Recently I had the privilege of seeing a performance from
the Denishawn school. I have heard of the work that Ruth St. Dennis and Ted
Shawn have been doing but I truly understood their ideas after seeing an
Orientalia. Influenced by Eastern dance movement (like the majority of the
training at the school) this performance was nothing like I had seen before. Incorporating
aspects of East Indian movement this mini-ballet was set in a Hindu temple. The
piece was titled Radha and was created to honor and explore the five senses.
Radha involved exotically dressed women and adorned sets. The women were
dressed in ankle length skirts that flowed as they moved through space and
trailed behind them as they spun. What I found most enticing was the adornment
on the upper body. The dancers wore large jeweled earrings, bracelets and
headpieces along with a cropped top covered in several different strands of
jewels. The costumes were extremely detailed and very closely resembled the
attire of Indian ritualistic dress. Overall the piece was captivating because
of both the movement and costumes. Denishawn is bringing a style of dance that
not many have seen before. I look forward to seeing more from Dennis and Shawn.
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