The story of Jesus through Bharatanatyam

– An article in The Hindu, New Delhi, 24April2014 (Vijetha S. N.)

 

The story of Jesus distributing bread and fish, his Last Supper with the 12 disciples and the encounter with the prostitute in the village square is usually told in church gatherings, school assemblies, story-telling classes and sometimes through musicals and plays. On the eve of this Easter, however, one musical company decided to tell some of these oft-told tales through the medium of Bharatanatyam.

 

“Our musical titled ‘An Easter Tale’ had Bharatanatyam performers Monica and Heera depicting scenes from the life of Jesus through the dance form. Apart from this, our cast of 30 participated in the musical. The story and significance of Good Friday and Easter were told through an interesting dialogue between mother “Becca” and her daughter “Karen” in modern day India,” said Aubrey Aloysius, founder of the Lorraine Music Academy, which staged the musical in Gurgaon this Easter.

 

Scenes of Jesus healing the blind man, forgiving the adulterous woman, healing people, washing his disciples’ feet were enacted. The highlight was the scene of the ‘Last Supper’. Many famous Easter favourites, including both old and new songs, were performed. These included “The Old Rugged Cross”, “Mary Did You Know”, “The Stone Is Rolled Away” and “He Lives”. The grand finale was the rock gospel song “My Redeemer Lives”.

 

The role of Jesus was played by Aubrey Aloysius, Judas by Andrew Packiam, Peter by Kaustav Sood and Mary Magdalene by Ananya Ravi.

 

The musical also witnessed the launch of “Come India Sing A Gospel Song”, a nation-wide talent contest and audition for aspiring singers who wish to showcase their talent.