Beneath the Banyan tree
We saw this truly wonderful dance/play today about Anjali, an Indian girl, who has just moved to Toronto from Bangalore in India and the difficulties she has coming to terms with her Indian-ness in her adopted country, Canada. To conquer the aloneness, she feels she conjures up a fantasy world filled with characters from the "Panchatantra" (an Indian Aesop Fables). The performance is a wonderful blend of dance (Indian Bharath Natyam and contemporary), story-telling, puppetry and music.
Although the performance was geared towards children in the 6-11 year age group, my teenager and I enjoyed it just as much. The kids will love the brightly coloured stage props, the dancing animals and the story-telling. In this land of immigrants, Anjali's story has universal appeal.
"Beneath the Banyan Tree" was choreographed by Lata Pada of "Sampradya Dance Creations" fame and we saw it at Toronto's Harborfront "Milk International Children's Festival of the Arts".
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