Yesterday a friend from my dance group sent us a Youtube video of a popular show [India’s got talent, similar to America’s Got Talent] and with a jobless afternoon brewing, I went ahead and clicked. With just the visuals, I sat and watched in complete enthrallment for the 3 minutes it took for this group to present Hinduism’s most enacted, most read and discussed fundamental concept, in a unique contemporary way!
The ten Avatars have been visualized and shown in various art forms. Dance of course is vibrant and immediately attractive: a tenacity that draws in the audience, something only few other artforms offer. As far as I know, almost ALL of the eight classical dance forms of India [Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Kathak, Manipuri and the recent addition Sattriya], have a traditional well established dance piece that is based on the 10 forms of the Lord.
Apart from the triumph of good over evil that is displayed in each form, when the Lord comes to rescue the world and its citizens, the Dasavatarams also show evolution of the species as Darwin proposed.
This video however focused on the artistic ability to portray the same story that’s been told symbolically, with gestures, expression, drama and story-telling so far. It was contemporary in the way it was portrayed, the costumes (or lack thereof) the music, the visualization and enactment lifted these 3 minutes and separated them from all else done before!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_j95GzNWBs]
The co-ordination, the fluid movements and the quick changes, and the final execution of the act, as much as it comes with years of practice and just being part of a troupe, this group shows an individual dedication in excellent cohesion.
Saw a couple of their other performances also on Youtube, and truly, they not only are worthy of a well deserved applause and win, but more exposure and success!
Enjoy, and if you are seeing it for the first time like me, I hope you are blown away too!
Okay, so 1- India’s Got Talent:
I appreciate the endeavor to have such a thing, but I have a problem with the fact that in its conceptualization and in its realization, it is way too close to the original Britain’s Got Talent. I wish they had made it more local, more Indian and less of a copy and paste from the British version. I mean, even the sets etc. look exactly the same.
2- The Dance Group:
From my own experience as a dancer and as a dance trainer, I must say that what this group does is very interesting. I’ve seen the other choreography they’ve put up for the previous show too.
I really, really like the way they use their bodies, or to put it differently, the way they “sculpt” their bodies.
What I am more interested in however, is what happens in the background. I think their background choreography is what makes the dance powerful. Actually, I think I would prefer it if there was nothing at all happening in the foreground.
Regd 1: it’s the same production is my understanding, like same rights, and under one parent company, just done at different countries, so they keep it all the same. Like the millionaire show…
2: You a dancer?! Awesome! Things are seen differently once you have the inside knowledge eh? That’s my first impression too, the movements, the slightest of shifting of muscles, and the ease at which it was done. More times you watch it, the more you discover.
loved it.. the last time I sat open mouthed was when the world discovered Susan Boyle..
Oh yes! I remember watching her quite late, and that lady was something!
This show can produce some fine stuff occasionally.
quite a critique there.
i have just one thng to say.
i love it
Am glad you do severny 🙂
I watch America’s Got Talent, but I’ve never seen anything like this with the dancers. This video ~ they moved like liquid silver, as if they were water. Amazing!
Liquid silver is a perfect description!
quite brilliantly done. I watched it twice, to get a good hang of it 🙂 Did you notice how they had the name of each avatar in the background. It is indeed a very well choreographed effort.
Yep, I did see that. Unfortunately, without those, I can guarantee half of them wouldn’t know what they are watching 🙂
absolutely awesome. I have to share this with my girl who will be enacting a part of the dasavatharam during her dance program in January.
Yeah, helps having different ways of looking at the same!
Oh, I saw them winning the championship(??). I thought it was just awesome. We watched it over and over again :-). I have no knowledge of dance and the dancer who accepted the award was very humble and thanked the person who paid for their train travel and other expenses! The version I saw I think, ends with the Gitopadesham.