Ileana Citaristi
Italian by birth Ileana
holds a Doctorate in Philosophy with a thesis on 'Psychoanalysis and
eastern mythology'. She has come to Indian dance after years of experience
in the traditional as well as experimental theatre in Europe.
Ileana has been living in Orissa, India, since the year 1979 in close
contact with the people, their language and culture. Her mentor in the
Odissi dance style is the renown Guru, Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra.
She is equally at home with the different martial postures of the Chhau
dance of Mayurbhanji which she has learnt under the guidance of Guru
Shri Hari Nayak, obtaining the title of ‘Acharya’ from the
Sangeet Mahavidyalya of Bhubaneswar in Orissa.
Her contributions, besides the many performances and lecture-demonstrations
given in all the major centres in India, include articles on Oriya culture
published in Indian and foreign magazines, research work for film-documentaries
on Odissi and Chhau dances and practical dance workshops for dancers
and theatre workers which she regularly conducts under invitation by
different institutions in India and abroad. She has given performances
in all the major dance festivals in India as well as in Italy, Argentina,
Poland, France, Germany. Holland, Denmark, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan,
USA, Australia and Israel.
Her innovative choreographies in Mayurbhanji Chhau include the Greek
myth ‘Echo and Narcissus’, which was a revelation at the
East-West Dance Encounter held in Bombay in April 1985, ‘The Wreck’
(December 1988), ‘Icarus’ (July 1991), ‘Pancha Bhuta’
(January 1996), ‘The Journey’ (September 1998), ‘Images
of Change’ (March 2000), ‘Surya devata’ (December
2001), ‘Jarjara’ (January 2003) and in Odissi style the
ballet ‘Maya Darpan’ premiered at Nehru Center in Bombay
in April 1993.
‘A’ grade artist from Cuttack Television, Ileana has been
awarded the prestigious title ‘Leonide Massine for the art of
dance’ in Italy in September 1992 and the ‘Raseshwar’
award by the Sur Singar Sansad, Bombay, in December 1994. In May 1996
she won the ‘National Award for best choreography’ for her
dance direction to the Bengali film ‘Yugant’ directed by
Aparna Sen. She has conducted a research on the Martial Art of Orissa
under the aegis of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts in
1991 and in 1996 she has been granted a senior Fellowship by the Dept.
of Culture, Government of India, for writing a book on Kelucharan Mohapatra’s
life. The book titled ‘The making of a guru’ has been published
by Manohar and released in New Delhi, in April 2001.
In Bhubaneswar she is imparting training in Odissi and Chhau dances
to local as well as visiting students in her own institution ‘Art
vision’, founded by her in the year 1995. Through Art Vision Ileana
has organised along the years several Festivals unique in concept like
the ‘Festival of films on performing and visual arts’ which
has reached the 6th edition and the ‘Kalinga Mahotsav’,
a Festival of Martial Dances held in front of the Dhauli stupa at Bhubaneswar.
Art Vision is regularly hosting performances of folk theatre in the
mini auditorium situated in its own premises.
Dance Productions
Jarjara
Dancers:
Ramakanta Sen, Pagulu Jena, Guruva Baitha, Foren Dhada, Deva Dhada, Ranjan Baitha, Sanjeet Ghodei, Santanu Nayak, Dilip Nayak
Musicians:
Dhol: Loknath Dhada, Chhabis Dhada, Naba Ghadei
Mohuri: Ramchandra Ghadei, Kishor Ghadei, Gambhir Dhada
Kadka: Ratan Ghadei
Dhumsa: Bideshi Baitha
Duration - 25 min
Year of production - 2001
The Sun is depicted in its different positions such as the raising sun, the sun at its zenith, the setting sun and the nocturnal sun. Surya, the raising sun- worshipers perform Surya Nomaskar near the weaves of the ocean from where the sun is raising in its chariot.Mrityu, the sun at its zenith- the rays of the sun (described as golden birds) become more and more powerful. The unbearable heat dries up all vegetation. Savitry, the setting sun- the curative and spiritual aspect of the sun, which heals and restores to life. Varuna, the nocturnal sun- surrounded by the eight planets the sun is at the centre of the zodiacal circle. It is seen re-emerging gloriously in the morning in his chariot drawn by four horses, flank by Skanda and Agni on his sides, holding a lotus in his right hand and the reins in his left.
Concept and choreography -
Ileana Citaristi
Music
- Jyotishka Dasgupta
Dancers:
Ileana Citaristi
Nitin Sharma
Duration - 23 min.
