Cross-cultural Comparison of Dance: Sita Haran

The “Ramayana” comes to life through the second in a three-part series of cross-cultural dance workshops. Kathak comes from the word katha, meaning to tell stories. Charlotte Moraga of Chitresh Das Dance Co. will perform an excerpt from the “Ramayana” — Pandit Chitresh Das’ Sita Haran, the Abduction of Sita — in a traditional Kathak solo. Rama, Lakshmana and Sita are in the Panchavati forest when the demon Maricha, disguised as a golden deer, tempts Sita and distracts Rama so that Ravana can steal her away, setting in motion fateful events. On the surface it appears to be a fairytale of good and evil, but the ambiguity beneath has many layers. In a Kathak solo, the dancer portrays all the characters in a story using abhinaya (facial expression), hastaks (hand movements) and dance. Afterward, families can learn some of this fascinating Kathak vocabulary in a workshop with members of the Chhandam Youth Dance Company (CYDC).
Charlotte Moraga is a critically acclaimed Kathak dancer and educator. For 25 years, she has performed with the Chitresh Das Dance Company as principal dancer in Pandit Das’ celebrated works: Sita Haran, East as Center, India Jazz Progressions, Pancha Jati, Darbar, Sampurnam, Yatra and Shiva. A choreographer in her own right, she has created work for CYDC and in her collaborations: Conference of Birds, with composer and saxophonist Prasant Radhakrishnan, and Sangam, with tap dancer Chloe Arnold. She is currently the director of CYDC and co-artistic director of Chitresh Das Dance Company & Chhandam School of Kathak.