“[The] intense attention to detail made for elaborate formations. Color and history swirled as dancers told stories of love, war, deception, betrayal and courage.” —Danielle Ohl
On Saturday night, Hoff Theater was dark. Nothing was visible, even though evening sunlight streamed through doors mere feet outside the theater. Suddenly, a light filled the stage where a group of dancers stood, poised so carefully that they seemed to be made of porcelain — that is, until they started moving. With a burst of energetic light and sound, the dancers began telling a story with their hands, feet and faces.
Mayuri 2014, a classical Indian dance competition that took place Saturday night in Hoff Theater, began and ended in this fashion. The dance spectacle sought not only to entertain but also to fascinate, to teach and to expand the appreciation of an ancient but underrepresented art form.
“We’re definitely just promoting this whole cultural experience and this type of dance because it doesn’t get as much attention as it should,” said Mala Narasimhan, the competition director.
Narasimhan described the beauty and hard work involved in Indian classical dance while bells and laughter rang in the background. Women walked by, already dressed for showtime, wearing hair ornaments made from white flowers and shells, “temple jewelry” of glittering gold and gems and, most prominently, rows of bells around each ankle.
Mayuri 2014 is the third competition of its kind, inspired by other traveling shows in which the winner of one year’s show hosts the next. Planned and presented by the Mayuri Executive Board — and hosted by Moksha, this university’s classical dance team — the event featured teams from eight schools across the country as well as performances by Moksha, Maryland Dhoom and TerraPind Bhangra. A team from the Georgia Institute of Technology placed first, and one from The University of Texas at Austin took second.
“There are around 16 people that work on this for six months,” explained Narasimhan. The Mayuri Executive Board, charged with planning and executing the event, comprised seven committees that helped the event run smoothly and delivered a sold-out crowd.
Though she admitted to a few technical difficulties, Mayuri’s social chairwoman Natasha Kumar explained why Mayuri experiences such overwhelming success, despite featuring a lesser-known art form.
“Everyone likes the organization — people are very punctual here and everyone knows what they have to do,” she said. “That really sets us apart. People love our colors; people love our theme; people love Maryland in general.”
The theme, which shares the competition’s name, is based on an Indian cultural symbol. “Mayuri” means peacock in Hindi and its use as the competition’s emblem introduces a sense of exotic excitement to the event.
“Indian classical dance has a lot of imagery,” Narasimhan said. “The peacock is the national bird of India, and before it starts to dance, it opens its feathers — t presents itself. Classical dance is very expressive, and peacocks are very expressive, so we thought it would be a nice theme to go with.”
Kumar agreed, saying the peacock also represents the vibrant atmosphere of the competition. She documented the planning process for the competition, using hashtags such as #sarinotsari.
“When I hashtag ‘peacock party’ on Twitter, that is not an overestimation of anything that goes down,” Kumar said. “It is completely true.”
And the competition did feature the elements of a typical party: music, laughter, chanting and, most importantly, dance. The eight teams told their stories onstage in vibrant costumes and jewelry, with hands and feet dyed red to emphasize movement.
The men and women on the teams go through rigorous, intensive training before the performances. The average team practices three to four hours every day during the week leading up to the competition, according to Moksha captain Eshwari Murty.
“The college teams take certain aspects of the dance very, very seriously and focus on them because that’s what we’re judged on,” said the senior materials science and engineering major. “I think that’s what makes it so incredible.”
“If my arm is at 37 degrees, your arm better be at 37 degrees,” she added, laughing.
This intense attention to detail made for elaborate formations. Color and history swirled as dancers told stories of love, war, deception, betrayal and courage. The sold-out crowd of 550 oohed and aahed — sometimes breaking into all-out pandemonium when the music and choreography combined with remarkable energy.
“Right now, it’s really underestimated how capable and how amazing these dancers are,” Kumar said. “They’re telling stories — with their eyes, expressions, costumes — and no other [dance] circuit does that.”
