A Stirring Performance (Sunday People)

First published in New Straits Times
8 June 2008


Masaka Ono


January Low


A stirring performance
Max Koh

THE first night of female dance performances offered four talented danseuses from four countries — January Low from Malaysia, Masaka Ono from Japan, Mitali Devi from Britain, Madhavi Mudgal from India.

They not only captivated the audience at Malaysia Tourism Centre in Kuala Lumpur, but transported us to another world.

What a stirring night it was. Stirring Odissi — International Odissi Festival 2008, organised by Sutra Dance Theatre, is a three-week festival that celebrates the passion of the classical Indian dance form. It brings some of the world’s foremost exponents, visuals artists and scholars to this extensive exposition.

With a hall that is almost filled with audiences, local dancer January Low began the night by performing Surya Staka, a piece that pays homage to Surya, the Sun God as Remover of Darkness and Source of Light.

Wearing a resplendent orange saree, she blew us away with her energy and graceful poise as she interplayed her movements to the music of the band onstage.

Also adept in bharatanatyam, Low is also one of Sutra’s principal dancers and has won the Best Solo Performance (Dance) Award at the Kakiseni BOH Cameronian Wards in 2003 for her bharatanatyam performance in Profound Grace.

With her graceful demeanour and dainty movements, Masako Ono’s performance was a sight to behold. How rare to see a reifujin from Japan performing odissi.

With her poise and precise gestures, Ono came across like a geisha who has mastered the arts of the Indian dance form.

In truth, she has. She started learning odissi at India in 1996, after initially learning hip-hop and modern dance in Tokyo. She trained in Orissa under many gurus including Kelucharan Mohapatra and Ramani Ranjan Jena, and is now based in Bhubaneswar as an odissi dancer and yoga teacher.

Ono is now choreographing her own works which are a blend of tantra, yoga and Indian classical dance. Her first performance of the night was strictly Pallavi, a pure dance that is set to the raag of Kirvani.

With a repetitive motif and movements that flowed throughout the piece, Ono was able to set it apart from the other performances that night.

It was nothing short of spell-binding proving Ono to be one of odissi’s best-kept secrets in the dance world.

A stark contrast from Pallavi, Ono then performed Ashtapadi (Kuru Yadu Nandana) which is a raag raamakari taken from the 12th Century love poem Gita Govinda of Jayadeva.

Making the piece uniquely hers, she began by telling the story through expressive languid movements aided by a voice-over in English.

This is helpful for those not familiar with the language and ancient texts. The piece tells the love of Lord Krishna and Radha who experienced physical separation but are finally united in spirit.

All the way from Manchester came Mitali Devi who performed Mangalacharan (Shanta Karanam) and Ahe Neela Shaila.

The Mangalacharan is an invocation with verse dedicated to Vishnu who is seen as the endless Universe resting on the mighty snake, Sheshanaga.

Mitali’s performance was powerful.

Ahe Neela Shaila is an old Oriya song written by the Sufi mystic poet Salabaga which describes Vishnu as the saviour of the Elephant King, Draupadi and the child Prahlad.

Mitali’s stoic performance deftly conveyed the imagination stirred by the ancient words.

Last but not least came an experienced dancer from New Delhi, India.

Madhavi Mudgal clearly showed her deftness and poise in odissi, having learnt under some of the most respected gurus including Guru Hare Krishna Behera.

Madhavi is recognised internationally for her contribution to the medium and has received prestigious awards such as the Sanskriti Award and the President of India’s Award, among others. She teaches at Gandharva Mahavidhyalaya, one of the oldest music and dance institutions in the world which was founded by her father, Pandit Vinay Chanda Maudgalya.

She blessed the audience that night with a performance to an Oriya song that portrays the anxiety of a heroine who is separated from her elusive lover.

Garbed in a beautiful black and maroon saree, her performance accompanied by musicians on stage was moving.

Madhavi ended the night with Nataraja, an invocation to Shiva-Nataraja, the Lord of Dance which was excellent.

Stretching two-and-a-half hours, the night did not feel long at all with the exquisite performances by all four danseuses.

Sutra’s founder Ramli Ibrahim, after all, promised to give the audience the opportunity to watch the “cream of the crop” in odissi when he came up with the concept of Stirring Odissi. And on that night, he delivered.

* You can catch Janhabi Behera (Bhubaneswar), Ranjana Gauhar (New Delhi), Sharmila Biswas (Kolkata) and Bijayini Satpathy and Surupa Sen (Bangalore) tonight at Malaysia Tourism Centre, 109, Jalan Ampang, KL. Tickets start from RM38. Call 03-92354848 or visit www.mtc.gov.my or www.stirringodissi.com. The festival ends June 14.