Choreography blends yoga, dance

New Delhi: Bangalore-based contemporary dance group, Nritarutya, is set to bring an unconventional dance production blending classical dance forms, martial arts and yoga here. `Prayog 4` uses technology, classical dance, movement, martial arts, poetry and storytelling to weave a choreography that dips into Indian philosophies and their relevance to present times. The production is scheduled to be presented at April 4. "Our journeys are inspired by our Indian roots and cultural heritage - myths, folklore, literature and painting, among others," says Mayuri Upadhya, artistic director, Nirtarutya. Mayuri points out that training in different movement disciplines ? classical dance, martial arts, yoga and folk dance "nourishes our artha and gives it its unique rasa." Through its format of short, powerful pieces, the choreography offers dancers a forum for experimentation, pushing the boundaries of their bodies as dancers and of the art as a discipline. `Matsyaangnaa`, `Trishanku` and `Chakra` are the three dance presentations set to be featured. While the first two productions incorporate bharatanatyam movements in their execution, the last `Chakra` incorporates bharatanatyam, kathak and folk movements. Over 50 accomplished artistes - musicians, designers, dancers, visual artists, singers, and actors are participating in the production with the dancers having trained for over a year in bharatanatyam, abhinaya, carnatic rhythm, kutthuvarise (a martial art form from Tamilnadu), yoga and body conditioning. For `Matsyaangnaa` choreographer Madhuri Upadhya, says she chose mystical mermaids to depict the indulgence of six enemies which prevent a human from attaining Moksha. Featuring four women performers, this piece has music by Praveen D Rao and costumes by James Pereira. The concept is from the Vedic philosophy of `Arishadvarga` - the six emotions of desire and passion - kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (attachment), mada or ahankara (pride) and matsarya (jealousy) and her interpretation of life. The highlight of Matsyaangnaa will be the usage of a rigid prop to bring out fluidity of movements (a quality contrasting to the prop). "The idea of everything around us being an illusion has been a line of thought for most of my choreographies. Where does reality end and fantasy begin, what is the thin line dissolving the two? I don`t know," says Madhuri.