Murchhana by Amrita Lahiri
Hosted by Kalanidhi Dance
Sunday, April 29 at 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM EDT
Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center
7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Tickets on sale April 1 at 6:30 PM
www.kalanidhi.org
Hosted by Kalanidhi Dance
Sunday, April 29 at 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM EDT
Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center
7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Tickets on sale April 1 at 6:30 PM
www.kalanidhi.org
Kalanidhi Dance is proud to present Amrita Lahiri in Murchhana - The Spirit of Sangeet. Murchhana is based on stories from the oral tradition of the kohl players (drummers) of rural Orissa. These players interpret sangeet (music) as a combination of three elements - nritya (dance), geeta (song), vadya (instrument) - plus a fourth element - the life, or Murchhana.
The story begins with a dialogue between the singer and dancer comparing the physical body to sangeet. Just as a physical body is lifeless without its soul, sangeet comes alive with Murchhana, its soul. The singer asks what is the use of physical expertise without spirit? And what is the spirit? What is it that makes sangeet worthwhile and takes it toward Moksha? It is Muchhana.
Amrita Lahiri has been described as "gifted with a radiant stage presence", and her dance performances and choreographies have been acclaimed for their elegance and dynamism, combined with a refined approach.
Murchhana was created under the mentorship of Sharmila Biswas, and features music by Sudha Raghuraman. Amrita will be accompanied by live musicians.
Amrita Lahiri: "Each young dancer was paired with a guru of a different dance style than her own"
Next week, I will be performing in USA, presenting 'Murchhana- the Spirit of Sangeet' in New York (for 'Dancing the Gods' presented by Rajika Puri and World Music Institute) and in Maryland (for Anuradha Nehru's Kalanidhi).
This solo production was commissioned for Gandharva Mahavidyalaya's festival in 2014. It was an unusual concept- each young dancer was paired with a guru of a different dance style than her own. I was mentored by Odissi dancer Sharmila Biswas.
The great reward of working with other dance forms is that it forces you to define yourself. What are the salient features of Kuchipudi. What is its essence? Many audiences come to Kuchipudi programs expecting to see the trademark dance on a brass plate- that is the climax of many Kuchipudi programs. But Kuchipudi is so much more than the dance on a brass plate! It is also lilting rhythms, drama, vachika abhinaya (spoken word), and sparkling light footed movements.
Searching with a wise and incisive dance guru- Sharmila Biswas- I was forced to re-think my dance boundaries. Using some of the typical Kuchipudi solo formats, we created a thematic production about the eternal spirit of sangeet (music/dance)- Murchhana. The talented Carnatic vocalist Sudha Raghuraman composed the music.
This month I will perform this production with 4 outstanding young musicians all based in USA- Taniya Panda (vocal), Puneet Panda (nattuvangam), Anjna Swaminathan (violin), and Bala Skandan (mridangam).
Information and tickets for the programs is available here:
April 21 New York City
http://www.worldmusicinstitute.org/event/34fc8b667e2ebe45eb7f0f5dbc8942d4
April 29 Maryland
http://www.kalanidhi.org/event/murchhana-by-amrita-lahiri/
If you are in the area, hope to see you!
Thank you,
Warm regards,
Amrita
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