Nritarutya presents 'Prayog 4' an Indian Contemporary Dance Theatre production at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, Mandi House > 7pm on 4th April 2014

Time : 7:00 pm

Entry : Free (Seating on First-Come First-Served basis)

Place : Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi-110001
Venue Info : Events | About | Map | Nearest Metro Station - 'Mandi House(Blue Line)'
Area : Events at Mandi House Area

Event Description : 'Prayog 4' an Indian Contemporary Dance Theatre production will be staged by Bangalore’s premier dance trust, Nritarutya.  

In its last few avatars, Prayog has effectively used technology, classical dance, movement, martial arts, poetry and storytelling to create breathtaking works of art. In its format of short, powerful pieces, Prayog gives the choreographers and the dancers a forum for experimentation, pushing the boundaries of their bodies as dancers and of the art as a discipline.

The three dance presentations featuring in Prayog 4 are Matsyaangnaa, Trishanku and Chakra.Matsyaangnaa and Trishanku incorporate Bharatanatyam movements in their execution whereas Chakraincorporates Bharatanatyam, Kathak and folk movements. The dancers have undergone training for over a year in Bharatanatyam, Abhinaya, Carnatic Rhythm, Kutthuvarise ( a martial art form from Tamilnadu), Yoga and Body Conditioning and these help them understand and execute the concept of the dance pieces. The production is a melting pot of musicians, designers, dancers, visual artists, singers, and actors amounting to more than 50 accomplished artistes of India.
Matsyaangnaa has been choreographed by Madhuri Upadhya, who has chosen mystical mermaids to depict the indulgence of six classifications or enemies which prevent a human from attaining Moksha. Featuring four women performers, this piece has music by Praveen D Rao and costumes by James Pereira. The concept is from the Vedic philosophy of ‘Arishadvarga’ - the six emotions of desire and passion - kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (attachment), mada or ahankara (pride) andmatsarya (jealousy) and her interpretation of life. The highlight of Matsyaangnaa will be the usage of a rigid prop to bring out fluidity of movements (a quality contrasting to the prop). The lighting used imparts a surreal effect.

“The idea of everything around us being an illusion has been a line of thought for most of my choreographies. Where does reality end and fantasy begin, what is the thin line dissolving the two? I don’t know…” says Madhuri Upadhya while talking about her choreography in Matsyaangnaa.

The fluidity of Matsyaangnaa will be matched with the swiftness of Trishanku, the second piece also choreographed by Madhuri Upadhya. Madhuri says she is inspired by life and the present times where there is a feeling of not belonging anywhere. This is a solo piece which features music by Raghu Dixit and costumes by Sonali Sattar and Hiamnshu Dimri. Trishanku was stuck between heaven and hell and got a new world to inhabit albeit upside down due to the sins he committed. The piece seeks to explore two different time zones through a classical section designed by Guru Kiran Subramanyam and the modern times through contemporary dance. The dancer is restricted to a circular space on stage with a restless energy. Usage of aerial silk cloth and specialized lighting will be used to give meaning to the expressions of hell, heaven, the world in-between and the experiences hidden within them and the feeling of belonging nowhere.


The finale of the evening is with Chakra, which has been choreographed by Sathya B G who works with belief system of “what goes around comes around”, making use of the ‘circle’ as a shape to interpret his movements. The concept of Karma ‘what you give is what you get’ comes within Chakra or circle. His visual for the piece is a never ending cycle of actions and its repercussions, explored through idioms of breath, life and movements. The combination of male and female energies, the black and the white, completing the circle of life is brought out using Bharatanatyam ‘Adavus’ in a unique way. The dynamism of Chakra with its cyclic de and re construction of the Adavus and the rhythmic breath cycle, live music and a basketball prop makes for an interesting combination tracing the evolution of the dance grammar. “It’s the cyclic nature of life and nature that amazes me”, says Sathya about his choreography Chakra.

Website: nritarutya.com

Related Events : Dance