When does watching live dance transform into a spiritual experience? Answer: When you are witnessing the KC Fringe Festival performance of “Nritya Indian Dance” on City Stage at Union Station. The program begins with dance as aspirational prayer and ends with it as a celebration of peace.
The show, presented by Nritya School of Indian Dance and Music from Miami, Florida, in collaboration with Insync Dance from the Kansas City area, begins its program of Bharatnatyam dance with a number described as a prayer for peace. The dancers glide across the stage, stepping silently, then stomping and slapping their feet in rhythm. Their coordinated movements include precisely placed steps and intricate arm and hand gestures that seem to entreat the divine to take its place in today’s world.
In succeeding dances, even potentially destructive elements are portrayed as largely neutral forces. One dance evokes the interplay between fire and wind. With massive, destructive wildfires in the news daily, that seems to be a dangerous combination. However, the fire merely mesmerizes viewers until the wind swirls in to surround and control it.
Traditional Indian music accompanies the dances, but in one section of the show, two musicians take center stage to highlight Indian Classical music. A violinist coaxes plaintive melodies from his instrument. Then a percussionist builds up breathtaking energy. Their skill and expressiveness prompt me to wish for more music.
To close the show, the troupe brings the audience full circle with an ode, or celebration, of inner and outer peace. Joy radiates from the dancers’ precise, graceful movements and from the glow on each face.
Nritya Indian Dance and Insync Dance combine seamlessly to draw the audience into the beauty, complexity, and diversity of Indian dance, music and culture. The result is an uplifting affirmation of hope for the world.
KC Fringe would like to thank the following sponsors:
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