BY A STAFF REPORTER

 LA MIRADA, CA - The dazzling first and original version of the popular dance drama “Sathavaro Radhe Shyam No” was performed by a talented group of over 40 artists from India on the evenings of July 18 at the La Mirada Performing Arts Center followed by another for those who could not get tickets for the first show, at the Corona Civic Center in Corona.

The immortal story of Lord Krishna continues to excite the imagination and though witnessed hundreds of time through the medium of  drama and dance its appeal never diminishes and to add to the eternal collection was the one  which hit the stages of the Southland. The La Mirada Theater was packed to the hilt well before the first strains of the invocation “Vakra Thunda Mahakaya” wafted through the audio system to set the mood for the presentation.

The episodes in this production are centered around Shrinathji and the opening scene depicted  the a picture of the deity in Nathadwara at the center of a huge background painting representation of the peaceful rural ambience of Vrindhavan. Performers with fans and instruments emerged from the sides to the tunes of “Shrinathji jai jai kar”  followed by an aarti performed by the dancers.

For close to three hours episode after episode from little Krishna to his adulthood were played out in spectacular fashion choreographed to well known Hindi and Gujarati songs and bhajans. Many in the audience were seen mouthing the lyrics as the program progressed. The cutest moment came with the infant Krishna (played by 2 year old Ronak Thakkar) being carried in along a side aisle through the audience in a basket, led by dancers costumed as elephants, horses and peacocks. The tot was lifted to the top of a pyramid of dancers to reenact the mischievous divine child’ stealing butter, a scene often seen performed on the streets  during Janmashtami in many of the cities of North India.

The stage setting was imaginative, at the same time practical providing the optimal operational convenience. The center was reserved for the dance action and the narrator was placed on the left and the singer ensemble on the right on small platforms , with the spotlight following and focusing on the location where the action was taking place. With the remaining areas being engulfed in darkness , rearrangement of the sets was achieved without any interruption or a stall in the flow of the story.

Teamwork certainly was the ingredient of success with no dancer really dominating the production Krishna being the central theme, Dhaiyat Thakkar as the younger version and Nishit Vasani  as the adult did have a few moments of  individual prominence which they carried off creditably, but it was the collective spectacle of  the ensemble dancing in twos, threesomes or  groups that caught the eye and brought the spectacle to life. Male dancers were energetic yet refined while the young ladies were charming and graceful in everything they did.

The dance choreography of Ashwin Pandey moulded from folk, kathak and semi classical styles   was innovative and visually appealing as he wove his craft through the fabric of  Krishna’s tales. The tasteful and cheerful colors of the constumes designed by Sheetal Parpani and Nishit Vasani, combined with  immaculate timing in lighting   complemented the aura of joy and exhuberance of Krishna’s life.

The foundation of the mega production was the music controlled judiciously by lead singers Nilesh Thakkar and Arpita Thakkar. Apart from his excellent musical renditions of songs and bhajans Nilesh infused additional life into the action  with his periodic  bursts of “ Jai Jai Krishna “ and “Jai Jai Radhe”  At times he would step off  the platform he shared with his collegues to address the audience and coaxing the viewers  to join in the chants and clapping. With her crystal clear voice and ability to hold a note for long stretches , Arpita kept pace with an exciting range of octaves.

The episodes were strung together by a vibrant verbal commentary by narrator Nikhil Sangoi. Often mixing contemporary subjects with cleverly timed moments of humor he kept the show moving.

The show was presented by national promoter Natwar Thakkar of 999 Enterprises Inc and Hiren Parpani Productions. The regional promoters and sponsors were Harish-Harshida-Dhanesh Parmar of Dhanraj  and Tisha Entertainment Inc in association with C.N.Travel and Highglow Jewelers.