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Framing Five Credits Concept, choreography and performance: Anita Ratnam with Palani and Vasanth Direction and Set Design: Mithran Devanesen Costumes: Nanda Devanesen Sets painted by Asma Menon Music and Sound Design by Vedant Bharadwaj and Anita Ratnam Jathi and Percussion sections composed by KSR Aniruddha Ragas Amrutavarshini (water) and Behag (wind) by OS Arun Konnakol and vocal pnemonics by Sashirekha, Subhashri and Anita Ratnam Music mixed and arranged by Vedant Bharadwaj at Me2Media Studios, Chennai Synopsis Anita Ratnam performs FRAMING FIVE using her signature movement aesthetic named NEO BHARATAM where voice, movement and text mingle. The number 5 stands as a mystical and significant number for many cultures across the globe such as Hindu, Jewish, Islam, Christian, Sikh and Shinto. Anita Ratnam has always been known for her rootedness to the traditional while exploring transcultural mythologies and symbolism. Not interested in simplistic forms of fusion or modernity, she has participated in numerous trans-cultural collaborations with sculptors, painters, designers, writers, directors, poets and musicians. The world premiere of FRAMING FIVE will include two senior members of Anita's dance company, Palani and Vasanth who will use martial arts and aerial movements on silk cloth to illuminate the five elements that exist within ouselves and in the universe. Critics Speak 
"Anita Ratnam's FRAMING FIVE was one of the highlights of the Sangeet Natak Akademi's festival of numbers. Cutting across faiths, Anita's dance theatre presentation projected excellence in conceptualisation and execution. Image after image flowed, in an organic fashion with no jerks in the production constituting the eternal symbol of the Tree of Life, the five elements, the five symbols of Sikh faith, the five pillars of Islam, the pentacle geometry, a symbol for the Divine Mother. The physicality of the grounded movements for Prakriti and the aerial for Akasa with the rope acrobats swinging in the air, Anita's crisp teermanams and movements inspired by Bharatanatyam, modern dance and Kalari, the light air borne feel for Vayu rendered to a sound tape where only the breath provided the accompaniment - all blended with moments of deeply internalised quiet. With set and lighting design by Mithran Devanesen and Asma Menon, sound design by Vedanth Bharadwaj and and O S Arun's voice aiding aesthetics, FRAMING FIVE has the best presentational values of the festival." - Leela Venkatraman, Sruti Magazine, November 2008 "Dancing gracefully to the five beat rhythm and the refrain of the 'ta ka ta ki ta" using Bharatanatyam and free style modern movements, Anita fully utlised the space on stage. The usage of two male artistes to represent elements like Prithvi and Akash through kalari and malkhamb movements was brilliant... the chakra seed syllables and the ascending OM in particular reflecting the rising kundalini was beautifully reflected by the male artistes climbing the strips of cloth to the ceiling. Anita concluded by showing the transformation of the five stages of woman from birth to death, moving across the stage in a seamless manner." - K. Subadra Murthy, Nartanam quarterly
" Brilliant in concept, execution and sound design, the abstraction was subtle and seamless" - Leela Venkatraman, THE HINDU, New Delhi
"Anita Ratnam never allows the theme to overwhelm her imagination. She delves deeply into the subtle subtexts of numerals to emerge with a universal truth through performance" - Pramita Bose, DECCAN CHRONICLE & ASIAN AGE
"There is always an element of surprise in Anita's productions. FRAMING FIVE delivered with aerial yoga and superb aesthetics just what this ace contemporary dancer/ choreographer had imagined before a rapt Hyderabad audience" - Pratima Sagar, www.narthaki.com
Calendar of Performances 2008:  |