One Woman Revival

I have noticed that life seems to occur in loops rather than lines, with people and places making recurrent appearances in our lives. I had been to Dance Mission Theatre once before for a performance called Ghadar Geet: Blood & Ink, chronicling how a pocket of Indian resistance to British rule found sanctuary in San Francisco. Through bhangra sequences interspersed with poetry readings, Joti Singh chronicles her great-grandfather’s role in founding of the Ghadar Party. Instead of a curtain call, the audience was invited at the end to join the stage and everyone danced together in an exuberant celebration.

I was here again with a different group of friends, this time to watch a performance called Manchapravesh by the Ishami Dance Company. In a queer reimagining of a classical Indian dance, the talented ensemble paid homage to the traditional Odissi form but also challenged those structures. I had spent hours of my teen years in Bharatnatayam classes thumping my feet to the beats of brass cymbals. As I watched the dancers power through an especially fast number, my hand kept time on my knee along with them.

One piece told the story of two male statues coming to life and discovering their love each in a joyful portrayal of sexuality. Choreographer Akhil Joondeph explained in the Q&A session afterwards that the intention was to break free of both gender and genre. Layering street styles and beats from hip hop with Odissi as the classical dance backbone created marvelous creations which felt familiar but also unexpected and new.

I had been feeling empty and drained over the past month, barely keeping my head above water. Watching these dancers reach toward the edges of their of agility and stamina buoyed my will to keep pushing forward. Through their bodies they conveyed radical messages of strength and resilience. I tried to soak as much of it in as I could before the theatre lights came on and we had to return to the grind of the day to day.