dance routines, they trick each other through a variety of interesting dance choreography. There is friendly banter, innovative tricks and leg pulling which suddenly transform to stunning acrobatic moves

While they are in their zone, they do not, for once forget their audience-between sequences they exchange meaningful glances, an inclusive experience throughout. They make the audience join in through claps and clicks – and this is how the show actually begins. When the audience are settling in, a hand up to the elbow peers out through the split of the curtain and clicks, developing in a rhythm that the audience catches in. From there you are straight in it and part of it. There were giggles rolling around the house, particularly from the young audience who were thrilled at the tricks from the beginning through the 1 hour and fifteen minutes that the Ruggeds thoroughly entertain their audience.

Out and out entertaining, The Ruggeds have packaged breaking in an innovative action-packed superb dance show that has a story to tell and appeals to both young and old! True to its mission ‘Breakin’ Convention Presents’ is transforming hip-hop and breaking culture to a theatrical form by presenting imaginative and vibrant hip-hop performers from around the globe.

Running at the Peacock Theatre until Saturday 18^th September-It is a thrilling experience and a great way to go back to live performances for those that are planning on something for the weekend!!

Reviewed by Protima Chatterjee

‘My work is not a matter of direct translations, but something is bound to creep into your head or heart.’ HELEN FRANKENTHALER

Celebrating printmaking pioneer and fearless artist, Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), the Dulwich Picture Gallery proudly opens ‘Radical Beauty’ today-The first major UK exhibition of Frankenthaler’s 36 woodcuts. It is an honour to witness the ethereal quality of her abstract paintings that feel spontaneous and ambiguous and span 36 years. On special loan from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in New York, the exhibition shows how Frankenthaler challenged the parameters of woodcut printmaking to produce painterly prints that gave new life to the medium and encouraged artists both in the past and now to be open to new possibilities. No rules were her guiding mantra throughout her 60-year career- hence her no rules attitude, and the experimental nature of her work made her see each print as a new adventure. Collaboration in the print workshops was also pivotal in energising her creativity.

Frankenthaler was one of the most important Abstract Expressionists out there known for the spontaneity of her style. This exhibition of her woodcuts is calming yet empowering, reminding us of what it means to be artistically free. Let’s just say she changed the face of printmaking.

http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Gallery Opening Hours
Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm. Closed Mondays & Tuesdays except Bank Holidays.

Reviewed by Julia Nelson, a member of the Abundant Art Team, leading our PR and generously contributing to our ‘Reviews’!

We’d like to name each and everybody from the cast of ‘Cabaret Macabre’, but we’d need another page! Instead, know that we thought each of the young performers brought something worthy of a show in themselves, conveying sophistication and ownership in their deliveries. We implore the cast to continue trusting in themselves as artists, as people and as a collective ensemble. Know that bringing yourself to your acting is always enough. As long as you’re enjoying being on stage, all your hard work and technique will shine through (which it did). So strive to have fun and be proud!

It’s engaging to see a confidence that surely has been nurtured by working professionals at ‘The British Youth Theatre’ (personally speaking, being an actor, drama school certainly helped me!). A great credit to Joseph Atkins (writer and composer) and Jessica Walker (writer and director), for their ability to create and elevate ‘Cabaret Macabre’. 

The show presents us with resplendent bursts of cabaret, focusing on women of the last seven centuries to date and the injustice they face. The show fittingly uses ‘macabre humour’, with singing descriptions painting the unfortunate early deaths of icons such as Joan of Arc, Queen Marie Antoinette, Marilyn Monroe and Mata Hari. Interspliced with monologue accounts from everyday women who are victims of violence, the historical tapestry is ranged, and reminds us that injustice is current. Having ‘Black Lives Matter’ interweaved it re-enforces the strive for equality.

Befitting to the Cabaret style  of the show celebrates the characters portrayed for who they are. Held In Joan’s bar, Joan herself introduces the evenings entertainment. Humour is carefully interspersed with her character expressing her need to land her big number, yet being pushed aside by the eagerness of the others to perform theirs. (She gets there in the end though, and what a voice indeed!) It provides a technical platform that enables unpredictability for an audience, whilst the cast continue with dynamism. 

For all the wonderful, voices, orchestral playing and impressive tap dancing, we cannot help but go away with thoughts on recent social movements against the harassment and sexual abuse of women. There is the ‘me too’ movement, with #MeToo trending worldwide from 2017. Serving to bring forward sufferers of sexual harassment and abuse. The enormity of the situation is revealed with one in three women being subject to sexual violence according to the ‘World Health Organisation’. Such movements are not formed merely to be historical, and it’s fundamental to continue focussing on the heart of the issue. Art motivates us to do this, by cranking us out of autopilot and empathetically connecting ourselves into the world we live in. There will always be the need for people to intervene, and bravely interlace troubled stories to stand in solidarity. 

