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New
York's only resident classical Indian Odissi company, this
ensemble of eight women—two of them African American,
the rest of South Asian descent—is a glowing addition
to the city's mix. Its repertory "privileges the often
neglected voices of women protagonists," and the show
makes its points in crisp and fluid dancing. Three of four
works derive from traditional Odissi style, re-choreographed
by Myna Mukherjee. The fourth, Faces of a Name, explores
the psyche of Chitrangada, a warrior princess torn between
conflicting desires. The music and movement combine classical
and contemporary tropes (there's a beatbox in there somewhere,
and Mukherjee's movement includes cartwheels, yoga, arabesques,
and modern dance). Neha Anada, Zidana Bell, Aditi Dhruv,
and Crystal Davis create a believable bridge between a 2,200-year-old
dance form and today's superheroines. |
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Local Odissi goddesses
(photo: Joseph Khaksouri)
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I missed live music, but this is a transporting evening
even for novice viewers. So lush and sultry is the dancing,
so intense the focus, so tropical the ambience as the women
undulate beneath a projected moon, that I was startled,
emerging from the basement theater, to find it was still
winter. |
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