Nrityageet 21: coming of age
Art On Sunday
Nrityageet, in its twenty-first year of unbroken annual performances, has without doubt, come of age. This was clear in Nrityageet 21, performed May 5-7, 2000 at the Cultural Centre, which confirmed its stature as a mature, major dance production. It would have been a fitting tribute to praise the show for its perseverance, for its survival over 21 years and for its present consistency, which are by themselves significant achievements. But that would not be sufficiently fair since Number 21 also had considerable artistic merit in concept, choreography, costuming and set, supported by high proficiency in lighting, sound and stage management. Nrityageet has improved in all respects from its earlier years which included some fairly indifferent productions. 'Nrityageet' is glossed as meaning 'music and dance' performed to celebrate the arrival of East Indian immigrants to Guyana with an understanding of the cultural expressions they brought with them and those that developed in Guyana (on the estates and in the villages). Music and dance are extremely important to those traditions. The series was founded by the Shah family led by the sisters who formed the Nadira and Indranie Shah Dance Group and over the years it has been managed by Bhanmattie Shah, Seeta Shah Mohamed, Nadira Shah Ullyet, Indranie Shah Lennartson and Suzanne Mohamed. Their original interest was in Indian classical and folk dance, extended to include traditional forms from Guyanese estate life, but the range of choreographies now includes modern dance and a blend of forms representative of Guyana and the Caribbean. This branching out into other forms is consistent with a celebration of Indian Immigration because the arrivants and their descendants were able to sustain pure forms as well as develop traditional (local) ones derived from the Indian originals. In addition, there was creolization which helped the evolution of yet others. In contemporary society, there are recognizable contributions to art made by Indian culture, providing inspiration as well as giving identity to regional cross-cultural strains. Nrityageet seems to wish to reflect the culture of contemporary society. In this respect its attitude is more progressive than that of earlier groups such as the British Guiana Dramatic Society of the 1940s which looked to the sub-continent for pure material, while ignoring the emerging culture of local estates and villages. Nrityageet's interest in research and the study of forms has been evident. They have explored varieties of modern dance, local traditions and Indian forms although in a recent public statement about the last, Nadira Shah and Seeta Mohamed tended to be a bit too apologetic and defensive. An interest in Indian dance and its roots is totally valid because the Guyanese nation is enriched by its multi-ethnic cultural differences, not by any superficial notion of watering them down to make them one. Research into the roots has strengthened Nrityageet, helping it to make better statements than other groups in Guyana whose endeavour is still too dominated by superficial filmi imitations. The theme of "a global village of dance", however, is what Nrityageet 21 reflected. This was very obvious in Universal Expressions (chor. by Seeta Mohamed, Lennartson, Ullyet). It was visually captivating with an emphasis on spectacle and details of set, using silhouettes against the colours on the cyclorama. The male dancer was jarringly wooden; the movements between him and others lacked ease and fluency while there was much more competence among the women even though in some cases individual proficiency and the control of technique were shaky. Nevertheless, the dance achieved a successful blend of colour, costuming, grouping and images to create moods. It was obviously a medley of different cultures including the Latin and the Indian with its distinctive kathak, its imagery, its preference for elaborate costuming and for the spectacular. This choreography very adequately put over the show's statement about dance as a universal language, demonstrating its wide interest in modern and creative. But its achievement is not fusion; that is an infinitely more elusive attainment. What it shows is more about multi-culturality than about mixtures and syncretism that need to exist before cross-culturality or inter-culturality can evolve. These statements tend to be more subtly and effectively made without a desire to be politically correct as could be seen in the successful case of Taal (Ullyet and Clive Prowell). This also managed a good blend of sound, light, and set, making effective use of available technology and of images on the cyclorama. These projections, however, sometimes clashed distractingly. It was an intoxicating dance, particularly because of the music and sound quality, but also because of an attention to craft which included the uses of very intricate costuming that did not merely contribute to spectacle but to symbolism and meaning. It resulted in a silent but rich blend of cultural influences which worked inobtrusively. These were particular strengths of this dance, but they were also characteristic of the whole show. There was over-use of the ubiquitous fog issuing from the machine and a sameness of endings to many dances that culminated with the same posed tableaux, but transitions were exceptionally well handled. Stage management was smooth and the show slick, disciplined and well paced. Another example of overstatement with political correctness versus art was to be found in the expressions of patriotism in the context of a topical issue: the Venezuela border claim. Belongs to We (Ullyet) treated this theme but it was not a successful choreography. For effect, it was heralded by a video and the recitation of a poem about the Mazaruni which was badly read because the reader did not sound as if he understood the lineation. Danced to the Tradewinds' Not A Blade of Grass, the item was dominated by the linear words of the song rather than by creative choreography. It was a military piece, dull in costume and overall effect, a perhaps necessary expression of nationalism but tame, ineffective art. Much better on the same theme, was Exodus (Vivienne Daniel) although it was only a video, not a live performance. Here was a much more inspired, eloquent, easy flowing dance in which the soloist, Suzanne Mohamed, exhibited an unpretentious, confident command of technique. Nrityageet 21, on the whole, had good soloists in Miss Mohamed, Abigail Allen and Nadira Shah Ullyet. Miss Allen in Nana (Allen and Prowell) provided the programme with one of its effective mood changes in a solo whose imagery suggested solace or even lonesomeness. It was not among the profound, but quite well performed by a dancer with talent and technique. But Mrs Ullyet stood out as a soloist in this production. Her excellence was evident in such appearances as Sacred Thread, Taal and De W in which her virtuosity was unmistakable.
As a composition, De W (Andre Sobryan) achieved a good demonstration of technique, grace, movement and proficiency in a moving tribute to the late Lynette Dolphin. It had a control of moods, at times plaintive and expressive with power in the grouping. But there were also cases of some faltering in lead parts as in Nimuraleyah (Bibi Mohamed). This one was popular filmi rhythm and chorus but despite its simplicity, the leads were not up to it. Material Girl (Abigail Allen) was another light, playful piece. Although bright in mood and atmosphere, there was insufficient insistence on the perfection of technique by "The Young Troup" [sic] who danced it. Too often in this country there seems to be an attitude to go easy on young beginners perhaps feeling that they are too young to be bothered by technical complexities. But in other countries much more is achieved in dance because the learning of technique is emphasized at a very early age. What was evident in items across the board, is that Nrityageet 21 got the best out of the ailing Cultural Centre plant in terms of technology, lighting and sound as was demonstrated in Ayoree (Bhanmattie Shah). This exhibited a lively explosion of life and vigour, very high energy levels despite the weak male, and mixed levels of technical competence among the women. Nrityageet is a major achievement and a tradition for which the determined producers deserve acclaim. The Nadira and Indranie Shah Dance Troupe and the annual show are kept going despite the fact that both Nadira and Indranie live and have careers abroad. It appears that this has been used as a reason for denying them infrastructural support, but, on the contrary, it is a recognized strength of the group that sacrifices are made to ensure continuity. The Shah sisters have publicly acknowledged the support they receive from the Ministry of Culture and that is encouraging. It was largely for her substantive and consistent contribution to dance in Guyana despite residence in Barbados that the Stabroek Arts on Sunday named Nadira Ullyet as the Artist of 1998. The Arts on Sunday now gives similar recognition to Nrityageet itself for its growth and achievement in an unbroken annual run of dance productions which must have inspired the formation of other groups who now mount an annual full dance production.
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