It is fantastic to see women empowered with a strong and credible voice in ‘Cabaret Macabre’. May they take this through into their lives and inspire their audiences to do the same!

Written by graduating BA Actor at Drama Studio London Reece David. https://www.spotlight.com/0135-1273-0164

If you blink you might miss Domitius, because it’s only playing at the Conway Hall in Holborn for three nights from 6 August.  The story behind the production is almost as interesting as the premise of this newly penned musical, with a team of young theatre makers who are committed to bringing diverse talent into musical theatre.  

 Fresh ideas leap out from all sides of this production which puts a musical and contemporary spin on the little  known story of Roman Emperor Nero also known as Domitius . Henry Gu Cao, Lux Knightley and Luke McCormick who collectively composed, wrote and produced the show, home in on the darker aspects of Domitius’ rein, which the show revolves around. The scene for this slice of Roman life, is set in style, by the stage management team who use their imagination to conjure up the menace and pomp of the Roman Empire, with simple but effective stage design. 

 For a true- life story full of blood and guts, the plot in itself is a bit on the flimsy side and the show relies heavily on a long list of songs to fill in the gaps left by a sketchy script. In spite of the high jinks promised by the imposing red drapery of the Roman Empire that adorns the stage, the first half floundered.  There’s a bus load of characters – most of them not memorable.  Added to that, the songs lack real punch and the accompanying choreography is  lacklustre. Max Himmelreich ,  as Nero helped to lift the mood of a rather slow first half with an engaging performance,  and his serious singing chops worked well against the 70s/80s rock pop inspired musical score.  

 The thumping tones of the song  Aquila –opened the second half of the show and things just got better from here on in. Pithy  contemporary references were delivered by Max Himmelreich, with real zing, and Judy Blu as Poppaea, added to the dramatic intrigue with a magnetic performance. The musical content in this part of the show felt very “Hamiltonesque,”  with a rap inspired number – The greatest of them all served up in gladiatorial style by David Malcolm as Lucan.   

 Whatever reservations I had in the first half, by the end of the show I felt as if I’d had an entertaining immersive lesson in late Roman history, and all of my earlier comparisons of Domitius with the kids TV show horrible histories disappeared by the time I heard songs like Poppaea and Gratitude and Goodbye. 

 Even though the show is a bit rough around the edges the talented and enthusiastic cast, ably headed by Max Himmelreich give it their all and up the ante in the second half. 

 All in all, what’s not to like about a production team and show that wants to bring much needed diversity to musical theatre, which let’s face it, is seriously low on its melanin count.  

Reviewed by Deborah Lawunmi

Deborah is a London based lawyer and film blogger, currently finishing off her PhD in socio legal studies at Queen Mary University London

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On Thursday night we sat and watched ‘Dracula in Space’, leaning forward, and grinning from ear to ear, feeling freedom in being a part of the world these four generous artists have created along with choreographer, Pix.  With an improvisational edge and a pleasure to play, Ezme Gaze, Bertie Anderson, Mitch McGugan, and Oliver Izod are Bowjangles- classically trained musicians who’ve exploded into theatre. A word of warning whilst reading this, we may have got carried away with the puns…

‘Off the bat’, it has to be said that this is what theatre is all about! ‘Bloody’ brilliant, fun, thoughtful, and enticing. The story quite literally blasts off into space to meet a mysterious benefactor, but there is a rich undertone of warmth and ease from the cast that transports us through topics including the pandemic, sexism, Brexit, all the while never appearing to lecture us. Instead, they pamper us with honest humour and heart (aka Dracula’s most favourite organ). That’s the power that this company brings. Their energy can lift us up as much as they seem to lift themselves, and as long as theatre lifts our spirits then we’ve more head- ‘space’ to connect and deal with aspects in our own lives. Looking around we saw an audience ranging from juniors to the elderly, all smiling and invested. This coming together made us (and I’m sure many others) feel a bit more connected having left the Playground Theatre, which is what we all need lately. A huge thank you to everyone involved.

Bowjangles play their instruments with incredible discipline, and these instruments skilfully double up to become the ship’s control panel, and pretty much anything else they can think of! It’s a joy to watch. Their last performance at the Playground this week is Friday 30^th at 7:30, so book if you want a fun evening!

