Hyderabad : Vaikuntam—Vaishnava Yatra Dance Ballet the first ever dance ballet to showcase all the 108 Divine Temples(Divya Desams) held in city today at CCRT Amphitheatre, Madhapur. It was organised as part of the 100 Day on going festival of Hydourite Season 3.
The ballet was a magnificent creation that was intricately woven with a stunning array of multimedia and musical elements. The production took its onlookers on a vivid visual voyage to some of the oldest, untouched and unexplored temples in India which are over 1000 years old.
Choreographed by Kalaimamani Sailaja the dance ballet was presented by Kalaimamani Sailaja & Group. The music was scored by Dr. Rajkumar Bharathi Avey Varghese extended multimedia support to the ballet.
The unique feature of the imposing ballet was that it grouped the 108 Divya Desams into eight distinct clusters, based on the popular legend associated with each Divya Desam that essentially conveys a deeper philosophy through a simple story that was easily discernable by the common man. The eight clusters were depicted engagingly in myriad ways, with particular focus on those that are most important in the Vaishnavite tradition.
Commencing with a chant that enlisted the temples in each section (Namavali) and chosen verses exalting the Lord (Pallandu), Vaikuntam is the first-of-its kind production which incorporates the hymns to such magnitude, in a dance ballet. As the lyrical content is in Tamil, to facilitate understanding to the audience, each section is supported with translations of the same in English, Telugu and Hindi.
Though predominantly taken over by Bharatanatyam – the dance form of Tamilnadu, flavors of the dance forms of Kerala – Mohiniyattam, Andhra Pradesh – Kuchipudi and northern India – Folk dance, have been merged into the production. The portrayal combines both the solo and group rendering, with a judicious mix of drama and narration. Displaying a vibrant harmony of the strikingly unique dance forms in terms of choreography and costumes, Vaikuntam appears as an evolving canvas tuned to the brushstrokes of mesmerizing music.
Adding vibrancy to the imposing ballet was the outstanding music set to the carefully chosen verses from the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. To experience an environment of divine and mystical arousal, the music is laced with spiritual chants by the traditional clan (Othuwars) that recites the holy hymns in its sublime form. The magnificent multimedia elements provide the most appropriate setting to experience the journey to the abodes of Lord Vishnu. The various features of multimedia are used effectively to provide an astounding backdrop, portraying the specific Divya Desam being depicted on stage. The final effect of all the combined elements is truly mesmerizing, even to an untrained eye. The ballet culminates with a grand finale of spiritual euphoria.