–folksy costumes & energy of  dancers praised
BURDENED with the expectation to take Nrityageet into the fourth and fifth decades, two of the youngest instructors of the prestigious dance production really lived up to that promise as the 33rd edition of the show came off last Friday night at the National Cultural Centre.

Judging from the crowd’s reaction, Suzanne Shah Nilson and Rewattie Datt-DaCosta had the keys to the hearts of the audience, as every number that the pair either choreographed or danced was met with appreciative applause, whistles, or calls for an encore.
The word “Nrityageet” itself means “pure song and dance”, and the show boasted a repertoire that included Kathak, Bharatanatya, Odissi, Folk, Modern, Chutney, Soca, Jazz, Ballet, Ballroom and Ethnic dance styles.
As is traditional, the entire troupe came together to perform the invocation. The eye-catching number featured Hindu and Muslim salutations choreographed by Suzanne, Rewattie, and co-founder and senior instructor Nadira Shah-Berry. Dancers from the National School of Dance supplied the Christian element dancing to the Alleluia chorus, and coordinating their finish with the Nrityageet troupe. This part was choreographed by Linda Griffith, Director of the National School of Dance.
The programme officially began after the invocation and traditional welcome by Dr. Yesu Persaud. ‘A Village Dance’ choreographed by Rewattie started the programme.  The piece attracted the attention of some members of Naya Zamana, another prestigious dance production, who praised the beautiful folksy costumes and the energy of the dance. Veteran dancer Nadira made her appearance doing what she does best — Kathak.

In a way that few can, Nadira brought the graceful and elegant motions of the dance to life with ‘Kathak Tarana’.
A personal favourite, and by all appearances a favourite with the audience, Rewattie performed “Grandpa’s Choices”, a piece which, not surprisingly, she choreographed herself.  It was plain to see why the number was called ‘Grandpa’s Choices’, as it was composed of a medley of big movie hits from back in the day.
The Guyana Ramleela Group delivered a memorable performance of “Ramleela”, a piece that demanded skills in dance, drama, narration and costume. But the youngsters pulled it off, even the split-second and often behind-a-prop-tree costume changes.
Even before the first half of the show had ended, it was apparent that the show was of notably better quality than last year’s production, even to my non-professional eye. The improvement extended to all aspects: choice of music, repertoire, choreography, execution, costumes, time, and the stage itself.
A beautiful, textured, gilded frame, reminiscent of an antique photo frame, was  expertly set in front of a large screen which changed with every dance, showing beautiful temples, lakes, gardens, sunsets, mountains, abstract artwork, and more. The combination created a beautiful three-dimensional effect, and one expected, at any moment, a dancer to dance off into the sunset on screen. These observations were also confirmed by my aforementioned new professional dancer friends.
Near the end of the first segment, tassa drumming filled the air. The audience had not had time to recover from the energising beats when ‘Mystical Religions’, a number choreographed by Suzanne, took to the stage. The fact that the lights had been put out only seconds before made the special effects more enchanting, as did the mysterious smoke which shrouded the stage, and the coloured and pulsating lights used in combination.
The second segment consisted of mostly contemporary dance styles: filmi, pop and chutney styles. This part also featured a fashion show segment that suitably wowed the audience, as the models showed off a scintillating display of fashion that was a fusion of Asian and Western fashions.
In “Tomorrow’s Crazy World”, Susanne danced uninhibitedly to Adele.  She finished the dance holding a framed map of Guyana, to the loud cheers of the audience.
This year, Guyana celebrates 174 years since the ancestors of Indo-Guyanese came to the shores of British Guiana.
Nrityageet is produced by the Nadira and Indranie Shah Dance Troupe, and has long established itself as a fixture of Arrival Day celebrations.