sooraj subramaniam

PALLAVI is a technical work based on Odissi, the classical dance from the east-Indian state of Odisha. This grounded form employs a supple and pliant spine, and is rich in rhythmic footwork and gestural detail. Named after the Sanskrit word that means to bloom or grow, PALLAVI symbolises a seed planted in soils far from Odissi’s native home, is nourished by contemporary sensibilities, and blooms from abstract minimalism into dense, kaleidoscopic motifs.

The score is premised on the Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi, an improvisational, virtuosic exposition in the Carnatic (south-Indian) musical tradition. Composed by world-renowned violinist Ambi Subramaniam, it is set in Abheri, a minor musical mode that is vaguely melancholic yet offers footholds for warmth. A ten-beat rhythmic refrain, punctuated by recited syllables and resonant percussion on the mardala (Odissi drum), appears in dialogue with the melody. What begins as free-flowing improvisation leads towards a crescendo of melodic intensity and syncopated complexity.
 

Over this musical architecture the dance hovers, tenderly at first, and then settles into a resolute relationship. Four dancers discover movement within themselves, and then gently between each other, blooming and growing with curiosity and camaraderie, to reveal ornamental patterns and joyous ensemble expression.