“Chitram: A Portrait of India”

Tuesday night I attended the latest installment of the Issues and Artists Series. It was entitled “Chitram: A Portrait of India.” Though the presentation wasn’t the best, the dancing was very impressive. Most of the performers were actually from the Cincinnati area. They performed 3 dances: the garba, a folk dance, the bartanican and the catec, a more modern form of dance. The first dance was a group dance, with many circular patterns, bright colored dresses and drumsticks. The second & third featured solo dancers. The second was focused on facial expressions and very straight lines. The catec revolved around spins and turns. All the dancers wore bells on their ankles-very cool. We also learned about the Indio-Celtic genre, created in India in the late 1700s. Neither Indian, nor Keltic, it is a unique combination that was created during the colonial invasion of India that has become very popular with children. There was also a yoga presentation. Since I started college I’ve been taking yoga classes from my friend Matt, so I was very excited to recognize so many positions such as the tree, cobra, crane, candlestick, cosmic dancer, warrior and eagle. These were only a few parts of the presentation; it was a great opportunity to learn more about India’s culture and history.