A little over a decade ago, the Nurichagram Dance Ensemble, the premier exemplar of Indian classical dance Odissi, partnered with Chitrasena Dance Company, a leading group dedicated to the Kandyan traditions of Sri Lanka. The all-female pairing has happily succeeded in revealing common roots and contrasting tastes. There was also an interesting brotherhood, with Nurichagram in charge and seemingly more mature, even though Chitrasena was founded nearly half a century before Nurichagram.
Now the two companies are back with a new show, “Ahuti,” which premiered in New York at the Joyce Theater on Tuesday. This person promised a twist: men. However, due to injury, only one player from Chitrasena played instead of two. It’s hard to say what difference this made, but it wasn’t the addition that I felt most strongly. I was absent.
Nurithiyagram is undergoing a generational change. Longtime star of the Nurithiyagram Troupe, Vijaini Satpathy, went solo in 2018. And the ensemble’s artistic director and choreographer, Surpa Sen, is one of the musicians on stage who doesn’t dance in this show, but he doesn’t. She narrates at the beginning of each section. The balance of the program would be altered without these two, often called ‘the goddesses’, who formed one of the great partnerships in the dance world. Sacrifice some of the sublime for more fun.
As evident from the opening number, the five Nrityagram women performing are certainly no slouch. It begins with the sound of two dancers tapping the floor barefoot as they land in deep squats. Joined by others, they are in constant motion, sublimely changing formations and praising Lord Krishna. The Odissi style here is more rhythmically edgy, rather than her signature S-curve sensuality. Pop stars may want to incorporate some of these moves.
Our next selection, Poornarati, presents a blend of the two companies. Although the program notes invoke the masculine and feminine principles of the universe, there is not much difference between Kushan Dharmarasna’s dance and Chitrasena’s female colleagues Taj Diaz and Amandi Gomez. The contrast between Odissi and Kandyan is still the same, jumping more loosely, sometimes jumping and turning at the same time. Chitrasena dancers are also physically different. Her limbs are long and stretched, and her facial expressions are more friendly and unstylized.
Compositionally, “Poornarati” is ahead. (The choreography for “Ahuti” was done by Sen, with Chitrasena’s artistic director Heshma Wignaraja credited as assistant choreographer.) The two teams continued to rotate, interweaving each other, performing odd numbers (3 and 5). ) causes a nice asymmetry. The stage space appears to be intricately folded, and the thrilling effect is heightened by the music, which mixes Odissi rhythms with many chants. (Ragnath Panigrahi is credited as the music composer for “Afti”, and Daneshwar Swain, Prethanna Singakara and Sen are credited as rhythm composers.) After the glorious end of God’s Appearance , followed by an exciting coda with finger cymbals.
The program’s star spot, once occupied by Sen and Satpathy, is now occupied by veteran Nurichagram dancers Pavithra Reddy and Chitrasena’s Diaz. Their duet song “Invoking Shiva” contains hints of competition as the two women compete with each other, invoking the gods in their respective styles. Diaz is more playful, lithe and bouncy, but she seems to work with a much smaller vocabulary. Lady doesn’t reach the level of Sen or Satopathy, but she has the terrifying power of lifting one leg in the air like the Incredible Hulk and making her body look bloated. she gets her last word.
The last number “Alap” is a repeat from the previous collaboration. It’s a rhythmic conversation and a fun closer, but “Poornarati” surpasses it in complexity and impact. Looking at this figure 11 years ago, I wondered if the Nrityagram dancers’ seemingly cheating imitation of a dice game was a nod to rigged contests, an imbalance between aesthetic resources and staging focus. I was. In ‘Ahuti’ the imbalance still exists, but the Nrityagram is not the same, so the weights are not the same.
Nuritiyagram + Kitrasena
at the Joyce Theater until Sunday. Joyce.org.