Wonder of nine yards

Sheetal

A multimedia dance production, Mix & Match, masterfully crafted by Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Acharya Jayalakshmi Eshwar was showcased at the Tagore Theatre on Saturday. Organised by Nivedita Charitable Trust, the unique and spectacular event paid a tribute to the rich heritage of Indian textiles and sarees, highlighting the invaluable contributions of weavers while bridging traditions, mythology, and textiles.

Eshwar, a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee in 2021, is an internationally acclaimed Bhartanatyam exponent — an excellent performer, choreographer, teacher and author, with experience of more than four decades in dance. According to Eshwar, “The most challenging part in a production is to develop the concept.”

The concept and choreography for Mix & Match aka Mishranam Avang Melanam was also devised by Eshwar. Her visionary approach brought the essence of Indian cultural heritage to life through captivating dance performances. She said, “I love to do fusion, but within the boundaries of classicism. Mix & Match is a blend of traditional and contemporary dance forms, set against that backdrop of stunning multimedia visuals that narrated the intricate stories and significance of Indian textiles. Like Mix & Match has symphony music, I have previously performed Indian classical dance on western music. Once I performed in Brazil and took football as a concept, since it’s something that everyone bonds with over there. Once I took that challenge, I realised how so many movements in the sport were similar to feet moments in natya shastra. I finished the production replaying the winning penalty stroke through dance moves to commemorate Brazil’s Soccer Gold in 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.”

This production is very close to Eshwar. She read the book Saris of India – Tradition & Beyond by Martand Singh and Rta Kapur Chishti during the pandemic and it led to this presentation. She talks highly of her guru Rukmini Devi Arundale, great theosophist, dancer and Padma Bhushan Awardee, whose institute, Kalakshetra Foundation, was recognised by an Act of Parliament in 1994 as an ‘Institute of National Importance’. She added, “As a student of Bharatanatyam at Kalakshetra, I have learnt a great deal from Rukmini Devi. I admire how she wore sarees with great aesthetic sense and respect for its creator. One of the sarees that I presented in this production was gifted to me by her.” Along with Bharatanatyam, Eshwar has also learnt Kuchipudi, Odissi and Seraikela Chhau. She said, “As long as I live, the learning will not end. We have great variety of Indian dance forms and I would like to learn all of them.”

Eshwar and her team presented the show, which included dancers Sushmita Satyamurty, Nandita Nambiar, Sivapriya C P, Kaveri Abrol, Eksha Chadalavada, Piyushree Shukla, Smridhi Khurana, Prerna Bisht, and Chhau dancers, namely Sushant Maharana, Arun Khichi and Chand Khan. The visuals and multimedia designing of the programme were supported by Avinash Kumar and Milind Srivastava, respectively.