Showcase Elevates Asian Dance Forms

In places like Chicago, dance showcases are like smorgasbords that offer more than just plenty.  Their variety encompasses the globe, reminding us of how rich the language of dance is and has always been.  Just as interestingly, they signal clues on how dance absorbs the present and shape shifts into the future.

Few dance organizations epitomize these truths as well as Mandala South Asian Performing Arts under the leadership of its Artistic Director, Pranita Nayar.  Passages of Dance and Music, Mandala’s showcase of Asian choreographers presented over the weekend, satisfied a wide range of objectives.  Not only was it a chance to profile impressive talent and assert the vitality of South Asian dance traditions in an adopted land, the showcase also helped entrench and re-enforce cultural connectivity within the South Asian community.  Noting the substantial contributions Americans of South Asian descent have made to commerce, the sciences and industry, Nayar’s goal is to include the presentation of artistic excellence among those achievements.  Through its focus and commitment, Mandala is perfectly poised to do just that.

Surprisingly expansive to be so compact, the showcase’s five-piece program included elements of other Asian cultures and gave us a tantalizing taste of a collaborative future.  Using fans as props in Ougi Zukushi, dancer and choreographer, Yoshinojo Fujima, brought classical Japanese dance to the fore. Because Kabuki influenced dances like Ougi Zukushi are so seldom witnessed on local stages, they can seem artistic curiosities inspiring wonder as well as admiration.  Full of subtlety and allusion, the grace of Ougi Zukushi is clear.  Deciphering the intricacy of its message may have been more challenging; but greater exposure will help alleviate some of that mystery and strengthen broader appreciation for classical dance from the Far East. 

Emotion dramatized in dance helped made Durga-si more accessible and impactful.  Performed by Shalaka Kulkarni, it told the story of a goddess in the throes of self-discovery.  Embodying doubt as well as strength, Durga-si displayed many of the things that make us more complete human beings.  Compassion, intensity and directed focus were all expressed through dance.   Kulkarni, a charismatically elegant and powerful dancer, makes the piece sparkle with energy.    She and Fujima would later team up for a piece exploring the nature of the soul. They both used familiar objects of their native cultures to represent aspects of our inner selves.  Initially, the two stayed within the boundaries of their classical dance traditions.   Once the music shifted to take in contemporary electronic influences, the dynamic of their collaboration, Ringing Soul, changed.  The past and the future then seemed to dance side-by-side in a surprising expression of creative possibilities.

Prior to that brush with dance potential, sisters Sreevidhya and Varsha Vijayan traveled back to a form of storytelling that was prevalent in the 16^th century. The two were interpreting an ancient poem, Alarsara Parithapam, through a dance form known as mohiniyattam.  A word combination that translates to “dance of the enchantress”, mohiniyattam uses facial expressions and hand gestures, in addition to the fluidity of movement, to carry the narrative.  As a duet, close synchronization was also enlisted to tell a story about the separation of two people in love.  Full of dignity with an undertone of melancholy, Alarsara Parithapam showed how feelings of loss, longing and hope were conveyed in another age and how well they still resonate today.    

By putting her own spin on the adaptability of India’s most popular percussive instrument, the tabla, musician Krissy Bergmark shared another example of its infinite versatility.  In her brief piece concluding the showcase, she paired the simple strains of the banjo to the rhythms she produced on the tabla.  The result was something as refreshing as a bright springtime afternoon and was another of those surprises you get when creatives have the room to explore what if’s.  Mandala’s big tent approach to nurturing artists ultimately enriches every strata of our community.  Passages of Dance and Music reflects their commitment to insuring those contributions grow and are valued. 

Passages of Dance and Music/Asian Choreographers Showcase

Mandala South Asian Performing Arts

3121 N. Rockwell Ave. (Visceral Dance Studios)

May 7, 2023

Mandala South Asian Performing Arts

www.mandalaarts.org