GROUP PRODUCTIONS
EKAANTHA SEETHA... a lonely furrow
(2006) (Collaboration)
Ekaantha Seetha
- a true dance drama, with dance, music and drama as intrinsic components.
To celebrate the completion of fifteen years of service to the arts, Cleveland
Cultural Alliance premiered its latest production Ekaantha Seetha...A lonely
furrow, at the Music Academy, Chennai, on Sept 12, 2006.
Producer
Uma Ganesan's choice of subject for Ekaantha Seetha was inspired by newspaper
reports about women from small towns who cope with alcoholic husbands,
struggle to educate their children and support themselves financially.
It is a celebration of women of extraordinary courage and character from
the epics, history and contemporary realities through dance and music.
It spans three different time zones - the first episode is based on Ramayana's
Vaidehi as the "Veera Arya Kanya," the second on historic Rani Lakshmi
Bai and the third on a modern day heroine Aparajita.
The production's
dance styles and music ranges from the highly classical to folk, from evocative
ragams to martial rhythms, from foreign adversaries to village bullies
and from uplifting moments to rustic humor. In line with its protagonists,
the languages used in the production includes Valmiki's Sanskrit, the Hindi
of Tulsidas and Subhadhra Chauhan and India's most recent language, English.
TV Gopalakrishnan has maintained Classicism throughout - Carnatic music
for Vaidehi, Hindustani for Lakshmi Bai and a more contemporary mode and
use of pentatonic ragas for Aparajita."
The Dhananjayans
and Rathna actively communicate with the audience in their colorful roles
as musicians, narrators and dancers, using both English and Indian languages.
Choreography
- The Dhananjayans
Music Composer
- Professor T.V.Gopalakrishnan
Script concept
and outline - Ranjitha Ashok
Costume Designer
- Lakshmi Srinath
Set Designer
- Lakshmi Krishnamurthy
Stage manager
and technical director - Nambu Kumar
Dancers -
Rathna Kumar, Sreelatha Vinod, Sujatha Srinivasan, Pavithra Srinivasan,
M.Suhasini, Anusha Natarajan, Seetha Sasidharan, Krishnakshi Sharma, Swarna,
Gopukiran, Madhusudhanan, Narendra Kumar, Renjith Babu, Thiruchelwam, Venkatakrishnan.
Ekaantha Seetha is dedicated to S Manjubhashini, freedom fighter
and founder of Bala Mandir, a children's home in Chennai, in this her
centenary year.
"This really is a big production to be staged in almost 30 major
cities. We have performances for both Indian and American organizations
and universities. We are looking forward to the tour and having toured
all these places abroad, with our Sanghamitra, Sitaraama Katha, Mahaabhaarata,
Jungle Book etc and our duo Bharatanaatyam performances, of course, we
are eager to know the reaction to this different kind of concept from us
- the Dhananjayans. Definitely there will be mixed opinions but, we are
always open to criticism."
"Basically the choreographed pieces (classical sequences) are by
us, but I did give freedom to the artistes to organize the factory scene,
assembly line and Tappaattam for celebration of a small town. All those
casual street scenes are the contribution of the artistes."
EKAANTHA SEETHA... a lonely furrow
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