REPERTOIRE

“Writings on the Wall” (Singapore) – an ode to nature using Chinese and Indian calligraphy blended with contemporary, Chinese and Indian dance techniques for Frontier Danceland Dance Company. Shantha Ratii developed the Indian Devnagiri script into a pictorial form and juxtaposed it with Chinese calligraphy and choreographed the production with dancers from China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

 “Confluence” (Iraq) – where Ganga meets the  Tigris,  choreographed by Shantha Ratii, was commissioned by Babylon Festival, Iraq. It had original music scored by renowned oud musician and performer late Dr. Munir Bashir.

  “Designs in Dance” (New Delhi, India) – drawing the parallelism between architecture, sculpture, painting, music and dance was commissioned by the Archeological Survey of India and Surabhi Foundation.

        

       

 

“Ashta Nayika” (Mumbai, India) – the seven classical heroines performed in seven different classical dance forms, commissioned by Nehru Centre, Mumbai, was  jointly choreographed and performed by Shantha Ratii.

 

“Connect” (Mumbai, India) – where technology meets tradition, was commissioned by NASSCOM. In this piece, Shantha Ratii, carried the  mood over to a ‘Ikebana’ floral arrangement that served as a prop and as well as a metaphor.

    

“Rhythms in Motion” (Chennai, India) – commissioned by Times of India (360 degrees) was the opening act for the Filmfare Awards, South. Shantha Ratii used thayambakam, kalaripayattu, Indian Classical dance and jazz vocabulary, blending the traditional with the contemporary, weaving new patterns and designs using 25 artists.

     

     

Madhushala” written by Shri Harivanshrai Bachchan (Mumbai, India) – commissioned and jointly choreographed and performed by Shantha Ratii, in four classical dance styles, for the Akashwani Award Ceremony.

   

“New Currents In Kuchipudi” (Toronto, Canada) – choreographed and performed by Shantha Ratii, at the Kalanidhi International Dance Festival in Toronto.

“Infinitely Yours Achyuta” – choreographed by Shantha, for the Antara Foundation projects for the youth in colleges as well as professionals. It drew verses from the Bhagavad Gita on character building and elaborated with examples from the Puranas (ancient Indian texts). “Achyuta or Krishna – the redeemer – spoke to us then, speaks to us now and will speak to us in future… for He is the Perfect Man for all Ages…”

   

“Arpana” (Udaipur, India) – a dedication to the beauty and breadth of traditional Kuchipudi dance at the Kartik Purnima Festival.

 

“Sourabhham” (NCPA, Mumbai, India/ Singapore) – choreographed and performed by Shantha, bringing  new fragrances into Kuchipudi.

“Behind the Mask” (Singapore) – commissioned by the Esplanade Theatres, Singapore,  was choreographed  by Shantha Ratii, about the journey of a Singaporean girl into the world of the “grotesquely splendorous” Kathakali, with excerpts from “And Miles to Flow” and a live Kathakali performance.

 

“Samarpanam” (Takayama, Japan) – an offering and celebration of the joie de vivre with 22 dancers.

“Akarshanam”-  Call of the Flute (Chennai, India) – a celebration of various works on Krishna, the much loved divine flute player. As Kuchipudi has its moorings in Vaishnavism or worship of Vishnu/Krishna, this is a metaphor for the call of the soul.

“Goddesses of India” (Akademi, UK) – was a story telling on the Orient Express  Train for  Hermes, the fashion house.

“Life as Chess” (Singapore) – a poem by Dr. Kirpal Singh. Shantha Ratii used flamenco and Chinese martial arts with Kuchipudi to interpret and carry the narrative further.