The development of the item is as follows:
I
segment: the two opposites are not yet separated, they play together as
one.
II
segment: the great beginning begets the two fundamental forces, the creative,
masculine, and the receptive, feminine.
III
segment: after separation, the opposites complementing each other
IV
segment: transformations in space and time
V
segment: dream sequence, relativity between dream and reality
VI
segment: circumbalation of light, return to wholeness.
Concept & Choreography - Ileana Citaristi
Music Composition - Jyotishka Dasgupta
Lights - Srikant Chowdhury
Duration - 22 min
The piece develops through different moments underlined by the recitation of Japanese 'haikus' by Osho and by the dancer herself.
The ‘journey’ starts at dawn and ends at sunset; it passes through stages which could be associated to phases in one’s own life but it tends to come back and to start every time from the same point, in a sort of unending spiral.
The
voice which at the end asks playfully to the summer moon if “are
there shortcuts in the sky?” is the voice of innocence, able with
a single question to reveal the absurdity of human illusions.
(A dance production in Mayurbhanj Chhau Style performed by dancers of the
Mayurbhanj Chhau Nrutya Prathisthan, Baripada
trained under the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Project).
Concept & Choreography - Ileana Citaristi
Music Composition - Shantanu Mohapatra, Niranjan Bhol
Dancers:
Trilochan Mohanta, Santanu Naik, Ramchandra Das, Pradeep Mohanty, Dilip Naik, Upendra Singh, Sanjeet Ghadei, Pagula Jena, Debnarayan Dhada, Ramakanta Sen, Subhasree Banerjee, Sumitra Naik.
Light Designer - Srikanta Chaudhuri
Co-ordinator- L. N. Das
The five elements (Pruthivi, Ap, Tejam, Vayu, Akasa) are shown in their original state: Earth (solid), Water (liquid), Fire (heat), Wind (prana), Ether (space). - Harmony reigns among them.
SCENE
- II
Intrusion by men and technology: with development goes the exploitation
of natural resources. Construction, cutting, digging, elimination of non
profitable species, mechanisation of life ... lead to collapse of the
original ecological balance.
SCENE
- III
Pollution in the form of Vritta asuras; circumscribing forces which block,
separate, create enimity among elements leading the different forms of
existence towards self- destruction.
SCENE
- IV
Re-establishing of balance between macro and microcosmos through the re-discovery
of an intimate relationship between Man and Nature. Man instead of playing
the role of a Master who usurps the. benefits of Nature, takes his place
within the Universe, between Heaven and Earth, between the infinite cosmic
space -and the environment formed of all the living things on our planet.
Concept and script - Sri Jivan Pani
Choreography - Dr. Ileana Citaristi
Music - Sri Partho Das
Light and sound - Arun Madkaikar
Dancers - 6 females and 1 male
Duration - 53 min.
In the first scene we are facing the watery surface of the Timeless Being; the moment 'Time' or 'Rhythm' creeps in, the dimension of 'Space' takes shape and 'Prakruti' or Nature is born.
From the cosmic union between 'Prakruti', the female principle and the male cosmic being, generations of creatures are born. all are limbs of the same body, but they look as separated and individual beings. Through the deception of the five senses, the original oneness is lost into a myriad of experiences which form the insatiable hunger of our lives.
Until tired of this endless run, man looks inside himself and rediscovers the unity of all.
Choreography - Ileana Citaristi
Music - Igor Watkevitch
Duration - 18 min
The Greek myth goes that Echo, seeing the beautiful Narcissus hunting in the forest, falls in love with him. At first entices and then rejected by him, out of despair, she loses her body and remains only a voice that cannot be silent if others talk, but cannot talk if others remain silent. Narcissus, proud and unapproachable, and cursed by all the nymphs to fall in love with somebody he can never get, falls in love with his own reflection in the water. This insane attachment to his own reflection leads him to a premature death.
Visually, Narcissus has been rendered as movement and Echo as vibration created by the movements. By trying to escape from his own projections, Narcissus instead, gets more and more trapped by them. His incapacity to relate to others and his introverted obstinacy lead him towards a final dissolution into the water of the unconscious.
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Contact
details: Ileana Citaristi 1965, Bindusagar (west) Bhubaneswar 751002- India Tel. (fax): 0091-674-2433779 email: ileana5@hotmail.com website: www.kalinga.net/ileana www.indiansarts.com/ileana |
