Once Upon A Time

On Friday, I was at The Harbourfront Theatre for this year's Kalanidhi dance. I couldn't stay for all 3 performances but I did catch the first piece entitled A Story and a Song from Navarasa Dance (LA/Boston). A couple of friends vied with each other to tell a good story. The winner was a love story about a woman who can turn into a flowering tree. Those on stage through traditional Indian dances, yoga postures, silk aerials, and Malkhamb (an Indian rope or pole-based acrobatic form) acted out the story: from her simple life, through her courtship with a prince, and all the complications that follow marriage. There were also Indian chants, songs, and kids' rhymes, but also some modern winks including the woman's sisters singing Beyoncé's All The Single Ladies.

It was a fun composition although some of the audience participation fell flat since the theatre was sparsely attended. Overall, it wasn't quite as thrilling as Sapargati from a few years ago, which used the same choreographic foundation to tell a story that felt mythic and filled with grandeur.