Watching from the wings- A personal reflection on Maayan - the Colours of Krishna

Kala Arpan’s magnum opus ‘Maayan- The Colours of Krishna’ premiered at the Pegasus Theatre in Oxford on the 14^th of November. Maayan is a Bharatanatyam dance ballet based on the magical and pivotal episodes from the life of ‘Krishna’; the enigmatic Hindu God.

Let me begin with a confession.

 This write up may come across as partial towards Kala Arpan but I have my reasons for that. I have been a regular performer with Kala Arpan and have performed as part of their brilliant ensemble since 2007; so even the word ‘sisterhood’ falls short, when it comes to describing Kala Arpan. Maayan has been no exception, and this was one show I poured my heart and soul into. (often at the expense of various muscles in my body!  ) However, on the eve of the performance, I was diagnosed with Labrynthitis which causes severe vertigo that left me unable to even stand up. With a lot of disappointment I had to let Kala Arpan know that, I am in no shape to perform the next day and pull out of the show. And there it was;  with the tech rehearsals happening that evening, with media interests hovering around and with a sold out audience and less than 24 hours to go live on stage, I was the final casualty and Kala Arpan had to quickly devise a contingency plan!

Feeling personally responsible for the unfortunate situation, I wanted to be there at the least and watch the show. So I told my vertigo to take a hike and with the help of my very supportive family, I got myself a seat in the audience. Being an integral part of the production, I probably do not have the right to comment on the production or the content itself, agreed. However for that day, I was one among the audience and what I do want to write about is what I perceived as an audience nd especially on the performance of individual artists.

As planned, the show began with a Mallari (a traditional rhythm based piece, where the dance is set to a sequence of progressive rhythm culminating in a short sloka (hymn)). All of Kala Arpans tutors, senior dancers and students were on stage for this opening item, looking.  The stage was filled in a shade of blue and gold and it was a delight to watch the dancers weave in and out of exquisite formations filling the entire stage. I kept looking for what would have been my space, but I honestly could not find it!

Following a brief lighting of the lamp and a few speeches, the dance ballet commenced. The whole production of Maayan was set to a Margam (a traditional Bharatanatyam repertoire with pieces that follow in a specific order of complexity and grammar.) format .

The whole story of Krishna was therefore told through clear narratives with the pieces Alarippu, Kauthvam, Jatheeswaram, Geetham, Keerthanam, Varnam, Padam , Javali and Thillana.

Being involved in the show, I knew exactly what was going to happen on stage at every point of the show. But despite that, I found myself engrossed in it and often clenching my fist in tension be it when Kamsa wreaked havoc on stage or when the princess Draupadi, was dragged by hair onto the court! Without any ounce of bias, I can honestly say that there were some sterling performances that evening. Here, I merely intend to comment on the caliber of the artists and what impressed me the most in these performances.

Sapna Shankar the founder of Kala Arpan is a seasoned performer and any introduction to her or her dance will merely be inadequate. As the torch bearer of the Bharatanatyam movement in Oxford and an established name amongst the Bharatanatyam dancers in UK, I did expect nothing less from her on stage. Donning multiple character roles, she effortlessly transformed herself from the blood thirsty King Kamsa to the doting Mother Yashoda and then to a beautiful Gopi of Vrindavan before swapping back into the devious and evil mastermind Shakuni. And finally Sapna enthralled in the form of Krishna who reveals his magnanimous form of Maha Vishnu!

Sapna’s portrayal of each role was defined and there was a lot of clarity of thought in her ‘Abhinaya’ (expressive element of Bharatanatyam). As  Kamsa she brought a fuming fury to the character and her portrayal of Yashoda was gentle and delicate. As a Gopi she fits in easily as a beautiful damsel enthralled by Krishna and in the final scene she takes one’s breath away emerging as Maha-Vishnu.

However her role as Shakuni , was the winning one for me.  The smiling villain of Mahabharata, Shakuni is perhaps one of those roles that require a thorough interpretation and on stage you could see Sapna bringing the conniving sorcerer to life with calculated pauses and punctuated glances.  From start to finish Sapna stole the show and it was an honor to watch a dancer who was in complete surrender to her art!

 There was another moment when Sapna portrayed Yashoda with Himani, her daughter as young Krishna and I wished I could capture it in a crystal ball. In that moment,  Yashoda looks into Krishna’s eyes , her whole being beaming with pride. This was a priceless! I wished Sapna’s Gurus the Dhananjayans were there to witness that moment. They would have felt incredibly proud too!

