Saturday July 24, 2010 - Pichet Klunchun and his Company acknowledge the applause of a full house at Lincoln Center Festival's presentation of Pichet's CHUI CHAI. Photo: Kokyat. Click to enlarge.
A portion of CHUI CHAI was presented at Fall for Dance in 2008 and I have never forgotten the visual impact which Klunchun's rendering of the story - the demon maiden Benyakai is to be transformed into Sita, Rama's beloved wife, in order to dissuade Rama from waging war - or the expressive detail of the dancing.
Tonight's complete version is very different; after opening with a traditional telling of the story (sung in the native tongue and super-titled in English) with the dancers in fabulous jewel-encrusted costumes, there is a spoken interlude (also translated on screen) where people discuss how Sita might be perceived in modern times {"an actress, or a massage parlor girl"}. During this segment there is no one onstage.
Pichet Klunchun appears, shirtless and in tight jeans, dancing in ultra-slow motion with the bejeweled women. Photos of a modern city are projected as the dancers seek to bridge the span of time from ancient legend to contemporary life. Klunchun's dancing is mesmerizing in its simplicity and grace.
So good to see a sold out house, and to hear the dancers enthusiastically hailed at the final curtain.
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