Traditional
Sizhu ensemble music, which featured the fine operatic voice of Cheng Hong Yu
accompanied by Tony Wheeler on the ruan (Chinese string instrument), by
itself was a treat for an audience rarely exposed to this kind of music. Tony
also improvised in an Indian raga to the complex drumming of the talented Bala
Sankar on the mridangam (South Indian drum).
Dancers
Vimala Sarma and Shoko Nagafuchi, Vimala’s Japanese student, performed a
repertoire of classical Kuchipudi dances, again not usually seen. Vimala Sarma
performed a traditional piece showcasing all the elements of the style –
fast-paced pure dance sequences, a Sanskrit verse and expressive hand-gestures
to the song ‘The goddess with lotus-petal eyes’ as well as a mimed narrative
sequence, while Shoko, displaying her training both in ballet as well as
classical Indian dance, performed a slow, exquisite piece showing the poses of
Shiva in the costume of a Brahmin priest from the temple at Chidambaram.
Vimala
recently returned from India
after performing at the Music and Dance Festival in India, where she won acclaim. Two
of the dance pieces were to live music with Aruna Parthiban’s singing, Bala Sankar
on the mridangam and Tony Wheeler on the clarinet playing South Indian
music. Vimala’s introductions to the pieces with hand gestures made them
instantly accessible and understandable to an appreciative audience.
Source: South Sydney Herald
May 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au