The musical legends- Rajkumar Bharathi, Rajhesh Vaidhya, Ganesh Rajagopalan and B.V. Balasai along with OSCAR nominated team sound engineer (life of Pi) Sai Shravanamcollaborate with Narendra Kumar Lakshmipathy andParvathi Ravi Ghantasala to bring to life Chakra - The Myriads of Seasons.
IWC Members participation was in good numbers and 25% of our tickets value goes to our Charity account.
With her new production ‘Chakra,’ Bharatanatyam dancer Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala moves in a new direction, as Savitha Gautam finds out.
IWC Members participation was in good numbers and 25% of our tickets value goes to our Charity account.
With her new production ‘Chakra,’ Bharatanatyam dancer Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala moves in a new direction, as Savitha Gautam finds out.
http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/dance/when-the-wheel-turns/article6379523.ece
Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala is exhausted. Rehearsals, ticket sales, costume delays, and her practice sessions are all she can think of just now. But all that stress is not reflected on this Bharatanatyam dancer’s smiling face. Looking fresh as ever, she is all set to divulge details about her latest production ‘Chakra’ that premieres on September 7, 6 p.m., at The Music Academy, Chennai.
Parvathi is no novice when it comes to such large-scale productions. Having been around the classical dance scene for more than two decades, she has both the know-how and the experience to get such productions under way successfully. She has earlier helmed works such as the much appreciated ‘Ramkatha Manjari,’ ‘Tyagaraja Bhakti Manjari,’ ‘Penmai Chudar’ and ‘Ganga Lahiri.’ Besides, ‘Gana Gandharva Ghantasala,’ her tribute shows to her father-in-law and renowned singer-composer Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, too have become major calendar events in Chennai. And as the secretary of ABHAI, she keeps tabs on trends.
What gives ‘Chakra’ a slightly different edge is the fact that there’s a personal angle to the theme. Parvathi’s life story, the ups and downs she encountered along the way and her finding solace in her art, have been interpreted sensitively using the idiom of Bharatanatyam. She has juxtaposed that stream of thought with the four seasons and festivals as well as the Man-Woman relationship.
Sitting pretty in her home, Parvathi says, “I had thought up ‘Chakra’ nearly a year ago. I wanted to share my personal journey with audiences… from the beginning when my mother initiated me into dance and my classes with Krishnakumari Narendran and Kalanidhi Narayanan, to my marriage into an illustrious family and my setting up my dance school, Kala Pradharshini. It’s also about my near-death experience and several hardships I faced along the way. My life has come full circle, where Bharatanatyam is the focal point. My family has been my spine and that too comes across in this production. And that’s how ‘Chakra’ was born.”
A highlight of this production is the music. It has four composers, one for each season.
Flautist Balasai has tuned the first season - pre-winter or Hemanta; violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan (of the Ganesh-Kumaresh fame) will bring forth the joy of Vasantha or spring; the freshness of Summer (grishma) can be experienced in the tunes of vainika Rajhesh Vaidhya while composer Rajkumar Bharati’s songs express happiness as the elixir of life showers Earth (Varsha/Rain). Several texts, both ancient and new, have been sourced, and the lyrics come in English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Sanskrit and Hindi. The man at the studio who kept check on superb sound quality was Sai Shravanam.
Now, with so much music happening, was it tough to choreograph? Parvathi replies, “I left the group choreography to the very talented L. Narendra Kumar, who has brought many innovative ideas to the plate. We share a wonderful artistic bond and it’s been a great journey of give and take for us. I have choreographed my solos, though.” While the production will have a strong classical strain, both Narendra and Parvathi have been liberal in absorbing steps from Kalari, Kathak and even contemporary styles, “to suit changing audience tastes,” as Parvathi explains.
‘Chakra’ is a multi-layered story that’s told through the eyes of Vishwa and Elakshi, a young couple in love, whose lives are juxtaposed with the changing seasons and various festivals. It also deals with human emotions and changing equations, and above all else, the quest for the spiritual. Donning the role of Elakshi will be Parvathi and Narendra Kumar, her Vishwa. Helping them take the story forward are about 25 young dancers from Kala Pradarshini. Even as Parvathi prepares for yet another new role – that of grandmother - she’s getting ready to take ‘Chakra’ to the United States. “Yes, we are touring the U.S. for two months (Sept 21-Nov 15) where we will also be showcasing the Ghantasala tribute shows. We hope to get new perspectives, newer audiences.”
‘Chakra’ is a ticketed show. Donor passes: Rs. 5,000, Rs. 1,500, Rs. 1,000 Rs. 500 and Rs. 300 are available at the venue.
Courtesy : The Hindu dated 4 Sep 2014
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