It was a brilliant show of a rural narrative based on
pallaikabi Jasimuddin’s classic Beder Meye.
Though the experimental dance drama unfolds the tragic life of rural women through traditional dance forms, Shadhona’s Champabati could
satisfy the contemporary audience.
Champabati was premiered on Friday evening at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Eminent contemporary poet-playwright Syed Shamsul Haque has adapted Champabati in lyrical drama from Jasimuddin’s prose play.
Haque has also modified the original text to make it more suitable one for a contemporary dance drama, which is all about women; their inner strength and the courage with which they deal with the adversities of life.
Narrating the tragic life of three rural women named Champa, Maleka and Asmani, Syed Shamsul Haq’s dance drama features interactions between the snake charmers’ community, known as bedes, and villagers.
Haque in his lyrical drama gives an equal importance to the emotion of two minor characters of Jasimuddin’s original play, which gives prominence to a snake charmer girl who sacrifices herself to save her community.
Director of the dance drama Sabbir Ahmed Khan, who also performs in the production, has incorporated a number of folk dance forms including lathi-khela, raibeshi, jhumur, chau, mayurbhanj, kalaripayettu and bihu with contemporary stances sycnronised with experimental music and spectacular light effects.
The dance drama began with eye-catching visuals of the life of snake charmer and instantly got the teeming hall riveted to the production for the next hundred minutes.
As the story of the drama proceeds with short dialogues and music; the viewers’ eyes are glued to the stunning dance performances.
The audience enjoyed performances of Shammy Akter as Champabati and Sabbir Ahmed Khan as Champabati’s lover Goya.
They lip-synced with recorded songs rendered respectively Anusheh Anadil and Shofi Mandol.
Nadia Dora’s singing for the baishnabi’s character was also enjoyable.
‘We have been working on the production for more than three years’, said tired but satisfied Sabbir Ahmed Khan after the show.
The general secretary of Shadhona Lubna Marium said, ‘Shadhona has been working with the folk art forms for many years.’
The audience highly appreciated Shadhona’s production.
‘Shadhona has done a brilliant job. The artistes were very spontaneous and energetic. Such endeavours will encourage people to explore more on the traditional art forms,’ said Ramendu Majumdar, president of worldwide International Theatre Institute.
‘It was a marvelous production incorporating so many folk dance forms and music’, said theatre activist cum musician Rahul Anand.
-With New Age input
