Maya Dance Theatre presents
ATMA
ATMA (Sanskrit for Soul), a process-driven contemporary dance theatre production, finally makes its debut in Singapore at The Esplanade Theatre Studio from 26th October to 28th October 2007 after performing to full-house audiences in Indonesia for the last two years (2004 in Surakarta, Central Java and Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia and in 2005 at the 27th Bali Arts Festival).
Presented by Maya Dance Theatre, in collaboration with Institut Seni Indonesia-Denpasar, a renowned arts institution in Bali, Indonesia, the upcoming production, ATMA, is the third and final installation to the End of the Beginningseries that was staged as End of the Beginning in Surakarta, Central Java and Bali in 2004 and End of the Beginning – Ravana, at the 27th Bali Arts Festival in 2005.
What set this new production apart from its predecessors (End of the Beginning & End of the Beginning-Ravana) is that previous productions delved with the portrayal of Ravana’s villainy (Rama’s arch nemesis of the Hindu epic, Ramayana) on a psychological plain through the medium of dance. Thus, the rarely told story of Ravana - his birth, emergence and existence – was the centrefold of previous productions’ narratives. ATMA however, endeavours to take the concept a step further by expounding the cyclical journey of the soul, which underlies the transformations, downfall, and redemption of our archetypal villain – Ravana! The story of Ravana is the latitude on which ATMA illustrates the lamentable weakness of Man; his angst-ridden cosmic journey through the passage of time and space.
ATMA is a heavily process-driven contemporary dance-theatre production that has evolved over the years with different cast members. Although set to the amalgamation of several Classical Asian dance forms – namely Bharatha Natyam and Baris Dance from Bali - the production has been treated with a contemporary approach.
ATMA is presented by Maya Dance Theatre, directed and choreographed by Kavitha Krishnan & Juraimy Abu Bakar, featuring the cast of: Max Chen, Huang Yuzhu, Khairul Shahrin, theatre practitioner, Noor Effendy Mohamed and Indonesian artist, I Ngurah Sudibya and I Nyoman Sura. ATMA also features the collaboration of Music Composer, Alex Dea of Indonesia, Set Designer, Lex Marcos of Philippines and Lighting Designer, Hon Beng of Singapore.
ATMA will be presented at The Esplanade Theatre Studio on 26th and 27th October 2007 at 8.00pm and 27th and 28th October 2007 at 3.00pm.
Tickets are available at all SISTIC outlets.
For more information, log on to ATMA’s official website at www.Mayadancetheatre.org or contact Imran Manaff, (Production Manager) at Imran@mayadancetheatre.org or call 96352960.
