Tales from Kailash, told from a new perspective

Shankarananda

Kalakshetra

’s dance production, ‘Tales of the Bull and the Tiger’ staged last weekend, is still the talk of the town’s art circles. choreographed by celebrated dancer Dr

Ananda Shankar Jayant

, the production which kicked off the institute’s 40th anniversary celebrations, was a stunning rendition of the legends of Shiva and Parvathy – stories that we’ve all grown up with. What made the performance unique was the perspective from which these stories were told. Narrated by the vahanas of Shiva and Parvathy — the bull and the tiger, respectively — to Ganesha and Shanmukha, the performance saw some breathtaking moves, crisp foot work, gravity defying acrobats , apart from brilliant digital design by the young and talented, Gunjan Ashtaputre.

The audience, among whom were many eminent dancers and colleagues of Ananda, were all praise for the brilliant ballet. Extolling Ananda’s work, Alekhya Punjala, renowned dancer, said, “The performance was extremely good and very well-choreographed. The group coordination was extraordinary. Kudos to Ananda for bringing ‘newness’ into stories we’ve grown up with.” Renowned Kuchipudi exponent, Deepika Reddy adds, “I really admire Ananda’s eye for detail —she left nothing to chance. the lighting, music, coordination between the dancers, were all exemplary. The male dancer, Mithun Shyam, who played shiva, was brilliant. Ananda, of course, was Ananda! She danced with a sparkle in her eyes.”

the simplicity of the costumes also won a lot of praise. Designer Ganesh Nallari, who is also a student of Ananda Shankar, who designed costumes for the production, says, “Usually, in a classical dance production the costumes scream out for attention, in terms of jewellery, colours and contrasts. I didn’t want anything gaudy or exaggerated. I used colours that are generally associated with the characters. Shiva, for instance, was blue and Shakti, as she is a power-house, was bright orange. But they were simple, minimalist, and sophisticated. I think that contributed well to the overall mood of the performance.”
In fact, he adds that it was the concept of the performance that breathed life to the costumes. “When akka came up with the concept of ‘Tales of the Bull and the Tiger’, I was so intrigued. It was very important for me to communicate the uniqueness of her idea through the costumes. This was not just costume designing for me; it felt like I was creating an artwork,” he adds.