New works by Rhythmosaic-Sengupta Dance March 24, 2014
A slight stooping figure dressed in grey appears on the stage, while a few assemble around a tree, the tree of aspiration and
stretch out their hands toward the top of the tree. The background music is quite monotonous. Besides the monotony of the
music, the figure also repeats his movements again and again. It is perhaps to project the inner emotions of the character,
Barbareek. The piece named Barbareek - The Indestructible explores the precise state of human consciousness. According to the
myth, Barbareek was the son of Ghatotkacha. He was beheaded but his head was placed on top of the mountain in order to
witness all the sequences of the Kurukshetra war. Ronnie Shambik Ghosh plays the character of Barbareek and he is quite
convincing.
Barbareek
Aravan with his mother Ulupi
From Barbareek, the choreographers move to depicting the character of Arjuna, who is known to his readers for his valour. But
as a human being, this character also has its darker sides like selfishness, treachery, which we tend to forget. His relationship to
Ulupi, the Naga princess from Manipur, establishes the pain and agony in any such relationship, where the female gender is
dumped by the man after he achieves his fulfillment in life. According to a version of the epic, Arjuna met Ulupi during his years
of Vanaprastha (banishment) and enjoyed a night of conjugal bliss and then Arjuna went his way, rejecting any commitment to
Ulupi. In the process, Ulupi’s self esteem and dignity were shattered. As most men would do, this mythological character Arjuna
also cited Hindu philosophy as example to get rid of Ulupi. Ulupi symbolized one-sided unconditional commitment and the
disappointment of unfulfilled hopes and aspirations. Aravan, the son born out of their wedlock, grew up without any
relationship with his father (Arjuna) and was doomed to being ‘the desolate son.’ Destiny demanded the sacrifice of one from
Arjuna’s bloodline, in order to ensure that his bravery triumphed at Kurukshetra. Aravan sacrificed his life. Mitul Sengupta as
Ulupi and Yorma Loringett as Arjuna are befitting. One could notice the magical shift of the dancer Mitul from the unfettered
ebullience of pure dance to expressional dance pattern. Prasanna Saikia as Aravan, the metaphor also needs special mention.
The costumes designed by Swarup Dutta, Debby Nath Germanotta and Manju Agarwal made the production more effective.
Music was scored by Dishari Chakraborty, Bernard Dsouza, Munnu Shaw and Biswajit Pal. This Indo-French presentation of
Rhythmosaic-Sengupta Dance Company (India) and Offjazz Dance Company (France) titled ‘Buddha - The Why Within’ was
staged on March 2, 2014 at G.D. Birla Sabhaghar, Kolkata. The choreographers were Gianin Loringett, Martine Kaisserlian,
Ronnie Shambik Ghosh and Dr. Mitul Sengupta. Though the production is certainly striking, it would be nice if the
choreographers clear the doubt about their production being named after Buddha, while all prophets across time had the same
philosophical visions.