Fluidity of Odissi combines with athleticism of Kandyan
Poornāratī dancers Amandi Gomez, Thaji Dias, Abhinaya Rohan, Daquil Miriyala and Anoushka Rahman - Pic by Steven Pisano
This April, the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble from Bengaluru, India, and the Chitrasena Dance Company, join together to present ‘Ahuti’, another ground breaking production with celebrated Odissi dance exponent Surupa Sen as Artistic Director.
‘Ahuti’ goes on the boards on April 21 at the Jaffna Cultural Centre at 6.30 p.m., and on April 25 and 26 at the Bishop’s College Auditorium in Colombo at 7.15 p.m.
At the heart of ‘Ahuti’ lies a dynamic interplay between two distinct dance traditions: The Odissi form presented by Nrityagram that stands out for its fluidity of movement and precision of stances, along with the earthy and athletic Kandyan form of Chitrasena.
Following their critically acclaimed collaboration ‘Samhara’ in 2012, Surupa Sen along with Heshma Wignaraja, the Artistic Director of the Chitrasena Dance Company, as associate choreographer have woven a narrative that transcends cultural boundaries and honours the legacy of Odissi and Kandyan dance forms.
“We are ecstatic to finally share ‘Ahuti’ with our audiences,” says Heshma. “It is a celebration of our love of dance and each other that blurs boundaries and distance, and paves the way for eternal friendship through the melding of tradition and innovation.”
Both styles are deeply rooted in ancient religious rituals and incorporate percussion in their music, offering a rich tapestry of complex rhythmic and choreographic expression. Surupa Sen’s artistic vision for Ahuti navigates the contrasting styles, allowing them to converse, engage, reciprocate and shift seamlessly from one to the other.
This exchange foregrounds the unique idiom of each tradition, while celebrating the universal language of dance and music.
Ahuti premiered at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore back in September 2019, and has since been performed across India and USA at prestigious venues and festivals. Ahuti has done three tours to the USA in 2019, 2022 and 2023, including a performance at the prestigious Fall for Dance festival in New York in 2022.
The Financial Times in a review noted: “In the evening’s pièce de résistance, artistic director and choreographer Surupa Sen brilliantly met the challenge of classical dance: how it might speak in the language of now without being wrenched from its foundation.” Ahuti is a production that reflects a profound respect for their origins while engaging with the present.
Ahuti will be presented by the Chitrasena Vajira Dance Foundation (CVDF), in association with the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust and the Foundation partner the John Keells Foundation.
Tickets for the performances in Colombo can be obtained via mytickets.lk. For further information regarding the tickets and the performance please contact 0777366543.
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