direction found
chandri peries’ ‘new directions 2007′ show opened to much anticipation and enthusiasm. his efforts to bring young talent to the stage of colombo proved to have been made use of by several. after all, young talent is exactly what one can never have enough of. colombo, especially, with its art life on the brink of being made better or worse, is thirsty for new people; new things.
the curtain rose to a few items that i could barely watch. naomi rajaratnam’s 3 or 4 items were well danced and badly choreographed. however, good dancing and bad choreography is not something colombo audiences aren’t used to. in fact, although we have several good teachers and good dancers, it is good choreographers that we are most parched for. the music chosen for these items were bad; rather uninspiring pop-music, the costumes were uncomfortable to look at; skin tight and inhibiting to the dancers’ movement, and the choreography was one terrible cliche after the other: a series of athletic lifts and sensual hip movements over and over again. however, the dancers, particularly the ones that performed challenging pas de deux (partner) numbers, were exceptionally good. the lines were perfect, each lift was flawless. technically, the young dancers were spectacular and made the otherwise unbearable pieces watchable.
nadeera rajapakse’s feministic piece was where the show really began for me. she has proven that she is one of the few exceptions to the problem brought forth before; the one of not all good dancers being good choreographers. the music and costumes were chosen tastefully, and the piece in its entirety was interesting. although she too still has a long way to go creatively, and needs to still break just a little further away from her ballet influenced roots, the piece was innovative and powerful. the dancers executed their steps not just with precision but also with a good amount of emotional projection, making it more than just movement.
ravibandu’s item was the highlight of the show. the 6 or 7 minute piece based on a japanese poem was stylized and superbly performed. black costumes contrasted with a white patch of stage, made the lighting edgy and stark. the white-painted faces and wigs of the mother characters highlighted the sohpistication of the piece, bearing strong resemblances to japanese theatre itself. but most of all, it went to prove that ravibandu is still a perfect dancer, and an absolutely brave and intelligent choreographer and designer, one of the rare few that dabble in representing universal and traditional themes through stylized and modern theatre.
chandri’s piece, based on the spanish celebration of the day of the dead, was interesting and stylish. although some of the moves had been ‘done before’, the piece maintained it’s feeling and vibe through the powerful presentation of the dead through movement and masks. the dancers were superbly coordinated, and really pulled off dancing with masks and created a very ‘dawn of the dead’ atmosphere, both eerie and strong. it moved onto a piece with mirrors, which made a powerful commentary on vanity, and a seductive dance of flirtation, both of which worked well to show celebration as well as the impermenance of all the fickle, artificial things in life. the white masks against the large black backdrops and flambouyant spanish costumes worked well, and depicted both death and yet through it all, celebration, indicating that death too, is to be celebrated.
all in all, it was a show i am glad i attended. it showed that dance theatre in colombo has room for improvement if nothing else. if dancers and dance teachers capitalize on this talent and opportunity, there can be variety and creativity in abundance. it also engaged me because it dealt with many representations of the human condition through art, and it was not dance just to entertain.
however, throughout the first few items, which i mentioned were bad, the audience couldn’t help themselves and kept applauding each left and each spin. every time the boy would lift the girl (and this was VERY often), the audience would go wild, as if it were some acrobatic show, or a weightlifting competition. throughout all the later pieces, the applause was oddly muted and unenthusiastic. colombo audience’s keep proving that they are still largely tasteless and easily fascinated by glamorous junk and cheap tricks. perhaps we need to break out of this culture first, before we can fully appreciate good theatre.
