Āhuti 2024 Melding dance cultures together

The Chitrasena  Dance Company and  the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble from India will once again join forces to mesmerize Sri Lankan audiences with an exhilarating evening of dance named Āhuti. The show is billed as the coming together of  the sensuousness of Nrityagram’s Odissi and the masculine dynamism of Chitrasena’s  Kandyan dance to exquisite rhythms from Sri Lanka and India.

Amidst their hectic schedule former principal dancer of the Chitrasena Dance Company, Upeka Chitrasena and Heshma Wignaraja, the Artistic Director of the Chitrasena Dance Company spoke passionately about Āhuti. Heshma , as associate choreographer of the show summed it up by sayings ” We are ecstatic to finally share ‘Āhuti’ with our audiences. It is a celebration of our love of dance and each other that blurs boundaries and distance, and paves the way for eternal friendship through the melding of tradition and innovation.” 

We are immensely proud to be collaborating with the esteemed Nrityagram Dance Ensemble for a second time!

Founded in 1990 by the visionary Odissi dancer, Protima Gauri, Nrityagram is a ‘dance village,’ situated in the outskirts of Bangalore, India dedicated to the meticulous study, practice, and teaching of Indian classical dance. Surupa Sen’s training and artistic direction since 1998, has elevated the ensemble to international acclaim. I think her choreography is simply masterful. It transcends all cultural and linguistic barriers.

Our collaboration with Nrityagram is not just a partnership between two dance companies; it is a meeting of shared values, artistic innovation and excellence and a deep commitment to preserving and enhancing the rich tapestry of classical and traditional dance for future generations. It is an honour to work alongside an ensemble and institution that so perfectly embodies excellence in the classical dance tradition while also pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.

As I said before, Āhuti represents our second collaboration with Nrityagram. The initial collaboration was, “Samhara,” which premiered in 2012 and continued to tour the world until 2018. The genesis of Ahuti was also sparked by Surupa Sen, the Artistic Director and Choreographer of Nrityagram. Surupadi proposed that this time we explore the deeper connections between our dance forms, introducing us to the music of ‘Poorna Aarti,’ an evocative invocation piece rooted in Odissi rhythms. I knew this could work the minute we heard the music, as it easily lent itself to our Kandyan dance form that is primarily rooted in percussion. This music became the foundation for our new venture.

I remember, Thaji, our principal dancer and I worked alone in my living room, on creating movements to this piece of music. And then later during a visit to Sri Lanka in 2017, Surupa experienced a preliminary sketch of what I had choreographed to this music. This wasn’t initially intended as the groundwork for another production. However, I think she immediately envisioned the potential for a seamless giving and taking of Odissi movements with our choreography. So, as fate would have it, the universe conspired to show us how well our art forms could dance together, literally. And just like that, we found ourselves on the path to Āhuti. It was an organic flow of creativity and connection, proving once again that when you put heart and soul into art without an agenda or expectation, magic happens. That’s the story of how Āhuti came to be—through an unexpected spark and a shared love for pushing the boundaries of dance.

Collaboration between different dance forms or art forms, I feel is important. But how you go about it truly matters. Our partnership with Nrityagram wasn’t just an artistic endeavour; it was built on a strong foundation of friendship and mutual respect that developed over eight or so years prior to starting to work together. This deep understanding of each other’s dance forms, teaching methodologies, and performance traditions revealed a shared work ethic between our companies. Both were willing to commit to dedicating the necessary time for a collaboration of this magnitude.

“Samhara” took 9 months of working together, every month for two weeks, 12 hours a day to complete. The journey to “ Āhuti “ began in 2017 and by 2019, we were ready to tour. This process highlighted the importance of time in collaboration—not just for the sake of working together but to delve deeply into each other’s artistic expressions. Kandyan dance technique is inherently percussive focusing on the joy and sensibility of movement rather than storytelling through gestures like the Odissi form. This collaboration offered the Kandyan dancers a novel experience of engaging with the emotional depth and storytelling potential of movement.

 “ Āhuti,” meaning ‘Invoking’ in Sanskrit and ‘Offering’ in Pali, I feel reflects the shared heritage of these dance forms as offerings to the divine. I believe it celebrates their origins and evolutions from ritual to stage.

Teaming up with Nrityagram has truly been a game-changer. There’s something special about working with Surupadi – it’s like embarking on an adventure that stretches your creativity and pushes you to explore beyond the usual boundaries. Surupadi has this way of opening new avenues in the approach to choreography, encouraging me to always challenge the norms to unlock the full potential of our dance forms. It’s been an incredible journey of mutual respect and artistic exploration.

Then there’s the magic of working with Odissi music – it’s been nothing short of divine. Having the luxury of live music, even during rehearsals, adds an indescribable depth and authenticity to the entire process. This collaboration isn’t just about coming up with interesting movements or putting on a great show; it’s a deep dive into our shared passions, a meeting of our philosophies, and, honestly, just a lot of love for what we do and for each other. I feel it’s about creating something that’s larger, not only beautiful to watch but resonates on a deeper level, celebrating our rich, distinct dance legacies in a way that feels both exhilarating and profoundly fulfilling.

Practice is an ongoing journey for us! Since we resumed touring with  Āhuti  post-Covid in 2022, rehearsals have been a constant part of our routine. The production has been on the road annually to the US and India. Once the choreography is locked in, our routine kicks into high gear about two weeks before any tour. We meet up at Nrityagram, dedicating 12 hours each day to perfecting every detail and refining our connections with each other in space.