A dense forest, a sunlit palace, and 3 intrepid soldiers… by Sameeksha Subedar

The exquisite land of Manipur - laced with mountains, dense forests, and gushing waterfalls. The story of a princess who grows up in her grand palace amidst this magical world. A fierce hunt led by the brave princess. Spring bringing in hues of red, yellow, and green. A poignant cry out to God. A battle, a conquest, love, illusion.

Chitrangada will take you through all this and more. Creating this imagery on stage under the arc lights constituted the extremely intensive, albeit very creative task that lay in front of my team – the Stage Décor team for Chitrangada comprising Archna, Bikas and me.

Here's the latest update - my house looks like a studio (or weird version of what could have been a studio) - huge cans of paint, canvas, brushes; a conglomeration of props - all claim territorial rights on my living space. Am now very used to funny, unsure glances from my poor unsuspecting neighbors as they see me carry huge random things in. Here's how I define a weekend -- 3 groggy-eyed souls, sketching, painting, brainstorming, fighting, and looking like seasoned laborers for hours on end.

The behind-the-scenes perspective is a very interesting one too, what with the quest for the desired "look" propelling us to scavenge theatre repositories around the town, making  art shops recognize our faces, risking one’s manager’s ire (yes that too!) and just making sure that the last prop is not forgotten.

Actually, let me share some insider secret, the scenes for Manipuri dances and spring colors are the best ones. Why, you ask? Let’s see…. maybe because I’m dancing in them…. ahem, well maybe .. just a possibility…. Anyway we have the stakes open and you are free to vote on your favorite one. So have you taken the best seats yet??

Join us in this artistic journey and we hope you’ll be transported into Chitrangada's world as she takes you along in the story of her life. At the end of the day, a quality experience for you will bring a smile on the faces of 3 groggy-eyed soldiers!!

Sameeksha

Rediscovering Dance by Prachi Vora

Kathak transports me to a place where I feel free to learn, push my limits, and grow. It is a privilege to wear ghunghroos again and to be a part of a group that is committed to dance. Seeing the other dancers immersed into their dances during the “end-to-end” practices is a wonderful experience! I am reminded of how much I miss going to Kathak classes, trying to mirror my guruji’s graceful abhinay, contributing to the rhythmic buzz in the dance studio through strong footwork and timely recitation, and comparing notes with fellow students about taal, tatkar, and chakkars. I learned Bharatnatyam as a child and took up Kathak in my mid-20s. I studied under Gretchen Hayden in Cambridge, MA for three years and was captivated by Pandit Chitresh Das’s style of storytelling. Eager to get back to the dance, I tried a few options in the Seattle area over the last two years. For some reason or another, I didn’t find my Kathak home in WA. Consequently, I started practicing on my own—here-and -there, now-and-then.

When Mou approached me about the prospect of doing Kathak in Chitrangada, I initially feared that my hectic travel and work schedules would prevent me from fully committing to the team. I am very pleased that I was able to overcome my hesitation! My co-dancers—Sapna, Maitreyee, Roopali, and Ritu—amazingly blend together their busy personal and professional lives with a passion for dance. Sapna’s beautiful choreography and gentle leadership has enabled me to recall why I fell in love with the essence of Kathak in the first place. I look forward to my practices with my co-dancers and to helping each other put on a successful piece for the show.

It’s an honor to be a part of Chitrangada and to share the stage with some truly incredible women and men who give more than their hearts to showcase their enthusiasm for the arts and to promote cultural awareness to the greater community. Thank you, Pratidhwani, for giving me the opportunity to rediscover and rejoice in dance.

Prachi

Moving out of our Comfort Zone by Nitya Gupta

I first heard of “Chitrangada” in Dec last year in my living room, when Mou (show director) brought the idea of doing a classically inspired show. Not just any classical story, but one of Rabindranath Tagore’s most famous tales. I instantly loved the idea, but……Will it really work? Having put out successful Bollywood style productions in the last 2 years, I thought Pratidhwani had found its “niche”. It’s easy to make people laugh, but to portray one of Tagore’s strongest plays in a dance ballet is HUGE!! Were we up for the challenge, I wondered? And so we set sail on this unknown voyage....a few brave souls...

However...as the days passed, more talent started pooling in, the choreography became more breath-taking, the set design became more intricate, and the production became bigger and grander. And now when the show is at our door step, I just sit back amazed…..I am proud of the awesome Pratidhwani team for undertaking this unique project. With this production, we are not only taking Pratidhwani to new heights, but are providing a platform for many talented artists to perform in one of the biggest dance productions ever to be staged in this area.

As if the production wasn’t challenging enough, I also have the opportunity to perform one of the toughest forms of Indian Martial Arts, Kalaripattu from Kerela (NO, being married to a Malayali has nothing to do with this :P), choreographed by Sunil Sharma. Additionally, I have the challenge of depicting the emotions, antics and strength inherent in Kamdev (God of Love) exclusively through classically inspired dances which is interesting for someone like me who is not classically trained.