It was lovely to meet the team- and may we keep a chat going to support each other in the future. Keep having fun and being wonderful Fringe winners! Thank you to The Playground Theatre for continuing the hard work to support artists and get shows on the road!

Written by graduating BA Actor at Drama Studio London Reece David

Christopher Matthews’ ‘My Body’s an Exhibition’, the title inspired by Janet Jackson’s lyrics ‘my body’s an exhibition baby’, presents over 24 works by international performance makers and artists in the form of video, photography, collage, sound, text and live movement installations.  The artists collaborate with the architecture of Sadler’s Wells exploring the role of the space and the spectator, the two elements that are entwined in a performance experience, along with the performer. 

Sadler’s Wells Theatre is transformed into a maze that intimately invites the viewer to experience the potential movements that lie within each one of us. To quote the 20 REMIX (1993-2013) catalogue presented in the show, ‘the movement is always there in my body, in some tissue, in some muscle, somewhere’. 

The visual art installations scattered around the Sadler’s Wells’ space consist of collaged A4 prints of black and white found images, polaroids, tape stick figure drawings, and handwritings on walls and windows. Images of bodies are cut up, glued together, and queered in repetitions. Referencing visual artist Bruce Nauman who constantly plays with the themes of life/death, love/hate, pleasure/pain in his multimedia installations, Amanda Prince-Lubawy’s ‘I heart Bruce Nauman’ (lipstick writings on mirrors), sets the exhibition in the context of established contemporary art practices while maintaining an honest and personal touch of generosity and humour.

The condition of being looked at is constantly investigated in the exhibition, especially in the live durational performances on the theatre stage. In these, there are two dancers on pedestals, looking at one another and moving their bodies correspondingly.  This installation condensed the conception of staging and viewing by outlining the sharp division between the spectators and the performers, who do not look back in the simplicity of raised platforms. It is made apparent that stages can be of many kinds and are usually arbitrary. The spectators are made aware of their own performability in looking, approaching, taking photos, and being taken photos of. 

The exhibition blurs the lines between the performers and spectators  with its immersive set-up. Intimacy and hospitality are deployed as a queer method to challenge the existing barriers in space (To quote Matthews’ writing in the exhibition guide, ‘queer is about openness and relies more on questions than definitions.’) Reading ‘go upstairs sexy sexy’ or ‘this way hun’, viewers are encouraged to explore private and personal spaces that normally reject ‘unauthorised admittance’. Climbing up and down stairwells, pushing buttons that are accompanied with silver DIY posters reading ‘touch me like you mean it’’, navigating through corridors of recorded conversations playing behind closed doors, peeking into dressing rooms of flowing disco ball lights and retro music and showers decorated with celebratory curtains of plastic silver tassels, are intriguingly welcoming. Entering one of the dressing rooms with bouncing colourful lights, staff members are seen dancing to the music. They say the music is too good not to dance to it and get the guests to join in. 

Christopher Mathews engages his audience in an interactive and immersive experience, pushing the boundaries of conventional presentation- an exploration that inspires dialogue between performing bodies and their audience in relation to the space that brings them together!

Review by Yifan He

Yifan He is an artist based in London, volunteering for Abundant Art as their arts reviewer. Yifan is doing a MA at The Slade School of Fine Art UCL and is a Shades of Noir Phase six content developer graduate

Image Credit: Camilla Greenwell

We were greeted by the warm buzz of a  live  audience and performers that filled the auditorium. Coming back to it, to watch Alexander Whitley’s new multi-media masterpiece ‘Overflow’ at Sadler’s Wells on 22 May, was nothing short of a kick , a proper night out feel-after a long time.

Overflow is a myriad of reflections of digital bodies in big data. It offers a lens to look within and around, into the reality of our gradual drift to a digital space, heavily accelerated through the lockdown and in the post-pandemic era. It raises awareness of our existential shift caused by the all-engulfing big data. The work is sensitive, presented in accordance with light, sound, and movements.

The minimalist light installation reminds of contemporary artist Dan Flavin’s The Diagonal Of May 25, 1963.  The stage is designed to explore the boundaries of the digital screen. Play of light accentuates the metaphoric travel of human bodies back and forth between the digital and physical space exploring the central theme of Overflow. It is achieved with precision by Whitley and his fascinating team of light technicians.  The show starts with a line of bright light pressing close to the dancers. It almost functions as an abstracted browser toolbar. Whenever the light turns off and on again, the stage is refreshed and the dancers reset. Towards the middle of the performance, lights from the side of the stage, together with the mist, create layers of thin films that the dancers could temporarily poke through with their flow of movements. The thin films of lights close up as soon as the dancers withdraw for the next move in the choreography. Boundaries are constantly re-drawn breaking into the digital realm from the physical world.

