Different take on female folklore characters
Dr. Asoka de Zoysa says his production -‘Saptanaari’ presents a twist to the tale of local characters from traditional Sri Lankan theatre
With ‘Saptanaari’, a tale of seven women in traditional Sri Lankan theatre, Choreographer Nilan Maligapse finds a fulfilment he didn’t imagine he could find before. A lifelong student and instructor of Western dance (and founder of the Arpeggio Creative Dance Academy) Nilan found himself knee-deep in foreign turf when Dr. Asoka de Zoysa approached him with the concept for the production. “Of course, I’ve done traditional Eastern dance before,” he’s quick to explain. “But my specialty is western dance.” Dr. Asoka eventually persuaded Nilan to veer away from his comfort zone, and the two set out together creating a masterpiece out of a mere idea.
Pics by Susantha Liyanawatte
‘Saptanaari’ is a venture of curiosity. Director de Zoysa was fascinated by the mismatch between the representation of women in traditional local theatre and the society ideal of what a ‘perfect woman’ was in character. Local folklore brings to the audience the larger than life characters of Sanda Kinduri, Sokari, Lenchina, Nonchi Akka, Ahelapola Kumarihami, Yasodhara and Maname Kumariya. Yet their portrayal varies, with the Ahelapola Kumarihami and Yasodhara as the most pure of women and paragons for modesty while Sokari and Lenchina are openly sexual and wanton, making eyes at the audience and engaging in all manner of indiscretions.
The duo-Director and Choreographer-set to work creating a production of music, dance and theatre, aided by plenty of assistance from their contemporaries and reading about these characters found in folklore. It was at this point that Nilan’s protégée at the Arpeggio Dance Academy, Pradeep Gunaratna stepped in to script the production. Pradeep, a student of contemporary dance and an aspiring writer, travelled to the birthplaces of these tales to verify the authenticity. He found out that most of these characters originate not from just one, but many a folklore.
“I had a difficult time deciding which version I should go with,” says the writer. “But in the end it became a quirky hybrid with a little bit of everything.” The extensive travel and reading involved was an eye opener, says Pradeep adding that these suburban sources are as informative as they are mysterious. “You can’t just sit in a library in Colombo and expect it to come to you. Travelling and going directly to the source was something I found very exciting and educational at the same time.”
Pradeep spent many a day researching and writing the role of Maname Kumariya in particular; so he’s chuffed to be playing the cuckolded Maname Prince in the production. His role and that of many others requires a considerable amount of training to perfect as the cast of ‘Saptanaari’ must be a triple threat on stage-singing, dancing and acting is the order of the day.
“Even though we’re presenting characters from traditional Sri Lankan theatre we’ve brought our own twist into it,” says Nilan. “For example some characters are represented in the past and present context.” Bridging this berth between the past and present is an important factor in any production, he believes. “As an instructor of contemporary dance I realize how important it is for the audience to be able to relate to what they see on stage. Sometimes it’s difficult to do that when the portrayals on stage are from another time and age.”
They’ve got plenty of experience to draw from, having staged a preview in November at the Colombo Dance Platform. The production was six months in the making then. Another six months later-a year overall-they’re confident that the final performance will be a very polished one.
Nilan, who plays the low country legends of folklore Sokari, Lenchina and Nonchi Akka (these characters are always performed by the most senior in the group, in keeping with legendary dictates), hopes that this production will be one that’ll make the audience think.
“Even though we’re portraying these women from traditional theatre they represent the realities of modern culture. By looking at them, and comparing them with the modern ideals of what a woman is required to be by society, we hope to educate our viewers. After all that’s what a good production is all about!”
‘Saptanaari’ premiers on Tuesday, the 28th of May at 6.45 at the Borella Punchi Theatre. Tickets for the show priced at Rs. 1000, 750 and 500 are available at the Punchi Theatre and Goethe Institut.
Follow @timesonlinelk
comments powered by Disqus