The production by Cleveland Cultural Alliance of 'Silappadhikaaram' was themed on Ilango Adigal's epic, narrating the fascinating story of Kovalan, Kannagi and the dancer Madhavi.

The applause was in good measure at the end of many a scene. But when the curtains came down, the reactions were mixed.

"Cleveland Cultural Alliance's earlier production, 'The Living Tree' was a far better production..." This, very simply, was how most people who have followed CCA's works, responded.

Choreographed by G. Narendra, who also played the lead role of Kovalan, the presentation seemed a rushed effort.

Lively group sequences
The lyrics were by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, while the music was set by Bombay Jayashri. The dancers of Narendra's Avigna dance ensemble scored better in the group sequences, in contrast to the main characters. 'Kannagi' was played by Mahalakshmi and 'Madhavi' by Krishnakshi Sharma. The group sequences featured Joy, Guhendran, Thiruchelvam, Madhusudhanan, Ranjit Babu, Fahil, Lavanya, Suhasini, Vidhyaprabha, Swarna and Deepa. But they did not receive much credit, in the promos and at the show.

The dance sequences depicting the 'Indra Vizha' and the fire that destroys Madurai, were well visualised.

The Kovalan-Madhavi sequence in the epic offers scope for a detailed dance delineation. This could have been explored better in this production. But at the premiere, the two artistes who played the key roles had little space for expression and they seemed to fade out rather quickly.

The punchline on the production's promos, 'a story of women of substance' seemed to read well on the posters and tickets, than the portrayal of this on stage...to many who are well versed with this epic and seen many different productions, this one was wanting. The women's characters did not etch themselves well.

Well-designed costumes
The costumes (by Lakshmi Srinath) reflected a certain thought process in the design. But, the backdrop and sets (kept to a minimum and found on and off on one corner of the stage) by A.V. Ilango didn't seem to contribute much. Perhaps, the lighting failed to set them off as appropriate backdrop.

The dance drama will tour the U.S in September-November this year. And the production team may be keen on sharply look at the pluses and minuses to strengthen this production, before it takes off on the world stage.

But certainly, there is one aspect of this production that Chennai's dancers can learn from. And that is - marketing a show. 'Silappadhikaram' was a good case of good marketing that can attract a full house, in a city where huge auditoriums usually have a lean audience for most off-season dance shows. CCA's Uma Ganesan is good at this job. Now, she may want to get Narendra and his key artistes, work harder.

Contact: Cleveland Cultural Alliance, Chennai - 600 041. India. E-mail: umaganesancca@aol.com Website: www.thehorizons.com/cca

CCA's contact in the USA is Secretary Poonam Punwani at 440-3492513.