New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Acclaimed dancer and choreographer Mayuri Upadhya’s is set to bring its latest production, “Bhakti: A Shared Longing”, to Mumbai on September 3 and 4, exploring India’s rich Bhakti tradition through contemporary, classical and folk movement vocabularies.
To be staged at The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (TNMACC), the 75-minute immersive dance-theatre production combines visual poetry, rhythmic intensity and powerful imagery, with an ensemble of accomplished dancers accompanied by a musical soundscape created by vocalists and musicians.
“Bhakti” has been co-choreographed by Mayuri Upadhya and Madhuri Upadhya of Nritarutya Dance Company.
It draws on the philosophies, lived experiences and timeless verses of 13 mystic saints and poets, including Meera, Kabir, Lal Ded and Amir Khusrow.
“Transcendence and unification — the universal search for oneness, are at the core of Bhakti poetry and we have strived to incorporate these values in the choreography because, for us, roots and wings are equally important,” Mayuri said in a statement.
She described the work as a large-scale, research-driven production that goes beyond an exploration of mystical ideas, incorporating historical context, dramaturgy, and classical and folk idioms.
“It explores the many shades of devotion and inner awakening via spiritually charged contemporary dance and cross-idiomatic choreography,” she explained.
Rather than presenting their stories as individual narratives, the production weaves their voices into a continuous journey centred on the shared search for oneness, compassion and self-realisation.
The production also features works associated with Purandara Dasa, Adi Shankaracharya, Annamacharya, Sadasiva Brahmendra, Soyarabai, Narsinh Mehta, Fakir Lalon Shah and Bulleh Shah, besides drawing from the Oppari tradition.
Co-founded by Upadhya in 2000, Nritarutya has over the years created imaginative and contemporary dance experiences that draw from India’s cultural heritage while reinterpreting it for audiences across the world. PTI MG MG
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.