Dance, art, and animation blended seamlessly together to weave a story of everlasting friendship in the time of environmental degradation, in When Walls Dance, a solo performance by Bharatanatyam danseuse Prachi Saathi in the city on Saturday.
Highlighting the bond between nature and man through the story of tribal girl Champa, and a tree that she was named after, When Walls Dance is a fitting showcase of different arts on one stage.
It uses classical Bharatanatyam dance, animation and the ethnic art of Warli, Maharashtra, to convey its story.
The production premiered in 2023, and was brought to Tiruchi by the women’s forum The Aura as part of its ‘India Art Festival’ section.
Ms. Saathi portrayed the various moods, festivals, and seasons of the village where Champa lives through Bharatanatyam.
The Alarippu showed the dawn of day, and the activities of the community; followed by the birth of Champa; the alphabet song; the marriage song when her sister gets married; the bird song; the Bohada mask festival; the rain song and the concluding ‘Tillana’, where things take a tragic turn.
Ms. Saathi’s expressive presentation showed both the playfulness of childhood, and the sorrow of parting while keeping up a steady momentum of scene changes.
Perhaps the most impressive of the sections were the ‘Bohada’ dances, where the dancer became almost one with the masks she donned, of a goddess, lion and monkey, to essay their roles realistically.
With the help of electronic screens, When Walls Dance used animated Warli art (by Upasana Nattoji Roy) to reiterate and amplify the effect of the story.
The musical score was brought to life by singers Swapnil Chapekar, Ketaki Joshi, and traditional Warli artists from Jawhar, Maharashtra.
