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Jewels
March 27, 2008
Pantages Playhouse Theatre
Winnipeg, Canada
Since our creation of the dance drama La Bayadère – The Temple Dancer, we have been intrigued by the potential intersections between the worlds of ballet and classical Indian dance. Jewels was inspired by the 1967 Balanchine ballet classic, but has evolved in its own direction to include aspects of Indian gemology, astrology, mythology and iconography.
Balanchine famously proclaimed, “Ballet is woman.” Around the world, the stylized image of woman – from ethereal tutu-clad ballerina en pointe to bejeweled apsara dancing in a celestial court – permeates cultural consciousness and creates archetypes of being and identity. From ancient scripture to current movies, these iconic representations are as familiar as the Tarot cards on which they are frequently pictured: The Queen, The Lover, The Virgin, The Temptress.
Manohar’s Jewels is a collection of four suites: Ruby, Pearl, Emerald and Sapphire. Each suite views one essential type of woman through the portal of her ruling gem. Her qualities, her personality, her relationships, her stories, her music and movement – all reflect and are reflected by the gem she surrounds herself with. In Indian myth, precious stones are governed by the influence of the celestial bodies, and the connections between the navaratna – nine main gems – and the Navagraha, or planetary deities, are profound. The Ruby contains the powerful fire of the Sun; the Pearl, the watery romance of the Moon. The unspoiled Emerald is intellectual Mercury; and Saturn’s devastating, unpredictable luck is trapped inside every Sapphire. These celestial bodies move behind and through the choreography, exerting their shadowy influence on the stories told. Man – and woman – exists in a state of tension between the influence of the stars and one’s own will.
Jewels are the portal through which these two forces are connected. Jewels weds the unique styles and emotive technique of Bharatanatyam and Kathak with the fluidity and accessibility of the ballet which is its inspiration. |
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