It was a nice gesture on the part of 'Vision Aid' which imparts visionary services with a missionary zeal, to have sponsored a south Indian classical dance ballet as part of its fund-raising efforts. The venue of this show was Sorensen Theater in Wellesley, MA USA, and it was a sold out show held in late July.
The title of the ballet was ‘Krishna’. The concept, choreography and direction was by the well known guru Madurai.R.Muralidaran. The artristes consisted of dancers of New England area, teachers and young aspirants.
According to Jeyanthi Ghatraju, one of the organisers and performers, it was a show of unity through their passion for the arts for a good cause. And they were ably directed by their guru, Muralidaran.
The story-line is not new but what made this presentation appealing was the combined effect of dance expressions and theatrical techniques employed to suit the situations. In fact the opening itself was quite dramatic-the Ananthasayana kolam of Lord Vishnu, with the avatar's message echoing in the back ground. Since then, there was no stopping; each scene excelled in bringing about Krishna's graceful deeds to the forefront .
Elaborate arrangements for the scene of the marriage of Devaki with Vasudeva were portrayed through delightful dance movements. The chariot scene was realistic.
The Kalinga narthanam where Krishna subdued Kalinga, the 5-headed snake, dancing on his hood was a thrilling treat. The Govardhanoddharanam display was the pinnacle of imaginative expertise and intriguing stage tricks. So also was the scene in which Krishna exhibits the rolling universe in his tiny mouth to an enchanted Yashodha.
Employing stage techniques, coupled with situation-oriented songs, set to melodious tunes and effectively mixing audio-lighting tricks are rarely witnessed here.
‘Krishna – A Dance Ballet, was a good example to delineate the differences between a dance recital /drama and a ballet’.
