Articulate of Bangalore, India: Panchavaktram

Blind dancers will help lead you into a holy trance

Comments (0) By Dusti Rhodes Thursday, Oct 11 2007

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Most people would say the impressive thing about dance troupe Articulate of Bangalore, India’s ballet Panchavaktram, is the fact that five of the 12 dancers are blind or visually impaired. They learned to dance by a method known as “touch and feel,” which involves feeling an instructor’s feet, legs, arms and torso and then mimicking the movements with their own bodies. For anyone who thought doing the macarena took talent, the elaborate maneuvers of classical Indian dance styles, which are woven into the program exploring the five elements of creation, will seem quite the feat. While we agree that is impressive, we couldn’t help but be more intrigued by another aspect of the performance. “In Panchavaktram, the sound of mantras, or holy syllables associated with each manifestation of Shiva, will reverberate across the hall and lift the audience into a state of holy trance,” says the group’s press release. “A Tantrik visual image that symbolizes the five manifestations will engross the audience into a meditative stupor.” Wow. You know what else would help facilitate this “meditative stupor”? Well, let’s just say we’ve also heard it’s good for glaucoma. 8 p.m. Stafford Center, 10505 Cash Road, Stafford. For information, call 281-345-0931 or visit www.eshavasyam.com. $20 to $45
Fri., Oct. 12, 8 p.m., 2007