Naturally, it’s one thing to read about a dance form and to watch it performed in really small videos on a computer screen. Bharata Natyam — one of several dance forms in India — is several thousands of years old, based on a treatise called the Natya Shastra. It is composed of three fundamental parts: nritta (rhythmic elements), nritya (rhythm and expression that convey meaning), and natya (the combination of nritta and nritya that creates drama). The overall effect is somewhat like yoga through a martial art whose defensive/offensive nature is replaced by the communicative purpose of sign language. But of course that’s a clumsy, totally inadequate analogy. In the end, nothing beats actually experiencing classical Indian dance in a live recital.

Dance Yatra

Enter the L.A.-based Shakti Dance Company and their recent performance at the Electric Lodge in Venice. Called Dance Yatra, the recital lived up magnificently to its press release description as “a vibrant journey rooted in the finest traditions of Indian music and dance, and performed by 18 extraordinary dancers from the United States, India, and Malaysia.” Extraordinary dancers, indeed. The company itself is made up of very talented young dancers whose ability to perform as a group is rock-solid. Headlining the performance is the award-winning Mythili Prakash, who embodies all the grace, precision, joy, and passion one could hope for. She is joined by the equally talented and magnetic Ajit Bhaskaran Das, a leading practitioner of Bharata Natyam and Odissi, both in his native Malaysia and internationally.

While the traditional dances were magical in their own right, bolstered by the beautiful and colorful costumes, exquisite music, and unimpeachable, professional lighting design, a few treats really anchored the recital as something outstanding. One such treat was the inclusion of a contemporary dance firmly based in the traditional forms: Mythili Prakash’s Current, a non-narrative piece evoking the flow of water to the ocean. My favorite treat, however, was the duet of Prakash and Das, in which we see Bharata Natyam and Odissi performed side by side at the same time. The significance doesn’t merely lie in seeing the differences between the two forms – another clumsy analogy would be the difference between the forceful motions of Kung Fu and the softer motions of Tai Chi – but in appreciating how tightly music and dance play off of each other. As Viji Prakash, founder of the Shakti Dance Company and the evening’s host, explains, it is traditional that when dancers of different forms dance together each has his or her own musicians. Yet in this case, the skill of musicians Debur Srivathsa (vocals), Venkatesa Vedakrishnan (percussion), and H. Narasimha Murthy (flute), is such that they did it all. In a seamless, masterful piece of music, they provided everything Prakash and Das needed for their dance and pleased the ear greatly in the process.