Stories of love told through bharatanatyam.

Love is a mystery, and endlessly fascinating, inspiring countless films, music and stories. Co-created and performed by Krithika Soma, Madhuri Suresh, and Varsha Vishwanath, Abhaya’s Love All Around is a brand new bharatanatyam creation that explores the nature of love, depicting the experiences of unassuming strangers who discover and learn to understand the power of love. 

Directed by Ponnamma Devaiah, as the performance begins, all three dancers come out onstage, with the lighting clearly focused on them while the music, interestingly enough, is driven by the piano and the violin, an unusual choice for a bharatanatyam performance. What it shows is the flexibility of Indian music and the possibilities and potential the bharatanatyam form possesses – all it takes is willingness and imagination to bring these seemingly incongruent forms together and bring the work to life.

All three dancers are clad in pink, bringing to mind romance, while the choreography feels natural, evocative and moving. Each of them with their own personality and role in the performance, we also take note of the intricate make-up, key to a bharatanatyam performance, as they sit down and contemplate the visuals that lie before them. Voices ring around them, reminding them how love is perfect, and love is beautiful, yet Madhuri seems to feel doubt, lamenting her uncertainty of these platitutudes.

In a scene where they are stuck in a lift together, we see how theatrical it can possibly get, as they experiment with different styles while still maintaining the cultural core of bharatanatyam, progressing the form into a new age. As we hear the clock ticking, they find freedom even within the confines of the lift, hearing the hypnotic sound of chanting, all dancing to the beat, yet clearly at different stages of their life, telling a clear story of growing up and change.

Against the ticking, we see the young Madhuri, scared of the future and of commitment, but slowly growing in confidence to take courage and face it without fear. Yet, when the cracks begin to appear, you worry for her, and we hear cries of ‘how can you do this to me?’ ringing around the theatre. We are familiar with the end-of-relationship blame game, with all the excuses to end a relationship once and for all.

The Ponggal festival comes to mind, and we consider how Love All Around is akin to an act of cleansing, where we are encouraged to lay all our troubles of the heart aside, and come back stronger and better. As she picks up the pieces, she becomes determined to change things, seen in both her face and the strength in her movements, now with more vigour and determination.

Returning to the lift, we continue to hear them tell their stories of how they might conquer the challenges of love and live life boldly, while they are encouraged to look onto the brighter side – dancing with lightness and wisdom. Lighting by Keerthi Kumar helps illuminate the path, as they dance down it in harmony, celebrating this newfound verve and taking in these life lessons.

Amidst the pain and anguish, there is the determination to move on, and to learn to love again. As the lift door opens to a whole new world filled with hopes and anticipation, they all come in on the same dance beat, realising that love is not limited to romance alone, but can be shared among others and derive joy from the love of each other, and this shared presence. Armed with bright smiles and a powerful ending, the future feels bright, as we are left convinced that love is all around.

Love All Around played from 12th to 14th January 2024 at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. More information available here

Production Credits:

Direction and Creative Mentor: Ponnamma Devaiah Choreography Mentor: Kalaivani Kumaresan Concept, Choreography and Dance: Krithika Soma, Madhuri Suresh, Varsha Vishwanath Music Composition: Karthik Raveendran Script Advisor: Harish R. Menon Lighting Design: Keerthi Kumar