It was all about life and death- the two sides of a coin. They coexist in nature! Everything in the universe follows a rhythm, which ought to be complied! Then there is love, to which even the divine concedes!
Such a thematic presentation has been tastefully enacted upon by Bharatanatyam danseuse Savitha Sastry at the Birla Auditorium, Hyderabad- a stage which seems to lend itself perfectly for solo presentations.
“Soul Cages”, began with a prologue where in the existence and mortality are depicted through nature’s beings in all its exhilaration and pulsations of the cosmic drum.
Following is the story of a child, who is put to sleep by her doting mother only to see the angel of death taking the child back to the paradise from where she was sent six years back on a journey to earth! Heaven, reigning under the God of Death is described as the place where the souls find freedom. But the little girl finds solace only in the company of her loved ones and feels caged in the beautiful heaven. On her prayers, God of Death obliges and unites the child and her mother in the paradise. Then the crux of the story comes forth which says the plans of nature ought to be confirmed to and shouldn’t be meddled with. The supremacy of divine is ultimate. The show had it all- immaculate abhinaya, combined with appropriate pure dance phrases, set to a smartly set music, punctuated with sharp voice over and a choice stage setting. A veil, mask as props, digitized images in the background fused with appropriate lighting and a striking body language by Savitha amply brought out contrasts in various characters like angels of birth, death, God, even flora and fauna. The explicit portrayal had the audience glued to their seats as one could associate with the story.
Kudos to the artist for deftly handling the act within the framework of Bharatanatyam! Looking forward to more such experimental pieces from Savitha and her team..
