By
Lisa Lucas
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA students to perform in South Indian dance drama
The courageous spirit of prominent women lives on - through dance.
In a performance designed to heighten cultural appreciation of India, the India Cultural Association of Tucson will present the Arathi School of India Dancers in "Virangana" Saturday.
"Virangana," the Indian word for "courage," is a dance drama depicting the courage of five prevalent women in Indian history and mythology - Mother Teresa, Meera, Draupadi, Indira Gandhi and Radha.
Sue Umashankar, a University of Arizona marketing lecturer and president of the India Society of Southern Arizona, said the drama reflects the aspirations of both the women in the show and those that they portray.
"They can do anything," she said about the women in the group. "(They can) overcome any obstacles that come their way."
The association was created six months ago by Umashankar, who put together shows for the dancers to perform.
Choreographed by Kalashri Asha Gopal, artistic director of the Arathi School, the performance will feature the dance form "Bharata Natyam," from South India.
Molecular and cellular biology sophomore Nita Umashankar and business sophomore Sruthi Talluri described their dance form as "like ballet, with the footwork of tap."
"Virangana," like all of the school's productions, will benefit a local charity. This time around the company chose the Brewster Center for Victims of Domestic Violence as their beneficiary.
"Proceeds do go to charity - it's completely for charity," Nita Umashankar said. "No one gets paid for this."
"We wanted to make sure to give back to the larger Tucson community," Sue Umashankar said. "The (dancers) know what it is to sacrifice."
Sue Umashankar went on to say that the dancers' motivations included improving themselves as well as helping others.
She added that the group often performed a ritualistic exercise before rehearsals and performances.
"The dancers first salute Mother Earth and ask forgiveness for striking her so hard," she said.
The group, consisting of 16 women from Tucson and Phoenix, practices together once or twice a week. Although the inception of the dance was in early August, it has only been performed once, in Las Vegas last September.
Nita Umashankar said the feeling of the group is similar to that of a sisterhood.
"The chemistry is really good," she said. "While we're on stage we can be making adjustments - we're pretty much like sisters, all of us."
Talluri described the focus of the show as "experiencing historical perspectives."
Umashankar agreed that the show depicts "the beautiful culture of India," and wants audience members to appreciate "this particular art form, which is dance."
"It's a lot of fun," Nita Umashankar said. "I think the best part about it is style and learning to dance and preserving your own culture - (and) you build so many relationships."
"The dance is entertaining," she said. "It's fast-paced, it's slow, it's moving, it's emotional. (It gives) a good idea of Indian culture and how it's surviving, because none of us are from India - we were all born in this country."
Patty Weiss, news anchorwoman for Channel 4, KVOA, will be speaking at the performance.
Traditional Indian refreshments will be on sale before the show to enhance the cultural tone of the dance drama.