To sum it all up folks, please don’t spend most of Aug 22 listening to your friends talk about the fabulous show you missed the previous night. Find a babysitter, finish your laundry, tell your boss that you are not working that weekend and take your better half to experience the grandest ballet production this side of town.

Nitya

It's 1 am on a Monday and I wonder..... by Bonny Ghosal

It's 1 am on a Monday and Tanvee (Shurupa) and Ria (Arjun) just left my home after a 4 hr choreography/rehearsal session. Are we crazy, you ask?! Nope. It is just an example of how passionate the crew is about Pratidhwani’s upcoming production – CHITRANGADA!

I have danced/choreographed for Chitrangada at least 4 times before – playing one of Chitra’s friends, Chitrangada twice, and even Arjun once! Each time the enthusiasm has jumped up one notch. It is a refreshing change to be working on a Tagore dance drama once again - after years - in Seattle!

Chitrangada, one of the most powerful of all Tagore heroines, has always captivated men and women equally. Arjun, the epitome of manhood in Hindu mythology, bowed to this complete woman called Chitrangada. There is a magical magnetism in the story that pulls a different string in one’s heart every time one reads, listens to, or sees it enacted. One is excited and anxious to find out what chords will be plucked on each time. Will one sense the power of love that forces a Yogi to forget his vows and a ruler to forget her true self? Or will one question the guilt of a lover who has won his/her love by deceit? In what fear would a father nurture a daughter like a son? Or, should nurturing a daughter differ from nurturing a son at all? Why? So many questions and so much depth lies in this play yet to be explored and discovered by me. Like I said, my fifth brush with Chitrangada and I am still awake at 1am....wondering, exploring, trying to answer questions.

What about you?

Bonny

Where's the Bhangra in Chitrangada? by Ruchi Saran

When I auditioned for Pratidhwani in March, I expected to be dancing high-energy Bollywood style with some Bhangra thrown in - think 'Mauja hi Mauja', 'Gym Shim Kar Le Ve', 'Twist' etc. So when I was called to do a Manipuri-inspired dance for the Indian traditional dance ballet, Chitrangada, I was a little sceptical. Would I enjoy it? More importantly, would I be able to do it.

I grew up a clumsy tomboy, shying away from graceful dancing because I thought I looked silly. I would constantly say no to Bharatnatyam and Kathak dance lessons and wished my parents could instead find me a Bhangra class. Even now, I gravitate towards hip-hop, salsa, belly dancing and always Bhangra (ok, I think you get the drift :P). But wait, I digress!

So to return to Chitrangada - in the first practise, when faced with the Manipuri-based steps, in which the focus is on grace, flow and elegance, I wondered if the organizers had remembered my audition right! I panicked when I saw the intricate hand movements that had to flow along with (what I measured scientifically to be) a gazillion turns. The one thing I absolutely knew was that I couldn't muster any natural elegance in my step, any natural grace in my facial expressions, any natural flow in my moves. But there was a small voice inside me, from a place deep deep within, that said to me quietly and insistently, that I might, just might, be able to fake it. And so, I fought on!

I was also roped in for a sequence using Indian martial arts. Hey, I thought to myself, I work out (now and then), I'm fit (kinda), I can stretch (a little), this will at least be easier than that classical stuff I'm doing. Um, yeah, no, it wasn't (sigh!). You'll see for yourself how hard the steps we're doing are. We had to practise long and hard, do yoga to get flexible, work at syncing with the music and each other, and there were quite a few bruised knees and many sore muscles along the way. And yeah, self discovery happened along the way -- I found out that I'm a total klutz! It turns out that I cannot differentiate my left limbs from my right while learning a step. It's painful and embarrassing to watch me learn new moves, much less be the one teaching them to me. (I know this because of the alternately pitying and murderous looks my choreographers and dance partners gave me).

So how did it all turn out in the end? This is probably not a major spoiler for readers, but there is a happy ending :) The two sequences I'm in, though completely different, are (in my completely biased opinion) the best in the show. The choreographers have done an amazing job and the rock stars I am dancing with are killing it! You'll see :) I mean, you've bought your tickets, haven't you?

Ruchi

Lending Life to Shurupa– by Tanvee Kale

I hadn’t really understood how daunting a task it would be to play the role of Shurupa. When Mou (our all-in-one, one-woman-show behind Chitrangada ) told me that I would be playing Shurupa, I was happy that I have been entrusted with one of the main characters, but never did the thought cross my mind, that playing this role would take so much off me. Shurupa is the essence of a true नारी - a womanly woman possessing all traits of the feminine charm. She is beautiful, she is playful, she is charming, she is attractive, she can make any man swoon for her. She is delicate, she is adorned with graces that are unparalleled. And she is completely aware of these qualities. At the same time, she hides inside that female body, the strength, wit, valor and bravery of a man. And this hidden personality conflicts constantly with the exposed beauty. And that conflict is what I am supposed to bring out through dance and expressions.

So, you see people, the herculean task that is lying in front of me? I am giving it my best, I am working hard to make this character of Shurupa as real and as close to what Tagore envisioned as is Tanvee-ly possible, but I am still going to require all the blessings that you can give me. Wish me luck guys, for this is something that I have never attempted before.

Tanvee