Rasadhwani is back on stage with two promising dance productions

Rasadhwani, a premiere Bharata Natyam training institute based in Ahmedabad, led by Dr Uma Anantani and driven by Shivangee Vikram, is presenting two of its brand-new productions today on August 2, 2022, at 8.15 PM at HK Arts Auditorium, Ashram Road. Known for their imaginative presentations and ability to combine text, dance and drama, makes these new productions are quite promising. Read further for the preview.

‘Moko Kahaan …!’

Kabir the mystic poet from 15th century India, is one of the peaks that arose during this era that drove the slot deposit dana philosophy across the sub-continent. Part reformist and part spiritual Sant Kabir Das contributed hugely to sowing seeds for religious inclusion. They fakir from Varanasi, and questioned the redundant ritual practices, blind faith and orthodoxy of all religions through his poems, popularly known as Kabir Vani.

‘Moko kahan dhundhe re bande…’ by Kabir is a thought-provoking poem that reminds each one of us that what is being searched is ‘within’.  The first kriti will present this poem in the form of dance. Choreographed as a group production, the kriti reflects various moods through especially composed music suitable to nritta and nritya format of Bharata Natyam, and reflecting symbolically, the central tone of poem’s advaita philosophy.

In times like today, when people tend to draw lines in the name of religion, caste, colour and creed, this poem encourages the listener to turn inwards. An apt message for the contemporary time.

Gandhi Gita

“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet” – Gandhi

The entire nation and artists of various genres around the world are celebrating Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth centenary. The choreographed piece ‘Gandhi Gita’ is a deep comparative study of ‘The Bhagvad Gita’ (a doctrine of life in Hindu culture) and ‘Satya na Prayogo‘ (My Experiments with Truth) autobiography of MK Gandhi.

Gandhiji has lived his life by continuous experimentation on the four fundamental purposes of humankind (the purushartha-s), which are dharma (righteousness), artha (economic values), kama (desires) and moksha (liberation).

The central theme is to present, through Bharata Natyam dance technique, Gandhiji’s ideology and preaching of The Bhagvad Gita as subtly reflecting each other, through selected, non-linear references from both the works and not through Gandhi as a flesh and blood human being, but as one representing a universal mind.

Gandhi Gita has been funded by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. The concept, choreography and dance direction are by Dr Uma Anantani. The music for the first piece is by Shri P.S. Krishnamurthy and Shri Amit Thakkar while the second piece has been musically set by Shri Jayan Nair.The dancers for both productions are Shivangee Vikram, Kathanki Raval, Manasi Karani, Preksha Sutharia, Mrinalini Mishra, Bhagwat Prjapati, Shail Chudgar.

The performance is open for all.