Colours Of Krishna: From The Mundane To The Divine

Blue is the colour of Krishna, but blue contains the colour of the ocean, which is endless and enchanting.

From the single colour of a peacock feather to a riot of colours engulfing the heart of universe – that’s the consciousness of Krishna. In her new choreographic production ‘Colours of Krishna’, Madhulita Mohapatra, the Bengaluru-based Odissi dancer, creates a panoramic narrative of Krishna on the stage of ADA Rangamandir as part of 12th Naman Festival.

Madhulita, as the curator and choreographer of this festival, presented her well-trained dancers in an extraordinary show of choreographic brilliance.

As a narrative ‘Colours of Krishna’ is traditional storyline, but the approach and attitude of the choreography is quite novel. There are many well-known episodes of Krishna’s life which are narrated through a new prism. Krishna the naughty little one, Krishna the firefighter, Krishna the most enchanting lover and Krishna the protector of all merged as ultimate divinity, conversed together and was presented as a wholesome choreographic entity.

The shades and nuances of the poetic narrative on Krishna Leela come out so brilliantly in Madhulita’s dance craft that it arrested the attention of a full-house audience for quite a long time. Her Nrityantar dancers were fabulously disciplined, perfectly synchronised and intensely involved with the poetic flow.

The highly captivating musical score for this production is designed by promising Odissi singer and composer Rupak Parida, with rhythmic inputs from veteran percussionist Guru Dhaneswar Swain.

It was a treat for the eyes and ears.

The Naman Festival 2023 added more vibrating colours by presenting another promising Odissi dancer of our time Preetisha Mohapatra as a soloist. Her entry with a complicated pure dance piece titled ‘Chandrakosh Pallavi can be described as a daring act. Preetisha’s neat footwork and grasp over the fast-moving beats were superb. Her gracious stance and dynamic movements clearly made her stand out as one of the most outstanding future faces of Odissi.

Preetisha, with her subtle precise body movements, sailed through from the pure dance number to the Abhinaya based on Tulasi Das’ ‘ShriRama Chandra kripalu bhaja mana’. She showed her shining ability of expression by presenting many episodes of Ramayana in a panoramic format. Her abhinaya was controlled, precise and emphatically pure.

The concluding dance presentation of the festival was by the renowned ‘Nrityagram’ ensemble with a three-episode production. As a hallmark of Nrityagram style, it was a delightful choreographic flow on the stage.