Set against the iconic ruins of Purana Quila the Mohiniyattam dancer staged "Paryapti" an evocative multilingual storytelling of the mythical diety last evening as part of the Ananya Dance Festival.
The Delhi-based production presented the fall of a courtesan from high status to being ostracised by society over time and then her passionate plea to Lord Shiva seeking absolution to eventually the god granting her a blessing that "from now on, no image or idol of goddess Durga would be complete if soil from a courtesan's home was not added to it."
Bengali and Malayalam invocations with Sanskrit and English thrown in marked the event.
"This would be our fourth performance after we had presented it the first time here about three years ago. But, for me it's very special as it is a fusion of so many cultures and yet it's one. And, I'm glad the audience here appreciated it," Vijayalakshmi told PTI after the performance.
"Adding Bengali with Malayalam enhances the beauty of this production in terms of the syncretic cultural unity that it portrays," Vijayalakshmi added.
Clad in white robes the dancers circled through the smoke and light.
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"I've been part of this production since beginning and even after multiple performances I feel it is fresh and reinvigorating every other time. And, it becomes more special for me as I connect myself more to Mohiniyattam than any other dance forms," said Olga Stolyarova, troupe member, originally from Russia and who now lives in India.
Olga, whose Indian friends call her 'Priya', came to India 8 years ago after learning Mohiniyattam in Russia from a Russian dancer, and has since then made India her home.
"I know Bharatnatayam and the Western Classical Ballet as well but Mohiniyattam is closer to me as it is so intense and needs far more greater concentration than other dance forms I know and that's why I enjoy it more," Olga told PTI.
"I was spellbound by the sheer beauty of the performance. And, since Olga is my friend, the joy was multiplied to see her on stage with other wonderful dancers," said Alexandra, another Mohiniyattam dancer from Russia who was present in the audience.
The dancers have been drawn mainly from the states of Kerala and West Bengal.
The five-day festival which began on October 6 ends today with a Bharatnatyam performance by Shijith Nambiar-Parvathy Menon and group from Chennai.
Ananya, in its eleventh edition this year is also the official event to celebrate 150 years of the Archaeological Survey of India.