The mudras flowed with grace on Wednesday when award-winning choreographer Preeti Vasudevan gave a spellbinding performance at the University of Hyderabad. Stories by Hand, an almost autobiographical piece, was a storytelling solely through gestures.
Preeti elaborates on the idea, “The idea came about at a coffee table while I was sitting and having a conversation with Paul Kaiser. When we used to tour different cities and countries, he would always ask me what each mudra meant. In the process of explaining the different connotations, we decided to dedicate an entire performance to tell my story using just hand gestures and movements.”
Hoshang Merchant
Stories by Hand attempted to bridge the disconnect the audience faces while watching a purely classical performance that is devoid of a narration. The linear narration and single-toned lighting kept the overall feel of the performance very minimalistic while keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Among the audience were students of the University of Hyderabad’s Department of Theatre and Dance, many eminent theatre personalities, performers and poets.
R. K. Shenoy
Zeenat, a student of the Department of Communication, felt the performance reflected the importance of hand gestures in everyday communication. “While I had trouble stringing together the multiple stories narrated, I felt it was a very calm and relaxing performance,” she adds.
HT04
