True Guru
That image captured the nature of the evening: East meets West. This fusion of styles and genres of music and dance was produced under curator Janet Schmid’s directive: “Let it have a thread of India.” Dancers Schmid, Shanti Kumari Johnson, and Pranita Jain and members of her troupe, Kalapriya, joined musicians Ben Harbert, Scott Rosenburg, and Universe Neo to create pieces that can’t be categorized–at least not yet. This kind of effort represents a brand-new genre in need of a name: fusion art, perhaps.
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The production opened with the solo Pushpanjali, which like the closing dances presents bharata natyam in its classical form. Kalapriya dancer Taposhi Jarvis is a small woman with a strong stage presence: her precise, sharp movement establishes the basis for the fusion pieces to follow. Choreographed motions for the neck and eyes, an elaborate costume and makeup, feet adorned with bells, and rich Carnatic music make this piece seem exactly what India is often taken for: exotic.
In Toledo, which illustrates three critical periods in Spanish music history, Harbert plays electric sarod (an Indian string instrument) and Rosenburg plays reeds, paying homage to Harbert’s guru, Luis de Pablo. Separately the two play well, but combining these instruments is not easy because of their widely different sounds. After a slow start, the two finally meld into a team during the final movement, “Alhambrismo.” Then the harmonious conversation of this unlikely pair of instruments is like a gift we’ve been waiting for, a satisfying conclusion.
