Ananda Absolute!
21 June 2009

MATIC, Kuala Lumpur

By The Soo Chin

Ananda Absolute! was presented by two Malaysian Indian dance powerhouses; Suvarna Fine Arts and Subraanjali Dance Theatre.  

Ananda Absolute! was a double billed Bharata Natyam, showcasing two classical Indian dance performances by two widely acclaimed male dancers of their genre, Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and Nadarajan Muniandy.

The first performance was titled Shree Stree Shakti meaning ‘The Auspicious Woman Energy’, choreographed and performed by Ajith Bhaskaran Dass. The performance portrayed the expression of a woman in the moment of tenderness, loving, betrayal and anger. The performance was divided into four segments, each representing a different display of emotion.      

Nadarajan Muniady choreographed and starred in Hari Smaranam which meant ‘The Supreme Godhead’. Hari Smaranam was about the God that was beloved by his fellow devotees for the joy that he brought to them and their sole intention is to be entwined with Him.

Both performances were equally captivating and eye opening to me, a greenhorn in performing arts and a total stranger to classical Indian dance. It was really mesmerizing to look at the dancers moving in tune with every beat of the mridangam, veena and the singing of the vocalists. The rhythmic music and the soothing vocals by the singers complemented each other perfectly. Each beat, each hum was accompanied by the graceful movement of the dancers. There were times when a few dancers were dancing simultaneously on the stage and it was quite a task for the eyes to capture the graceful movement of all of them at once.

The songs were sung in Tamil, a totally unfamiliar language to me. It was proven that language is not a hindrance to enjoy a good dance. Each part of the dances was carried out very well and the story being presented was easily understood. The strong display of facial expression was something different, unlike other types of dance that features only a flashy smile. It felt like watching a theatrical play rather than a dance, as the vocalist belted out the story through the lyrics. Each smile, each frown, each hand gesture and each stomp of the feat is like a chain unwinding the story.

Each performance was done with a fresh breathe of energy, as controlling and graceful as the previous performances. Apart from the tantalizing performance, the showmanship and their movements were nothing less than spectacular.  

As described, one could get lost in the performance and forget about the stress and tension of the daily life. For me, it was indeed a joyful journey into dance.