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Ganesha dance is first at elite South Africa theatre
A dance drama on Lord Ganesha featured for the first time at the prestigious Civic Theatre in Johannesburg.
A dance drama on the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesha featured for the first time at the prestigious Johannesburg Civic Theatre, with the hope that the production would open the doors for more Indian theatre.
'Ganesha - The Greatest Story Ever Told' is the first production ever to feature Hindu mythology and religion at the venue, the premier forum for theatre and live production.
Till a little over a decade ago, it would have been unheard of to even think about an Indian production at the theatre, but Ganesha, the 'remover of obstacles', got rid of this hurdle as well, some patrons remarked in jest.
Showing even further the progress in a democratic South Africa, the costumes for the cast were made by an Afrikaner designer in Pretoria, once the heartland of apartheid.
Debut writer Devan Moonsamy teamed up with acclaimed choreographer Jayesperi Moopen to put together the colourful re-enactment of the birth and life of the elephant-headed deity in an effort to show other groups in South Africa some of the culture of local Indians.
"In South Africa we don't tend to see a lot of dance drama because of the complexities of putting a production together," Moopen told IANS.
"I hope this opens the door for a lot more Indian theatre here."
Having won much acclaim for her unique combination of Indian and African dance that has won her many awards, the Ganesha exercise was a return to her roots for trained classical Indian dancer.
"In a way it was necessary. Contemporary is good - I've been there, done that; but I wanted to show the more traditional in a theatrical setting," Moopen said.
Moonsamy doubled up as a narrator to explain the dances by members of Moopen's Tribanghi Dance Theatre, comprising local Indian and African dancers.
The young writer explained how he had done research for the script by reading dozens of books on Ganesha and finding a variety of interpretations on the various anecdotes of his life.
In the end, Moonsamy settled for a combination of the written material and his own life growing up with spiritual practices followed by his father Mannie, a keen Ganesha devotee. This influence also impacted on the script, as the narrator moralises a bit on the role of children respecting their parents.
"You've got to read between the lines to get the moral message in any Ganesha story," Moonsamy explained.
Moonsamy wanted a strong male dancer to dance the role of Ganesha, but after many auditions, the role went to renowned local dancer Seema Lala -- with no one in the audience realising that the 'Ganesha' on stage was female because of the elephant mask.
