From dramas, dance to even shadow puppetry, this epic by poet Valmiki has been rewritten to suit the tastes of different audiences, and remains a popular story that has transcended culture and time.
On June 17, Malaysians can look forward to a dance adaptation of Ramayana, presented by classical dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant and her student, Neha Sathanapalli.
One of India’s most eminent dancers, Ananda is known for her Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dance styles. In 2007, she was bestowed with the illustrious Padma Shri award, one of India’s top civilian honours for her contribution to dance.
Ananda is also a teacher and launched her own Bharatanatyam app, Natyarambha, in 2017 to help students and teachers with their dance practice.
Having performed the Ramayana throughout her career, Ananda said the epic had a special place in her heart as she has performed different versions of the epic.
“The Ramayana is a story of sacrifice and love. And it’s a story of how Lord Rama came in a human form and fought his way to save a princess from the perils of danger.
“It’s really a beautiful and yet simple story that teaches us how good will always triumph over evil,” she said in an online interview with FMT.
For her upcoming Malaysian performance, audiences will be presented with a new version of the dance, seen through the lens of Thyagaraja, an 18th century composer and vocalist of carnatic music who was also a devotee of Lord Rama.
Entitled ‘Thyagaraja Ramayanam’, the duo will be bringing the epic to life on June 17 in Malaysia, thanks to Kalpana Dance Theatre of Kuala Lumpur.
“What makes this upcoming dance unique is that I’ll be performing it with my student, Neha, as a duet for the first time outside of India. I’ve performed the Thyagaraja Ramayanam as a solo dancer, but never sharing the stage with my student, so I’m really excited to see how this performance will unfold.
“Selected episodes of the epic will be strung together to form the story – but it would be seen through the lens of Thyagaraja – how he viewed the Ramayana and the kind of queries and observations he had about it,” she said.
This duet, according to Ananda, will see both her and Neha take turns to play the characters of Lord Rama, princess Sita and the demon Ravana. Imbuing various facial expressions and mudras which are hand gestures, the music accompaniment would be in Telugu.
Neha, who was under the tutelage of Ananda from the age of seven, has participated in various productions such as ‘Navarasa – Expressions of Life’, and ‘Amaravathi Prashasthi’. She completed her Arangetram, which is her debut on-stage performance, in 2019.
“Neha is a great dancer. And even for her Arangetram dance pieces, I worked with her for her performance. I’ve seen her perform and she’s really a good dancer.
“And we’re both really excited about visiting Malaysia and reuniting with some old friends,” she said.
To book your tickets for ‘Thyagaraja Ramayanam’, contact Shangita Manoharan of Kalpana Dance Theatre at 017-672 5672
‘Thyagaraja Ramayanam’ will be performed on June 17 at Tan Sri KR Soma, Auditorium Wisma Tun Sambanthan, Kuala Lumpur