One of the main worries, I had when I was convalescing in bed the day before, was who would play the opening role of Devaki; there was simply a lot to learn in a short space of time for that person. As the music began in the opening scene, I looked up to the left of the audience where I know Devaki was to enter from. My heart was pounding heavily in anxiety. But then I heard the sound s of ankle bells and looked up again and saw Meena Anand emerge dressed as the princess of Mathura, Devaki and instantly I felt a sense of calm overcome me.

 If Sapna Shankar is the foundation & strength that holds Kala Arpan together, Meena is her pillar of strength that puts a roof over this establishment. A student of Shobhana Balachandra and a  well-known name in the dance circuit of Oxford, Meena exemplifies grace. As Devaki Meena brought a certain delicateness and vulnerability to the character. However what impressed me the most was her depth of understanding of the characters. When Kamsa kills Devaki’s first born child, Meena as Devaki ‘s welled up with tears - such was her emotional grasp of the character.

A powerful dancer, she further impressed with her fluid and clear execution of steps and neat lines in Jathiswaram, the Kaliya dance (keerthanam) and Varnam .Meena was also a vision to watch as Radha, the one true love of Krishna. There was such lightness in the way she portrayed Radha and she shared great timing with her fellow performers especially the Krishna.

Coming to Krishna, we had a few people playing the role of Krishna in this production. Let me start from the tiniest of them- Isobel. All of 5 years old; this little Krishna stole everyone’s hearts. As she appeared on stage, I heard the audience gasp in adoration at this little one with a mischievous grin.

The child Krishna was played by Himani Shankar. This was Himani’s first performance in an all Bharatanatyam production and I was beaming with pride to see this young performer portray the mischief of the young Krishna.  Naturally expressive, Himani was convincing as the young Krishna and she was supported well by the very expressive Dhanya Barani and Rithika Raj. I sensed that the audience thoroughly enjoyed the interactions of these three performers and the playful episodes of the young Krishna. Himani, Dhanya and Rithika all displayed excellent stage management and sense of timing, especially given they were dancing to live music.

The boyhood Krishna was played by my good friend Aarthi Jagannath. Before going into Aarthi’s Krishna, there is something you should know about Aarthi as a Bharatanatyam dancer. A disciple of Alarmel Valli and Nirmala Ramachandran, doyens of the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam, Aarthi is well known in the dance circuits of Oxford for her no compromise and precise dancing style with the most perfect ‘araimandi’ (the deep plié position of Bharatanatyam).

 An energizing performer, with a riveting sense of music, Aarthi has a great understanding when it comes to both the technique of Bharathanatyam and the musicality of it.

When she burst onto the stage as a young lad Krishna, wearing the traditional yellow kachcham (the stylized trousers often in yellow worn by Krishna characters) and adorning a peacock feather on the hair, the unsuspecting audience watched with intrigue.  Aarthi totally rocked the young boy look and this was accentuated by her swift, agile dancing and her mischievous expressions!  She was well supported by other student performers in the Pandattam which was a great piece to watch with light footwork, playful choreography befitting the scene.

However in the Kalinga Narthana, we got to glimpse Aarthi’s trademark high energy, no compromise technique, as the young Krishna dueling Kaliya , the poisonous snake. Aarthi lent a lot of intensity and drama to this episode as she executed each leap, each adavu (step) with purpose and power.

The adolescent Krishna was played by the guest dancer Shyam Patel . An effortless dancer, Shyam is a noted dancer and a disciple of the decorated Guru Pushkala Gopal. One of the main things that struck me when I first met Shyam, was his passion for dance. And this came across amply in his performance as the adolescent Krishna who was the heart throb of Vrindavan. The center piece of a Margam repertoire is Varnam. The Varnam performed by Kala Arpan in this production was conceived and choreographed by Shyam and it was one of the best pieces in the whole show.

Shyam exuded charm as the Krishna who loved to play pranks with Radha and the Gopis of Vrindavan. Besides looking the part, Shyam portrayed the Krishna with a lot of honesty, poise and panache. In the Padam (Rusli- radha) where Radha and Krishna are seen to be upset with each other, Shyam displayed a fascinating range of Abhinaya (expressions) and he had a good chemistry with his co performer Meena Anand in the duet parts of the Varnam and Padam. If I am not mistaken, I was watching one of the most promising stars of Bharatanatyam; a force to be reckoned with in the future!

