MOHANAM - A MEETING OF SOULS........

To portray the theme of love through two different classical forms of dance Odissi and Manipuri, the colourful mosaic of these two dance forms have been interwoven into a passionate image with a strong sense of personal involvement and is directed towards both lay and educated audience with a high degree of entertainment value.

The similarities and differences between the two forms are retained and revealed through solo performances as well as the vibrant moments of their contours is presented in group performances. The contents of Champu ( the classical style of singing in praise of Lord Krishna and Radha in odissi style) and Rasa (the Manipuri style of singing and dancing) have been exploited to its fullness through significant dance compositions enriched with spiritual expressions of the sentiments of Radha and Krishna as also Bhajan and Kirtans.

The Gotipua (young male dancers from orissa who performed in front of the temples in earlier days and sang in praise of the Lord ) and the Pung artistes (Manipuri Mridanga which is the soul of sankirtana and is performed as an invocatory number preceding the Raslila) capture the root dances of their respective styles through their pulsating performances, not simply to the satisfaction of a mere observer. They also provide the thrill and the mood of the performers through jumps, ponderous swirls as also stylization in the pattern of playing, an acknowledge attribute of Indian Dance.

The entire performance is interlocked with the music emphasizing the flavours of the particular region. It has been spirited with the aesthetics of instrumental music, songs from Maharas, Geetgovinda, Champus and Prabandhas. Incorporation of the most stylized form – Sankirtana and the most indigenous form the Gotipua at the beginning and at the end of this dance celebration adds immense interpretative resources to the production.

Concept and Choreography - Piyali De and Suman Sarawgi

Music Composition - Sh.Maheshwar rao