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7 GRACES... the many hues of Goddess Tara - Critics Speak
A solo operatic creation by Anita Ratnam in collaboration with Hari Krishnan (inDANCE, Canada)
60 mins, 2005
"amazing grace... an unexpected dance experience"
Pankaja Srinivasan, THE HINDU, Coimbatore, February 2007
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"Shimmering
with an ancient storyteller's grace, Anita's solo on Goddess TARA was filled
with both ordinary and transcendental emotions...In this sensual collage
of visual and aural signification, Anita managed to keep the audience's
attention intensely engaged at every moment."
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Ratnam's expression remains stark and undeviating in its exploration of the in-between areas in experience and feeling.
Click here to view the review
Kathakali Jana, Hindustan Times, April 20, 2006
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an intensely
moving experience - original and stunning.
Utpal
K Banerjee, THE PIONEER, New Delhi, January 24, 2006
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Anita Ratnam's
Goddess is the fearless product of a contemporary imagination that does
not hesitate to place the profound and hoary with the new and tacky.
The overall
effect is of meditative quietude, as if it were entirely played out in
silence, even though there are sections of vigorous dance accompanied by
jati recitation. This effect is probably as much due to the unbroken concentration
of the dancer and movment flow as the soothing music scape. Click here to view the review
Anjana
Rajan, Friday Reviews, THE HINDU, January 20, 2006
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And what
happens when a woman connects with Tara? The music, richly borrowed from
a variety of musical instruments, created a feeling of unease and awe in
succession. The cycle of birth and death, the notion of masculinity and
femininity of a Goddess and therefore her image were remarkably crafted.
As Anita
used the motif of Alapadma and Pataka, to negotiate the space between the
male/female, inner/outer, woman/goddess principles displaying ferocity
with compassion and joy with vigour, it was clear that the dancer had placed
herself on a journey which will be singular but perhaps fulfilling.
Lada
Guruden SIngh, THE STATESMAN, New Delhi, January 20, 2006
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The world
premiere launch of Anita Ratnam's new dance solo on August 17-18, 2005
at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai met with an overwhelming response from
critics and audience alike.
Purely individualistic...
unfamiliar and uncommon... personal statements giving visual interpretation
to the cerebral pursuit of wisdom and learning... Like abstraction defies
categorization, the collaborative work by Anita and Hari Krishnan could
all be metaphors for the thought process gone through with their experiences
in life.
Chitra
Mahesh, THE DECCAN CHRONICLE, 3 September 2005, Chennai
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Intensely
felt and portrayed, Anita Ratnam's "7 Graces"throbbed with deeply felt
emotions and yet had a tranquility and grace that owed both to the movements
and the music... the dancer's power of improvisation and creativity strongly
came to the fore and her range of emotions engaged the audience.
Kausalya
Santhanam, Friday Reviews, THE HINDU, August 26, 2005
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Poetry
in motion... Anita Ratnam, the artiste and woman could be in touch with
her emotions however raw they may be... "7 Graces" - an experience
ranging from the chaos of emotions to the sublime calm of nothingness...
the work inspired the audience to take the plunge and fall into a place
where there are no conventional boundaries; where music, colour and movement
blend into one.
Click here to view the review
Seena
Menon, CITYEXPRESS, Chennai, Saturday, August 20, 2005
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Anita Ratnam's
solo presentation, "7 Graces", was marked by a blurring of boundaries
between the esoteric and the universal... The essence of the Tara mythology
served as a background over which was woven an experiential pattern...
Anita and her collaborator, Hari Krishnan (inDance, Canada) deftly used
eclectic textual bases and wove a narrative that was non-linear, non-descriptive
and open-ended.
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For jaded
New York eyes, this performance made me think again about art and life.
Pinky
Kaur, INDIA POST, New York
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Juhi Jhunjhunwala on
performance of 7 Graces at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York
Click on article
for enlarged version
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