Fish out of water

Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose, the Bay Area’s South Indian classical dance company, presented their 2009 Fall concerts “Nritya Sangati: Dance Progressions.” on Saturday at San Jose's Mexican Heritage Theater. The concert was held at 7 p.m. and featured the work of special guest composer Kartik Seshadri and choreography by Abhinaya Artistic Director and Founder Mythili Kumar, Rasika Kumar and Malavika Kumar.

The event was presented in the Bharatanatyam-style, which is one of the oldest of the classical dance forms in India, also known as the fifth Veda. The name depicts the combination of: BHA- Bhava (Expression), RA- Raga (Music) and TA- Tala (Rhythm), and is known for its grace, purity,and sculpturesque poses. "Nritya Sangati" is a dance which features vignettes of Indian immigrant women.

As a viewer of this amazing spectacle and an outsider to this rich culture, I was convinced that Indians use their body as a medium of communication; their dances conveying thoughts and emotions. Some of the dances depicted food-gathering and harvesting as well as other rituals and traditions. I could tell that it was the experience of their unique dances than united all the people who had gathered in the theater to share something which distinguished their culture from all other cultures. Indians believe that dance has been created by God and given to people as a gift, and therefore it is considered divine. And even though many Indian families are dispersed in different parts of the world, they proudly preserve their dance traditions as part of their national heritage.

The style of dancing also seemed closely connected with religion. The main theme was the victory of good over evil. The Fifth Veda is used in reference to the foundation of the Hindu religion and philosophy, and some of the dances were performed by beautiful women whose dance moves expressed rituals such as the waking of the Gods or chasing away bad spirits from the temple. Throughout the whole performance, male and female dancers seemed to follow intricate patterns and geometric poses with incredible speed.

The second part of the spectacle featured modern stories of immigrant Indian women who struggle with homesickness and the need to assimilate in new communities. The dancers literally told stories using their fingers to create meaningful gestures. Another impressive thing to observe were the costumes of colorful silks, and the jewels on the dancers. Overall, the concert was an amazing experience and I highly recommend their next event which will be on November 15th at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.