The dancers in ‘Overflow’ mastered the joining, elongating, dispersing, and entangling of bodies, which create a strikingly intimate stage. Dark costumes revealing only the arms, necks, and head, create the impression of disjointed bodies. The emphasis on arms, hands, and above-necks is not unfamiliar if we consider which parts of our bodies are prioritised in front of the camera. Be it a snapshot for an Instagram story or a recording for a TikTok video, and in re-posting, re-blogging, or direct messaging, those segments of self-expression are distinctly relatable . The scenes with one flow of many bodies in unanimous rhythm sparkle with discords. At times, the dancers freeze in their postures, awaiting to be activated, just like holding a pose for a click, sometimes accommodating the need to slightly move and re-adjust for a promising capture. These moments flashed across like a striking magazine cover, close to a Vogue.

Overflow inspires us to contemplate how we are overwhelmed and transformed mentally and physically by the digital world-be it the agitation of not being able to connect to wifi or suffering from chronic back pain stuck in front of a screen. Our physical well being is threatened by our digital clones. This dichotomy at the heart of modern human existence is skilfully mirrored by Alexander Whitley and his dancers in Overflow.

Review by Yifan He

Yifan He is an artist based in London, volunteering for Abundant Art as their arts reviewer. Yifan is doing a MA at The Slade School of Fine Art UCL and is a Shades of Noir Phase six content developer graduate

Memory makes strange connections. The oldest memory of my first Guru Amala Shankar is inextricably linked with my childhood memories of Kolkata-it’s unbearably hot and humid summer mornings, Park Street, and dance classes. This is where the journey started for a wide eyed 7-year-old. It was a blazing hot summer morning on a Sunday. I found myself in a large hall at a Park Street address. My parents had brought me to enrol me into Amala Shankar’s dance school- the Uday Shankar India Cultural Centre.

I had no idea who Amala Shankar was and what was I meant to be doing with her. I did understand that it was something related to learning dance. From a 7-year old’s memory, I can also vaguely remember the impression that the first day had created. I was awestruck watching Amala Shankar teach a class of girls standing in rows. A small group of musicians seated on a rug on the floor in the corner of that central hall. The entire setting was overpowering to my young mind. What I did not know then that this was to be a start of a journey. What I would learn here from my teacher, whom I just saw was to determine my creative path of life.  When we are in the moment, we do not know how pivotal that instance could turn out to be. Now I realise how seminal that moment was in my life.

Fast forward 30 years! I was in Kolkata on my annual visit to India. It was a cosy winter morning and I was sitting face to face with a still graceful 95-year-old Amala Shankar. Life had come full circle and I was seeking to understand more deeply the roots of my dance form. I was interviewing her as part of my research work for my project on Uday Shankar’s heritage.

We talked about Uday Shankar at length, how he could spot the talent in her when she was a young girl in her teens, how Uday Shankar, his dance and his entire persona appealed to her. We talked about Zohra Sehgal and her sister Uzra while they were a part of Uday Shankar’s dance group , the days in Almora, her dear friend in the family Ravi Shankar, who was more a friend and a brother than a brother -in-law. Her first visit to Paris with her father. How enchanted she has been with the Manipuri dance style always. She talked about how graceful she thought her daughter Mamata Shankar has been and a fiery dancer her daughter-in-law Tanusree Shankar remembering her act in one of her dance dramas, when both were young learners under her tutelage. Hours passed. We were lost in time. She took us back a century and gradually brought us to the present through her stories. There were instances where she was phasing out, it was 2014, and she was 95. There were instances where I was waiting till she would talk again. I did ask her to show a few moves while sitting and I would copy her like I did as a child in her classes. She agreed, I could not believe it was happening yet again.  I remembered the hours of painstaking work she put in those weekend classes trying to instill the various nuances of her dance in her students. Now she did some arm movements to my request. When I copied her, she did not say much but there was a gesture of appreciation in her eyes. That is more than enough for me, a nod from my first guru that will continue to inspire me.

My journey with the Uday Shankar Dance style started under her tutelage. At that tender age I could see a light in her eyes. I just knew she was so different from everyone else. Did not identify what it was. At that time, I guess I was more focused on learning dance. I distinctly remember the individual attention she gave to every student, despite large class sizes. She made us repeat each movement endlessly till she was satisfied that we had internalised them. I did not quite understand then what she was looking for and sometimes found the bar impossibly high. Much later in life, when I saw her dance sequences in Kalpana repeatedly, I realised what it was. It is that moment of oneness between body and soul that would radiate through every part of your body, every gesture, and every facial expression. In her dance sequences in Kalpana, we could see the intricate details that add up to these divine moments – her sensual walk while flicking the hem of her skirt, the fluidity of her arm movements and most importantly the eyes.  Those remarkably expressive eyes that could instantly switch between murderous rage to a meditative calm.  She was Goddess Parvati personified. She was a carved temple Yakshi of ancient India come alive.

