Global Fusion- India - 'Into the Light' | Thomas Dixon Centre & BEMAC
Seated under the spotlight on the stage in the dark, cavernous womb of the Talbot Theatre at the Thomas Dixon Centre, singer-songwriter and creative producer Menaka Thomas whisks us away on a soothing sonic trip to the temple town of Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
“Madhura madhura meenakshi
Madhurapuri nilaye amba
Amba jagadamba,” she sings in her dulcet voice, invoking the warrior-goddess, Meenakshi Amman to cast her benevolent gaze upon us. The image of a flame on a singular diya (oil lamp) displayed on the screen above transfixes our minds to concentrate on what is visually and aurally unfolding before us.
The name Meenakshi is a combination of Sanskrit words ‘meen’ meaning fish and ‘aakshi’ meaning eyes. Fish-shaped eyes is an epithet for what is, apparently, considered classically beautiful by ancient Indian standards.
Even though Menaka’s treatment of the song is different from how I first encountered it at a Bharatanatyam dance production in Singapore years ago, I am immediately comforted by it. It is simultaneously familiar and foreign. Very much like how I feel about being Indian in Brisbane. The spectrum of Indian-ness in all the varied ways it shows itself here seems wider, more diverse, but also not necessarily deeper for me. These are difficult sentiments to articulate and navigate. As a first generation immigrant from the Tamil and Indian diaspora, who still feels somewhat displaced, I clearly have my self-exploratory work cut out for me in Meanjin.
“I pay homage to the light,” says Menaka, gently reinforcing the intention of the performance to honour Diwali, the Festival of Light through an amalgamation of select Indian elements and Western influences. The mellifluous sounds of the Bansuri (bamboo flute) played dexterously by Darshil Shah juxtaposed against the lean silhouettes of professional Ballet dancers, Sarah Thompson and Jayden Grogan signal to us that more forces of global fusion are waiting to be unleashed. From the wings onto the stage, and into the light.
There is no dithering about as Dheeraj Shrestha executes his nimble finger work on the tabla. It takes us no more than a mere minute or two to realise that he is challenging fellow percussionist, Tsoof Baras, trained in another musical style, to a duel. A duel which is, in actuality, a friendly duet referred to as a jugalbandi in Indian performing traditions. This instrumental banter which played itself out in rhythmic stops, starts, and unison worked like a charm. In quantum physics, light is known to have a dual personality. It is both a wave and a particle. In that sense, the playful and intriguing nature of light was deftly captured and illuminated in this percussive interlude.
The diversity in dance styles offered and explored was a lovely treat. However, I do look forward to experiencing more dynamism and synergy in future iterations. As lively as the Garba dancers from the Nisshan dance troupe attempted to be, the expansiveness of the stage did not do them justice. The essence of this community-led folk dance from Gujarat would have done better with more dancers to fill the physical space and set more vibrant choreographic formations in the form of high-energy sweeping and spinning movements. Weaving in a few lines to briefly mention the historical context of this Garba-inspired fusion piece would have added more depth to its presentation.
Dancers Zain Chams and Nesha Bz emoted beautifully to their lyrical interpretation of grief and loss in ‘Shiddat’.
In ‘Baawariya’ and ‘Milan’, in the midst of stylised balletic moves such as leaping, extending, and twirling with levity, it was evident that the incorporation of flexed feet, deliberate articulation of fingers to depict hand gestures, and deeper squats to evoke a sense of staying grounded, albeit fleetingly, was a nod to movement vocabularies employed by classical Indian dance forms. A novel marriage of Indian and Western aesthetics by Global Fusion curator and choreographer, Rani Luther indeed.
In the latter half of the performance, ‘On the Horizon’ an anthem of hope bears testimony to the calming confluence of instrumental and vocal talents of pianist Meg Burstow, percussionist Tsoof Baras, and Carnatic-trained singer Menaka Thomas respectively. Menaka’s measured and intimate style of telling a story especially stands out at this juncture. Coupled with deliberate gesticulating of her hands, she draws out the feeling of vulnerability in a time of extreme darkness.
“Is there a sun on the horizon to guide me home?” she asks poignantly. A question that strikes a chord with me considering the inescapable sense of rootlessness I still feel on a daily basis, reacquainting myself with an evolving version of my selfhood on Turrbal and Jagera land.
Into the Light was a subdued but meaningfully curated cultural showcase which shone a light on certain aspects of Indian culture. For all the blinding richness and robustness of Indian culture, I wish that future versions of these collaborative artistic efforts will truly bring out the effervescent spirit of Indian dance forms, have a balance of North Indian and South Indian elements, and include more stories rooted in a multiplicity of mythologies (folkloric, tribal, Vedic) and histories. For all that I enjoyed the foray into my Indian culture, I felt that a closer attention to sharing the stories about the art would have benefited those in the audience without Indian cultural knowledge.
‘Into the light’ presented by the Thomas Dixon Centre in collaboration with Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre (BEMAC) . Coverage image supplied.
