“I am a devotee of Goddess Durga and I believe in the feminine power she incorporates,” said Shobha Deepak Singh, producer and director of the ballet act Shree Durga performed at the ongoing Festival of Ballets at Kamani Auditorium on Tuesday.
The dance reflected the necessity of emancipation of women in a time when cruelty against women is surpassing all limits. The divine presence of Goddess Durga took over the stage narrating a story from the past.
The act was set in mythological times when the <g data-gr-id="58">boon</g>, granted by the gods to their devotees, became nuisances and were misused. The dance emphasised upon the importance of bestowing <g data-gr-id="51">power</g> to women in proportion to men such that a balance is maintained and no evil rises which can cause destruction.
Stree Shakti (feminine power) which rose after constant churning of <g data-gr-id="46">power</g> of the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh led the fight against Mahishasur. The whole episode aimed at restoration of balanced power between the genders.
In the next <g data-gr-id="49">scene</g> the audiences witnessed the rise of <g data-gr-id="53">Raktabeej</g>, another <g data-gr-id="54">asur</g> who harasses the gods and whose every drop of blood gives rise to its clone. Kali (the goddess of destruction) fought with <g data-gr-id="55">Raktabeej</g>. She drunk the blood of <g data-gr-id="56">Raktabeej</g> before it fell on the ground.
The whole scene displayed the sheer madness of someone high with power. It was when Shiva intervened by throwing himself on her feet, Kali’s anger could be controlled. The facial expressions of the actor playing <g data-gr-id="47">Kali,</g> portrayed the rage and anger of the goddess.
The performance was magnificent right from the beginning as it started from the contemporary context where common people indulge in worshipping Durga on Durga Puja, a festival
of Bengal.
The choreography was an amalgamation of various classical dance forms and martial arts technique called Kalaripayattu which is one of the oldest fighting systems in existence. Altogether, it gave graceful body movements to fighting scenes and facial movements for emotions.
Other forms of dance like – Bharatnatyam, Chhau, Kathakali and other folk dances were also amalgamated that left the audiences spellbound.
“As this is a ballet, we have incorporated ingredients and elements from various dance forms of our country including folk dances,” said Shashidharan Nair, choreographer.
The five-day festival that opened on May 8 with the play titled Meera <g data-gr-id="43">have</g> two more performances <g data-gr-id="57">Kaalchakra</g> and Kumar Sambhava that will be staged on May 15 and 16 respectively. Do mark your dates and head over for a ballet treat!