It was not just dance but the many facets of life and creativity that she touched upon gracefully. Amala Shankar a cultural icon of India was a trendsetter. She had a unique magic to her movements. The woman who was profoundly a part of Uday Shankar’s life, dance and legacy. She went further to build on the dance style and continue the legacy through the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre that she ran in Kolkata, India until 1995.  She lives on through her art. My “Pranaam” to the legend Amala Shankar.

Protima Chatterjee

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It would not be an exaggeration to say that with the Temple of Fine Arts Inner Space Dance Mavin Khoo has created one of his finest choreographic works. This Bharata Natyam based retelling of three pivotal scenes from the epic Ramayana hits several highs. The all male group of eight Bharata Natyam dancers flow in unison to deliver a sensational impact. The story of Rama has a powerful hold in India and South East Asia. As can be seen in Indian literature and different versions of it in South East Asia, there are several perspectives, most of which eulogise Rama but some eulogise Ravana and Indrajit. Mavin Khoo and his dancers do a remarkable depiction of Ravana as the Shiva worshipping ascetic and Rudra Veena player. It is also fitting to the grandeur and far reaching cultural and historical influence of the epic that the Malaysian dancers bring to life using an Indian classical dance form.

The dancers’ mastery of technique and their perfect expressions lend a cosmic energy to the piece. The audience is held in a trance where mind connects with the spirit. The dancers project an ineffable mystical vibe. Immaculate lines, carved sculptural postures and intense footwork with ankle bells strongly uphold the aesthetics of classical Bharatnatyam, yet it departs from the widely seen conventional presentations, in a beautifully creative way. It opens new realms in the presentation of classical Bharatnatyam. There are multiple layers in the movements corresponding with the elements of war, rage, revenge and destruction in the storyline, drawn from the three episodes of abduction, sea crossing and eventual slaying of the demon God-Ravana. With a strong essence of martial masculinity in the movements Khoo has succeeded in creating his own style of positioning Bharatnatyam in response to the male caste and theme. Light design is dramatic and contemporary, and the dancers are clad in less elaborate costumes. One is dazzled by pure dance and the accompanying live music more than anything else.

Abduction of Sita, the building of the bridge by Rama’s monkey army and the killing of Ravana form the base of the choreographic theme. It is a unique rendition of the alternate perspective of Ravana who is worshipped as a lord in certain parts of South East Asia. It implants a sense of awe for this otherwise commonly believed negative character in the traditional epic. Sections in the choreography leave a deep impression. Ravana known as a maestro of the Veena is seen strumming the chords through a series of movements. His musical notes are heard and felt, such is the power of Mavin’s choreography and the strength of the performers. He is a Yogi immersed in his calm Yagna with eyes closed while the monkey army build the bridge to bring Rama across the ocean to Lanka. This is a commendable section where the calm of the yogi is in a fierce contrast to the frantic and restless army of monkeys. The monkey portrayal could not have been more convincing- at one point you could forget that they are human dancers on stage. Achieving this through a group choreography of classical Bharata Natyam, without one bit being over the top is a feat on its own. Ravana believed as a devotee of Lord Shiva is felt reflecting Shiva’s energy when he is in his frenzied wrath fighting Rama and his army and is finally slain.

Mostly dancing in unison, the dancers immerge as one being, the strong and imposing Ravana, the demon lord of Lanka with 10 heads in a spellbinding end. They become one soul and one body with those pairs of eyes glaring with rage at the audience-it completely takes you in. Their arms flicking out of that one body of the demon lord with palms painted in red. Clad in fiery red dhotis the chiselled body of the dancers show every sinew of their muscles in fierce action. Their clenched teeth, raised brows, sometimes opened jaws and a war call portray Ravana’s wrath when encountered by Rama.

Special mention to the synchronicity of the choreography with the live music ensemble-vocals and instruments. The accompanying score, the choreography and the dancers went from strength to strength to make a triumphant impact.

The performance was a  spiritually uplifting experience vividly appealing to the senses. Appreciation is extended to Darbar Festival for providing access to classical Indian dance and music in its varied and unique forms from around the world.

Review: Protima Chatterjee

Photo credit: Rehmat Rayatt

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