Kishore Amati
PANJIM: It was an intriguing affair at the Dinanath Mangeshkar auditorium, Kala Academy, as the Egyptian troupe took little time to set the mood of the evening.
The dervish dancers had everyone hooked on to them right from the first minute with their ‘music of the soul’ and awe-inspiring dance. The whirling act of the Mawlawiyahh troupe was full of innovative ideas that were executed to perfection – be it the changing of the colourful patterns on their costume mid-way whilst whirling or the soulful singing of the singer, Amer Eltony.
It was nothing short of a treat to watch Goa’s very own Carlos Gonsalves team up with the Mawlawiyahh troupe from Egypt on-stage to a display of a splendid amalgamation of talent. Furthermore, to the surprise of everyone, the Moroccan troupe which was seated in the auditorium started singing along with the Egyptian performers, leaving the audience awed.
The high point of the performance was when the two dervish dancers unfurled a flag of Egypt and a flag of India and continued to rotate engrossed in the music, showing a unique blend of varied cultures untouched by boundaries. Needless to say, the artists received a standing ovation from the packed house for a never-seen-before performance.
It was then the turn of ‘Serenas’ from Denmark to rule the stage and the minds of those present with their act that according to them, reflects the roots, faith, ethnicity and cultural upbringing of their land. As the all-women group continued with their intriguing performance, the audience seemed to be slipping into a trance not wanting to get out of it.
As the Danish act came to an end, members of the audience couldn’t wait to watch Goa’s Carlos Gonsalves and Elvis Lobo team up with Bengali musicians comprising Debalina Bhowmick and others to present Trans Bangla music. The East West Local team delivered yet another scintillating performance on stage with the innovative form of Bengali traditional folk based world music with acoustical musical arrangement.
‘Sufi Sutra’ presented by Kala Academy Goa in association with Banglanatak dot com will continue till February 4, at Kala Academy, Panjim. The acts that are yet to be performed include musicians and singers of the groups, Projecto Sarava (Brazil), Hadarrattes Souiriyattes (Morocco), Mechket (Tunisia), Zikr (Flamenco from Spain), Sidi Goma (Gujarat) and The Langas (Rajasthan).
