Reworking a Rare Legacy
20 Thursday Sep 2012
Source: The Hindu; Author: Nita Vidyarthi; Photo Courtesy: Nita Vidyarthi
Splash of colour, movement and music, unforgettable performance by the young, extraordinary Manipuri dancer Bimbavati Devi and dazzling choreography embedded in tradition – this was ‘Leichan,’ a presentation by Manipuri Nartanalaya, Kolkata and Imphal, at the Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR, Kolkata. Bimbavati, a brilliant dancer, is also a skilled pung (Manipuri mridang) player and carries forward the rare legacy of her illustrious parents, Guru Bipin Singh, doyen of Manipuri dance and the genius, Guru Kalavati Devi, with sensitivity to the purity of the art. Leichan means an assortment of flowers and the recital with four items was a bouquet of ritualistic festival dances of Manipur interlaced with the glimpses of the rites related to them.
