Photo of Tehreema Mitha from TMDC
Monday night at the Kennedy Center the Tehreema Mitha Dance Company filled the stage with an enchanting display of classical and contemporary Indian dance. The performance was elegant and passionate. The performances of Tehreema Mitha and Praneetha Akula dazzled with original Bharatanatyam dances set to specially composed music.
The ladies began the evening with a traditional dance duet. They moved as fluid statues with subtle movements that slipped into the larger more aggressive dance moves. The rest of the dances were solo pieces. The dances were thought provoking providing the audience with engaging stories told through music and movement.
The show lasted about an hour and consisted of four dances. There was an awkwardly long pause after the first dance while they changed consumes. But the dances flowed more smoothly for the remainder of the show as the performers alternated solo acts providing them with adequate time to prepare. There was no central theme to the dances to carry your mind from one dance to the next. But the Company provided sufficient introduction to each dance that they became separate and distinct stories each its own special performance. Over all the performance was enchanting and thought provoking.
Mitha choreographed the dances and composed the accompanying music. Born in Pakistan Mitha has been performing Bharatanatyam style dances for over 22 years. She still returns to Pakistan to dance for audiences there. Akula has studied Bharatanatym since the age of three. The two have brought Baharatanatyam dance to a wide array of audiences. They have several up-coming performances in the DC area. Also, Monday night’s performance was broadcast live from the Kennedy Center and is available on line in their archives if you would like to experience the show.
Comments