Gaudiya Nritya Bharati performs at Shilpakala
Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) organised an evening of Gaudiya Nritya at National Theatre Hall auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) on January 23. A 13-member Gaudiya Nritya troupe from Kolkata performed five dance pieces. Professor Mahua Mukherjee, presently a Tagore Chair at the Department of Dance, University of Dhaka, led the troupe “Gaudiya Nritya Bharati”, Kolkata. Professor Mukherjee has been a researcher for over 30 years on Gaudiya Nritya, a classical dance of Bengal, and has brought this almost-extinct dance form to the fore. The Gaudiya Nritya Bharati troupe regularly performs at prestigious events in major cities in India.
Gaudiya Nritya, a classical dance-form of Bengal, is a composite art-form enriched with drama, poetry, colours and rhythm based on sculptures, literatures, scriptures, Guru-shishya parampara dance traditions and historical evidences. With its roots in Natyasastra, the evolution of Gaudiya Nritya can be traced to the tradition of dance forms existing in Gauda Banga. Gaudiya Nritya, a temple art at the outset, is a form of spiritual expression. In the Indian dance form, Rasa or flavour is the quality that bonds the artiste and the spectator.
The event set off with the presentation of Chandi Vandana. The worship of Devi Chandi, the goddess of Power and grace was the central point of the performance. The lyric of the item has been extracted from the writings of Kabikankan Mukundaram Chakraborty's Chandimangal Kavya.
The underlying mystery behind creation is the union of man with nature that was depicted in the second item called “Ardhanarishwar”. The idea is expressed with inimitable metaphors of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Based on Raga Desh, the next piece was a pure classical dance called “Alapchari”. Several artistes danced to it.
Mahua Mukherjee later enacted an abhinaya piece titled “Krishna Rama Katha” set on the style of Leela Kirtan.
The concluding piece was “Dasavatar”, a 20minute-long dance piece, depicting the 10 incarnations (avatars) of the Hindu God Vishnu. Prior to the performance, Mahua Mukherjee made one of his disciples demonstrate the different gestures and poses that identify the various avatars of Vishnu. The avatars included Matsya (the Fish), Kurma (the Tortoise), Varaha (the Boar), Narasimha (the Man-Lion), Vamana (the Dwarf), Parasurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki. Ten dancers beautifully danced to the item.
Dr. Mahua Mukherjee designed the concept and choreographed all the items. Amitabha Mukherjee did music research and gave vocal support. The troupe also performed at Rajshahi Shilpakala Academy on January 21.
The overall performance, however, fell short of the audience's expectations. The inclusion of devotional themes and music seemed repetitive.
Legendary dancer Dr. Mahua Mukherjee is a Fulbright Fellow of USA and a Dance Trainer and Choreographer of the Gaudiya Nritya Bharati. She is presently a Professor at the Department of Dance of Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.