There are performances that make the audience laugh. While there are others that practically remain with the audience even when the show finishes. Bhakti – A Shared Longing is one of those performances that belong to the latter category. This dance theatre production is presented by the Prestige Centre for Performing Arts (PCPA) and is not just a series of dance or musical performances, but is an experience of bhakti as expressed through literature, dance, and storytelling. You will get something from this unique dance-theatre performance no matter how much you know about classical dance shows.
Bhakti Is More Than Religion. It's an Emotion.
The word bhakti is translated as devotion, but that does not do it justice.
Bhakti is fundamentally about creating an intimate bond with God, love without conditions, prayer without ceremony and faith that comes from within rather than from obligation.
Around the 7th century, the Bhakti movement revolutionised spirituality in India. People stopped writing only in Sanskrit for the learning and began versifying in the spoken languages. And their writings travelled through villages, temples, and markets.
In spite of being written so long ago by Kabir, Meerabai, Andal, Basavanna, Purandara Dasa and Akkamahadevi, their writings are still inspiring artists in India because they do not solely deal with religion but with emotions like desire, love and devotion.
Before It Was Read, Bhakti Was Performed
The poems were performed before they were written down and published. Bhajans were no longer just songs; they became part of the community, and the bhajan was not performed and recited alone. It was usually dramatised and danced as well.
Many Indian dance traditions developed with the bhajan tradition.
For instance, Kathak was developed based on the stories of Lord Krishna. Bharatanatyam was developed based on the poems of divine saints such as Andal.
In this respect, bhajans have always played a part in prayers in churches and temples, where they were performed during prayer meetings and church services.
Where Poetry Meets Movement
The beauty of devotional performances comes from the combination of various art forms.
A poem gives the text.
The music evokes emotions.
The dance makes it a physical experience.
Each art form is powerful by itself, but when combined, they produce something really extraordinary.
One verse of Meerabai can be translated into a dance composition. Any piece of music written by Purandara Dasa can pass from the tune stage to the dance stage without any difficulty. A verse written years ago will become real and live.
Bhakti – A Shared Longing Brings Centuries of Tradition to One Stage
This idea is expressed through Bhakti – A Shared Longing, produced by Nritarutya and directed by Mayuri Upadhya.
The performance features poets from different regions of India and therefore does not concentrate on one specific saint.
Comprising fourteen poets, including Purandara Dasa, Kabir, Meera Bai, Akkamahadevi and others, the dance work shows the relationship between artists from diverse times and space and reflects their similar expressions of longing.
The approach taken by Bhakti – A Shared Longing has changed the way poems are perceived.
The dance shows the poems in a rather modern way, keeping their essence intact.
Bhakti – A Shared Longing is a combination of dance and theatrical performance, which involves music and precious words together with dance.
Why PCPA Is the Right Home for Productions Like This
Not every performance tends to be accommodated in a similar space.
Dance-theatre depends not only on choreography. The telling of a story is added to by every move, note of music, and lighting transition.
This is where the Prestige Centre for Performing Arts comes in.
With its auditorium in bangalore built with a lot of thought and modern stage technology that powerfully supports both sound and lighting, Air Bhakti – A Shared Longing is the type of layered production that could unfold just as the respective creators wanted. The venue creates an almost cinematic atmosphere within which audiences can allow themselves to sink completely into the performance, from the quietest musical passages to grand ensemble choreography.
As pile PCPA is soon becoming a prominent venue for theatre, music, dance and multidisciplinary productions, it gives a brilliant platform for artists, both traditional and modernist, to explore concepts alike.
Why Productions Like This Matter Today
Life in the present age is all about multitasking and rapid communication.
Most stories barely last a few seconds until we get to read something else.
However, devotional art demands the opposite approach from us.
It makes us slow down.
It teaches us to listen, to see, to feel, to be aware of everything taking place.
You don't need to understand Bharatanatyam or Indian classical music to appreciate it.
What matters is that you are ready to open your heart to bhakti.
The sentiments expressed in these poems and compositions, created many centuries ago, such as love, hope, trust and surrender, remain unchanging to this day. This is why people of different ages and languages are still able to experience them.
Bhakti is still alive because it is not something that is limited to or attached to churches, temples or any other places of worship.
If Bhakti- A Shared Longing is happening on the PCPA calendar, don’t miss this event, not only because it is beautiful to watch. You would be surprised that some stories cannot be told, but they can be perceived through dance and music.
