Ragamala

The dancers of Ragamala entertained a small but devoted audience at the BCPA last Friday night. The performance by this lovely group of dancers was accented by vibrant costumes and a wide-ranging music selection.

Most thrilling for me was seeing the isolated and intricate rhythms of their Bharatanatyam dance style. The first act of their performance featured Bharatanatyam performed in its traditional sense. The second contrasted the centuries-old style with a variety of music, from Japanese taiko, to the all-female U.S. a cappella group Zap Mama. Without compromising the integrity of the dance, Bharatanatyam seemed to be as current as a Janet Jackson video or Bob Fossee routine where the exacting motions of each hand and limb blended into a seamless, unified motion by the company's eight dancers.

It was lovely to visit with the artists afterward and hear more about their wide variety of projects and collaborations. It would be wonderful to see them perform with live musicians -- hopefully one day with Zap Mama (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you) -- and see their upcoming collaboration with a painter who creates a work on stage during their performance.

Were you there? What did you think about Ragamala? Email me at jaalberts@cityblm.org and I'll post your comments.

Patron comments:

I LOVED the Ragamala dance program, both parts of it, traditional and modern. Awesome, moving, and breathtakingly beautiful.

I wish the auditorium had been filled.Please bring many more ethnic dance and music programs to BCPA. They will have to be mighty fine to give as good a performance as Ragamala!

--Carolyn Treadway