A FEAST OF INDIAN CLASSICISM.

A FEAST OF INDIAN CLASSICISM SREYASHI DEY SRI VENKATESWARA TEMPLE PENN HILLS, PENNSYLVANIA AUGUST 26, 2000

Approaching classical Odissi East Indian dance with ballet-trained eyes and little previous exposure to the genre, one immediately appreciates the discipline of the dancers and sophisticated vocabulary that has evolved over the centuries. Current Odissi Nrutya (Odissi dance), which descended from Odra Nrutya and maintains links to both Mahari and Gotipuas traditions, is derived technically from Hindu temple sculptures and thematically from art, literature and spiritual movements of Hinduism's Vaishnava sect. Showcasing that inherently graceful style, dancer/choreographer Sreyashi Dey presented "Pallavi: The Enchantment of Odissi," a concert of five new and repertory works that satisfied informed audience members while raising the cultural consciousness of the less experienced. For the latter group, it offered an intriguing study of rhythmic footwork, beautifully defined hand gestures (mudras) and curved body placement that in this form features an S-shaped three-bend posture called "Tribhangi." At times, it was difficult to take in the whole moving picture, as these elements each commanded attention.

Choreographically rich, Dashavatar is a traditional depiction of the god Vishnu's ten avatars (or forms). Here, arresting poses made strong visual impact; for example, as one form, Matsya (fish) Dey balanced on one bent leg, body tipped forward into a diving posture, with the other leg raised behind, knee flexed. Later, she stood firmly riveted, gaze transfixed with one arm boldly jutting behind her at a sharp upward angle, the other held forward, powerfully bent at the elbow. In the finale, her torso slowly collapsed forward to the floor, effecting a reverent conclusion.

Dey's Pallavi in Raga Kirwani, a fifteen-minute abstract solo, draws impetus from the music's accelerating tempo and visual inspiration from temple sculptures. Choreography features pivots in place, side-to-side shifts and heelwork that is rhythmic and locomotive. Repeated phrases are executed to both the right and left, while accompanied by fluid arm movements and less pronounced facial expressions. Although cadence distinguished this work from the others on the program, repetition minimized its choreographic contrast.

A welcome departure from the solo format, Vishwaveena augmented Dey's performance with a female quintet, members of Dey's troupe Srishti Dances of India, whose postures reflected her own. For example, an opening phrase employed ensemble arm gestures that were strikingly similar to Dey's but with different wrist and finger poses, which, rooted in ancient texts and treatises, carry the same basic symbolism and meaning as in the other classical dance styles of India. Groupings shifted from various-sized circles to lines with Dey placed in front or behind. From a final sweeping arc, the performers melded into a line, and with their backs toward the audience, they exited one by one. The ten-minute work juxtaposed Odissi style with Rabindra Nritya, an eclectic form developed by Nobel poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore at West Bengal-based Shantiniketan, an arts university founded in 1901. However, the more obvious contrasts were in movement facility and performance quality, as the ensemble, comprised of advanced students, has not attained Dey's level of deportment, gestured refinement and projection.

Readers curious about Indian dance should refer to Dance Magazine's June cover story, "A Passage From India," which included a summary of the principal Indian classical dance styles.