12th Century Story, 21st Century Performance
By Rebecca Park, Contributor
Shalini Goel Agarwal as Radha, soon to be reunited with Krishna
(courtesy of Paul Gillis, Capital Fringe Festival).
The Capital Fringe Festival is a daunting enterprise, an overwhelming weeks-long program of live performances for every imaginable taste. It is ultimately a democratic experience, so among the edgy experimental theater, a show like Lila: The Love Song of Radha and Krishna, a classical Indian dance performance, pops up.
Told through the 2000-year-old, Hindu-temple-originated Odissi dance style, Lila relates the story of an ancient Indian myth, taken from the 12th century epic Sanskrit poem Gita Govinda. The Washington DC-based Jayantika Dance Company brought to life the complicated relationship between Hindu deity Krishna and his devoted consort, the gopi Radha, in four dances. In duets and solos, Jayantee Paine-Ganguly and Shalini Goel Agarwal express the give-and-take tension of these two lovers, entertainment for some, a form of worship for others.
Most striking, the performance relies heavily on narration, treading a fine line between a traditional conception of dance and a broader idea of miming and acting. Exaggerated facial expressions, symbolic hand gestures loaded with meaning, even delicate costume details contribute to the evolution of the story on stage. The skilled dancers engaged the audience in the graceful movements of the body but also intimately involved them in the high drama of their characters’ lives.
Jayantika’s interpretation of this ancient myth is deeply rooted in traditions that date back thousands of years. But their Capital Fringe performance deserves special credit for rendering the show accessible to a Western, 21st century audience. A narrator introduced each dance, explaining the progression of the story, the meaning of the movements, and putting it all in the context of the ancient Indian temples where Odissi dance developed. Music, costumes, dance, all fit more clearly into a cultural narrative that combines ritual, spirituality and performance.
The next occasion to see the Jayantika Dance Company perform will be at the 6th Annual Dance DC Festival at the end of this month. As Lila did, the show will probably transport the audience to another time, country and culture, a seamless journey from DC summer 2009 to wherever the dancers want to go.
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