Romances and battles of gods

By BERNADETTE RAE

The Hindu god Lord Shiva, appearing as Nataraj the cosmic dancer, whirls through the golden hall of Chidambaran as Neelakantha, the blue-throated one, rids the churning oceans of their deadly poison by drinking.

Lord Krishna cavorts joyously with the pretty cow herds, in an expression of divine ecstasy.

The goddess Kamakshi of Kanchi, with eyes like lotus petals, a moon-like face, beautiful teeth and sweet smile, destroys evil and grants ultimate happiness to those who meditate upon her.

Vivek Kinra's new South Indian dance work Chakra fills the Maidment Theatre this weekend with exotic stories of these deities and more, following their romances and battles to illustrate fine points of Indian thought: the dispersal of the darkness of ignorance, the philosophy of righteous living.

"Chakra is an exploration of life through dance," says Kinra.

He and his Mudra Dance Company are expert exponents of Bharata-Natyam, one of the oldest forms of Indian dance, that originated thousands of years ago in the temples and courts of the south-west.

It was originally performed by young women whose lives were dedicated to serve the deities through their art, in a gorgeous combination of rhythmic movement and music, exquisite hand positions (or mudra) and a vast array of highly evocative facial expressions.

But as social mores evolved, this Devadasi tradition fell into disrepute.

It took one brave young woman, Rukmini Devi, in the early 20th century, to revive Bharata-Natyam, and today the school she founded in Chennai, the Kalakshetra, is a proud monument to the dance.

Kinra studied at the Kalakshetra for five years, arriving as a 16-year-old already marked for greatness in dance. "From day one it is in dancing that I have found my greatest happiness," he says.

His mother tells him he danced before he could walk and many of the movements he spontaneously performed were recognisable dance steps. When he was 6 his family moved to a suburb of Kanpur, where their new neighbours were from the foothills of the Himalayas. They danced in the Pahari folk style and the young Vivek joined them with glee.

Throughout school he always performed at the end-of-year celebrations, presenting his first choreographies, a mixture of Pahari steps and his own creations, often reflecting the popular dance styles he had seen in movies.

His studies at the Kalakshetra included intensive music classes - understanding the music is paramount to the Bharata-Natyam performance - Tamil and Sanskrit lessons, cultural appreciation and English. Kinra also studied Shakespeare.

He was awarded a Government of India scholarship for his advanced studies at the school, and took the lead roles in many of the institution's dance dramas, both in India and abroad.

In 1990 Kinra brought this wealth of talent and experience to New Zealand, settling in Wellington and establishing the New Zealand Academy of Bharata Natyam in 1992.

Today, graduates of the school perform as the Mudra Dance Company in Kinra's annual productions that blend tradition with his own, innovative concepts.

The cast for Chakra includes Jayshrika, Raveena and Sarika, dancers who have studied with Kinra for 14, 13 and 12 years respectively.

Look for them in the kaleidoscope of vibrant sari colours, sparkling jewellery, and fantastic footwork, passion and panache that is Chakra.

Performance

* What: Chakra: An Exploration Through Dance

* Where and when: Maidment Theatre, tonight and Saturday 8pm