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AVANI..
a handful of dust
a dance theatre presentation by Anita Ratnam and ensemble
Contemporary rhythms
- Leela Venkataraman, The Hindu, Friday Review, 20 June 2013
The item was evocative based on Muttuswamy Dikshitar's "Meenakshi
me mudam dehi" in Poorvikalyani, which so impressed Tagore that he
created a lyric in the very same raga and 'mettu', but with words on
'Basanti" in praise of Spring, for the Brahmosamajist Tagore saw
divinity in Nature and not the fish-eyed Goddess Meenakshi. Superb
recorded music alternating between lines of Muttuswamy's composition and
that of Tagore, the silken changeover never losing raga flow, saw the
dance interpretation in the seated position, even while classical
abhinaya in tone, very moving. By far the best of the evening was Avani
inspired by Tagore's epic poem, the choreography assisted by Canada's
Hariharan and Rex. Prithvi or Earth as both Mother Protector and
Destroyer, like the cat giving birth and devouring the last kitten of
its own litter. The throbbing music in two tracks, one a base flute and
the other sharper, with edekka and drums and ragas like Hamsadhwani and
Desh (concluding obeisance to Mother Earth), the lulling music
contrasted with mocking sounds of laughter, all added so much to the
performance.
thehindu.com/...
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Mosaic of movement
- Rupa Srikanth, The Hindu, September 27, 2012
The simple songs and intelligent planning added to the overall impact of Anita Ratnam's tribute to Tagore.
thehindu.com/arts/...
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In a backyard...
- Akhila Krishnamurthy, www.narthaki.com, September 19, 2012
Where the words ended, movement began. Anita stepped in, and her
choreography, drawn from a slew of dance styles, exuded a quiet sense of
poignancy and elegance, befitting the man. Equally interesting was the
juxtaposition of words and movements; the dancer seamlessly merged with
the women in conversation and a musician, and together the stage became a
happy, recognizable backyard of sorts.
http://www.narthaki.com/...
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A handful of Tagore magic
- Prashanti Ganesh / ENS, September 18, 2012
Just as Rathnam embraced the themes of love, longing, hope, eternity,
nature, nurture and divinity — some of Tagore's favourite subjects to
write about — she didn't hesitate to approach some of Tagore's darker
themes with the same intensity.
http://newindianexpress.com/...
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Tagore relocated
Structured around five poems interpreted as handfuls of dust,
words, flowers, leaves and gold, this piece of dance-theatre did what
many other interpretations in this season of Tagore have failed to do -
abstract the sense of the poet's words to relocate them in our times.
The set underlined Avani's contemporary spirit.
Avani held us with its freshness, so different from the mush that Tagore
is often reduced to. Its interwoven texts, rich-voiced singing,
unobtrusive but effective back projection, and unambiguously modern
sensibility, combined to challenge and charm, and, most importantly, to
make Tagore sharply relevant.
- Shanta Gokhale, The Times of India, April 5, 2012
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...
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"For the longest
time Tagore was an alien to the performing arts practices in South India
,which had enough of its own historical literature to deal with. AVANI
by Anita Rathnam managed to successfully break many notions and blur the
lines, opening up new doors to welcome Tagore and creating yet another
cultural bond. How South Indian cultural practices influenced the great
poet's thoughts come through with the wonderful theatrical experience
Anita gives us. With slices of interesting history, fabulous costumes
and lights, the narrative keeps you gripped. AVANI, I would consider is a
wonderful work in progress, like all of Tagore's poetry was. Flexible
in its format, the production has a quality of timelessness and can
relate to all eras and still convey its relevance."
- Veejay Sai
(Writer, Editor and Culture Critic)
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A face of humanity
- Utpal K Banerjee, The Pioneer, January 23, 2012
Unique choreography... they (Anita Ratnam and director Hari Krishnan) have succeeded in creating a new idiom of dance - theatre!
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Interpretation through movements
- DHNS, Deccan Herald, December 8, 2011
Her
choreography interpreted earth as feminine force. But Anita interpreted
the metaphors used in Tagore's poem in a modern sense and this made the
dance form more adaptable to contemporary audience. The intensity and
simplicity of her performance was greatly enjoyed by he audience.
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Connecting
with Tagore
- Shutapa Paul, The
Sunday Standard, September
18, 2011
Anita Ratnam lives her
dream after a lifetime of
waiting.
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Saila Sudha presents Nritya Sangama
- Lalitha Venkat, www.narthaki.com September
18, 2011
The presentation scored high on aesthetics, the wonderful
recorded music and refined articulation where Bharatanatyam was not foot
stamping strong, but used softly and sparingly to keep in tune with the
soft style of Rabindra Sangeet.
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Inspired moments
- Sharmila Basu
Thakur, The Telegraph,
Calcutta, September 10 ,
2011
Avani - A Handful of Dust
was presented by
Happenings as a part of
their Rabindra Utsav, 2011
at G.D. Birla Sabhagar on
August 24. Choreographed
and performed by Anita
Ratnam, an excellent
Bharatnatyam dancer from
Chennai, this Neo-Bharatam
dance theatre was a homage
to Rabindranath Tagore.
The stage looked like a
backyard or a verandah
where clothes were
hanging. Against this
ordinary but meaningful
backdrop, Anita began to
explore Tagorean
philosophy through various
dance styles, theatrical
movements, songs,
narration, recitation,
music and slides, and so
took the audience to a
different world.
The potent beauty of
"Megher pore megh", with
its English translation,
came out in an absolutely
new manner. Anita
perfectly grasped the
liberal spirit of Tagore's
creation, which was
reflected in the entire
production. Thus she
magically transformed
"Basanti he bhubano
mohini", usually a pure
dance choreography, into
an abhinaya number. It
ended with Prithvi,
translated by Tarak Sen.
Sahana Chatterjee as
narrator showed her
restrained and matured
approach. Paramita
Banerjee's costume design
was significant.
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When the East did meet
the West
- Kathakali Jana, The
Telegraph, Calcutta,
India, September 3 , 2011
Amongst the first poets in
the world to have
perceived the syncretism
between the East and the
West, Tagore offers
himself generously to
interpretations and
experiment. Happenings's
Rabindra Utsav, an annual
event that has come to
identify itself with the
Renaissance man and his
creative ideals of
multiculturalism, put up a
remarkable show once more
this year, choosing the
mediums of music, dance
and theatre.
Avani - A Handful of Dust,
Anita Ratnam's offering,
was clearly the most
significant dance
production of the
festival. Choosing to
portray love, longing,
hope, eternity, nature,
nurture and divinity in
the context of the
quotidian, she freely drew
from personal experience
and set her work in a
familiar backyard
environment that startled
with its freshness. One
began to interpret
oft-heard songs and
frequently read poems in a
new light, thanks to
Ratnam's cerebral and
singularly individual
reading of the works. She
became Everywoman - or
Everyman, if you like -
and referenced the works
with universal experiences
of the body and the soul.
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A
soul-stirring
& aesthetic
tribute to the bard of
Bengal
- Pramita Bose,
The Asian Age, Kolkata, Aug 19, 2011
High on its
visual appeal and eye-grabbing aesthetics, the highlights of this
protagonist performer's dance sees her cutting capers with the
contemporary genre as effortlessly as flaunting her agile footwork in
the Bharatanatyam and Kathakali forms.
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