Last weekend, we saw 'Maya Ravan' - a Bharatanatyam concert which was a show to support AID (Association for India's Development) Dallas. This show is directed by Padmashree Shobana. She along with 8 other dancers gave an excellent performance of Bharatanatyam. They created collages, where in through dance moves they depicted various aspects of life. The main part of the concert was the performance of different parts of Ramayana.
After an introduction by AID Dallas chapter, the concert started with the Welcome dance. It was followed by a few collages. I particularly liked the 'Vande Mataram' which was a tribute to all Indians and their professions. Through the collage Shobana and the other performers depicted all kind of professions and how Indians excel in them starting from agriculture to beauty pageants and outsourcing.
Then they performed the 'Maya Ravan' which was a dance-drama fusion with English dialogue. The voices were of Naseerudin Shah as Ravan, Jackie Shroff as Dasharatha, Suhasini as Surpanaka, Revathy as Kaikeyi, and many others. During the first half of the drama, Shobana played the role of Kaikeyi and during the second half after the break she played the role of Ravana. She displayed excellent dance and acting skills. We could see a stark difference in the two roles as she was the queen in the first half and a rakhsasa king in the second half. She totally changed the way she would walk, dance and the way she carried herself in order to accurately depict the character.
Shobana looked absolutely stunning in her various outfits and her performance was excellent. As a director, she did a a very good job and came up with a very creative and enjoyable dance fusion. The music was good, all the other performers did a great job, and on the whole a great display of talent. I particularly liked the performers who played Sita and Hanuman. Here's a short video clip on youtube which shows glimpses of this concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss2f8tabH0o
Shobana looked absolutely stunning in her various outfits and her performance was excellent. As a director, she did a a very good job and came up with a very creative and enjoyable dance fusion. The music was good, all the other performers did a great job, and on the whole a great display of talent. I particularly liked the performers who played Sita and Hanuman. Here's a short video clip on youtube which shows glimpses of this concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss2f8tabH0o
The organizers did a great job of starting and ending the show absolutely on time and as per the plan. Of course, the credit for punctuality also goes to the performer Shobana and her troupe. She was absolutely modest and came on to the stage without much of an introduction or fanfare. It was time absolutely well spent and relaxing and am eager to watch more of her shows.
Another concert that we attended recently is the Simply Sonu concert. That was an evening filled with fun, music, dance and dhamaka. We thoroughly enjoyed the 4 hours. Along with Sonu Nigam were singer Gunjan who sang about 4-5 songs, and his father Agam Nigam who sang a couple of old ones. Comedian Ravi Raj entertained the audience with his jokes and mimicry during half-time, when Sonu Nigam got a chance to take a break. Sonu Nigam performed all his popular numbers you can think of and was absolutely a pleasure to listen to. Towards the end he also obliged to the audiences requests and sang a few lines of each of the requests. There were about 6000 people in the audience and most them had little lights that they were flashing during the show. Once the auditorium was dark, these lights made it look like sky full of stars which looked beautiful. Probably this happens more often these days at concerts, but it was the first time for me, as I was went to concert after a long time.
One the whole an excellent show, beautiful light effects and got to listen to very good songs. The only downside was that the show started an hour late and the waiting was almost a torture. I do hope that the organizers and performers strive to be more punctual in future.
Another concert that we attended recently is the Simply Sonu concert. That was an evening filled with fun, music, dance and dhamaka. We thoroughly enjoyed the 4 hours. Along with Sonu Nigam were singer Gunjan who sang about 4-5 songs, and his father Agam Nigam who sang a couple of old ones. Comedian Ravi Raj entertained the audience with his jokes and mimicry during half-time, when Sonu Nigam got a chance to take a break. Sonu Nigam performed all his popular numbers you can think of and was absolutely a pleasure to listen to. Towards the end he also obliged to the audiences requests and sang a few lines of each of the requests. There were about 6000 people in the audience and most them had little lights that they were flashing during the show. Once the auditorium was dark, these lights made it look like sky full of stars which looked beautiful. Probably this happens more often these days at concerts, but it was the first time for me, as I was went to concert after a long time.
One the whole an excellent show, beautiful light effects and got to listen to very good songs. The only downside was that the show started an hour late and the waiting was almost a torture. I do hope that the organizers and performers strive to be more punctual in future.