Another artist, who really shone brightly on stage, was Shahila Gokul. She was one of the guest dancers performing with Kala Arpan for the very first time. Shahila played the roles of Vasudeva (Krishna’s father), a mother of a young Gopi, one among Krishna’s Gopis and Yudhistira.

Every time Shahila appeared on stage, like mine, the audience’s eyes too kept getting locked on her.

A stunning performer with clear and precise lines, neat finishing, Shahila’s dancing was flawless.  She comes from a strong background of Kalakshetra tradition (a pioneer and much revered school of Bharatanatyam) and this was evident in the dancing.

She effortlessly delivered a calm and caring Vasudeva and a regal Yudhistira in the climax. However her brief yet starring role for me was a mother of the young Gopi who the young Krishna (played by Aarthi) playfully elopes with. Shahila portrays this brief role with such dignified grace that despite the brevity of this role, it was noted by all.  Like me, the audience too watched this beautiful dancer with unblinking eyes.

The strength of any good production are the supporting dancers who holds the whole production together. In this matter Kala Arpan is blessed! Even with one performer down and with all the choreography to be reworked in a matter of less than 24 hours, the supporting ensemble dancers comprising of students and guest dancers stayed together and performed like a dream.

Priya Joyce Rajan (Draupadi , Kaliya and a Young girl who Krishna playfully elopes with) , Anitha Nair(Nakula and chief aide to Yashoda) , Uma Nallathambi(Kaliya and a Gopi) ,Sanjana Ramamoorthy (Arjuna and Gopi), Kavitha Pillai (Gopi who was pranked by Krishna and Raas leela gopi), Annie Baby(Gopi who was pranked by krishna and Raas leela gopi), Aparna Nallathambi(Kaliya and a Gopi), , Aquila Malvankar (Poothana and Sahadeva) (senior students of Kala Arpan) and Aneeka Bartlett (performing in Mallari and Thillana) (guest performer)  formed an incredible team to bring this production to life.

 They displayed sound understanding of the techniques of Nritha (pure dance) and Natya (pure dance and abhinaya/expressions).  Many of them of them took on extra roles when I had to drop out and I was so proud to see these young dancers step up and perform with confidence in the face of a crisis. Knowing the choreography, I was able to understand the amount of improvisation these dancers did on stage and this proved how beautifully these students are maturing into confident performers. The only word I can think of to describe them is ‘magic’!

And while we are on the subject of ‘magic’ I want to congratulate the talented musicians from OICAS who played live for the show.

The vocals were by Krishnaprasad was soul-stirring and his singing were visibly moving the dancers and transforming them into their characters. I spoke to a few members in the audience after the performance who couldn’t stop raving about his divine rendering of ‘Swagatham Krishna’ and the couplet’ Omana Thingal Kidavo’.

Supporting Krishna on flute was Praveen Prathapan, a young flute maestro, who enchanted the audience and cast alike with his scintillating melodies on the flute. Improvising on stage, Praveen often played some magical interludes on flute and without Praveen; I can honestly say Maayan wouldn’t have been possible!

Another young musician without whose contribution, Maayan would not have been possible is Janan, the percussionist (drummer). Bharathanatyam is simply not possible without percussion and Janan definitely kept the music in rhythm with his powerful accompaniment on the Tabla and he played relentlessly for more than 3 hours!

The violinist Krithi lent drama to the performance with her proficiency on the strings. Krithi’s humorous rendering of ‘screechy’ notes in an episode where a Gopi sings badly, sent ripples of laughter through the audience and kept tickling them for a long time since the scene!

And finally Vibha Ratnam on Nattvangam (a pivotal instrument in Bharatanatyam, used to guide the dancers on rhythm and meter of the music) held it all together and kept both the musicians and dancers in line!

I wonder if you are wondering if this was unbiased…considering I have only raved about the performances .

So was it a flawless performance? No it was not flawless. There are things Kala Arpan will definitely take away from this show to improve. Like at times, the stage seemed small for the number of performers on stage. The lighting could be improved, to add that extra dimension to the scene and the likes.

 However given they lost a performer the day before, they delivered.  The true test of any artist is how they manage an adversity and how quickly they are able to pick up the pieces and put back the jigsaw. Credit to the performers and the tutors of Kala Arpan, they did this effortlessly!