Navarasa Gauri

Navarasa Gauri is a live music and dance performance featuring three musicians, two modern dancers and a Bharat Natyam dancer.
The contents are based on
the ancient old scripture the ‘Natya Shastra’ written by Bharata Muni (±200 B.C.)
and the book ‘The yoga of
the nine emotions’ by Peter Marchand.
The performance consists of two parts. The first part
treats the negative emotions whereas the second expresses the positive emotions. This because the emotions have a clear reciprocal relationship and are often a consequence of one another.
Every emotion has a length of about 8 to 9 minutes. In total Navarasa takes about 90 minutes.

Title explanation

Navarasa is the Sanskrit translation for the nine basic emotions as described in the Natya Shastra (nava = ‘9’, rasa = ‘emotion’/’taste’/’relationship’). Gauri can be interpreted  in different ways. In the piece Gauri refers to the feminine and to the ‘Light’ (God).
Gauri also is another name for Parvati or Shakti, the female principle.

Navarasa Part I (now follows a description of the piece scene by scene)

Mantra (Obeicences)

Navarasa Gauri opens with a mantra or homage as is the custom in all Indian dance as well as in most Samadhi performances. In Mantra the artists express their gratefulness for the space, the music, the ‘earth’ (floor), the dance, the ‘guru’ (teacher/parents) and the opportunity to perform the piece. The homage is always an offering to the Lord of Eternal Love Krishna. The mantra may be seen as an introduction of the dancers and musicians.

Bhayanaka (fear)

The first Rasa (emotion) that follows the mantra is the emotion Bhayanaka or ‘Fear’. After the indian dancer Vinita Simonse has left the stage, the other dancers notice for the fist time the material nature that surrounds them; they become conscious of things like the temperature, the hard floor and the outer sounds. Soon the discomfort follows the dancers who are suddenly dealing with their vulnerability in the changing and temporary character of the material world. This discomfort and misunderstanding starts to infect the dancers with fear.

Vibhatsa  (Disgust, Abomination)

Vibhatsa - photo by Peter Vroon

‘No Rasa is more demonic and useless than Disgust.’*

At the end of Bhayanaka we see that the dancers become ‘trapped’ in the llusion of fear, out of which a new emotion Abomination starts to flow. This is exhibited in this scene by the transmutation of the dancers into ‘lower forms of existence’; the women are now looking more like insect-like creatures who are clamping onto the earth and are trying to ’stick their heads in the sand’ where possible. In Disgust we see elements like self pity, quarrel, jealousy, egotism, conceitedness, depression, stagnation, contemptuousness, haughtiness and physical discomfort.
At the end of Vibhatsa stagnation, uneasiness of the senses and self pity is staged. These feelings are slowly provoking a resistance in the dancers; the emotion ‘Raudra’ or ‘Anger is commencing.

Raudra  (Anger)

In Raudra we see three totally different stages of Anger. The first that is depicted is ‘resistance’; being completely fed up with it and defending oneself. The second phase is of Anger is ‘threatening’. Within threatening there is made space for action and this may also be called ‘the attack’. The dancer is now accepting a threatening and intimidating role, to in this way impose fear onto her (mental) opponent. The first two phases of anger can also be seen as something constructive, because it can break down the depression and stagnation of Vibhatsa.
The third phase of anger on the other hand is the destructive and self-destructive aspect of it, namely anger that has been housing for too long within ones physical body and is starting to corrode ones own immunity system.

Karuna   (Sadness/Compassion)

‘True Compassion aims at bringing enlightenment.’*

When the raging dancer comes to a calming we see her companion silently appearing on the stage slowly starting to braid the hair  of the exhausted dancer, removing it from her eyes. This event symbolizes the removal of dark clouds that are blocking ones sight and for comforting a loved one.
It becomes clear that the displayed uncontrollable anger is nothing else then undigested sadness to which can be given in to for the first time.
This makes place for the emotion ‘Karuna’ or Sadness and Compassion to enter.
Because of their sadness the dancers finally give acceptance to the material world and her nature and place is made for humility. For the first time the dancers are experiencing how although they are admittedly subjected to nature, at the same time they are part of it. This realization slowly awakens a feeling of consolation and compassion just like a night coming to an end giving way to a new day.

Navarasa Part II

Veerya (Courage)

‘The greatest courage is to let go of pride and admit to our mistakes.’*

When the raging dancer comes to a calming we see her companion silently appearing on the stage slowly starting to braid the hair of the exhausted dancer, removing it from in front of her eyes. This event symbolizes the removal of dark clouds that are blocking ones sight and for comforting a loved one.
It becomes clear that the displayed uncontrollable anger is nothing else then undigested sadness to which can be given in to for the first time.
This makes place for the emotion ‘Karuna’ or Sadness and Compassion to enter.
Because of their sadness the dancers finally give acceptance to the material world and her nature and place is made for humility. For the first time the dancers are experiencing how although they are admittedly subjected to nature, at the same time they are part of it. This realization slowly awakens a feeling of consolation and compassion just like a night coming to an end giving way to a new day

Adbhuta (Wonderment)

In Adbhuta we go back to the basics and the purity and beauty thereof. We see the Indian dancer expressing wonderment for the Divine accompanied by melodious Indian singing.
This scene appeals to the wonderment of the audience showing how something simple and honest can be so touching and beautiful.     Especially the humility of the dancer plays an important part.
The dancers are now seeing the wonders of nature and life invoking amazement for all that is and all we don’t understand.
In this way it can be seen as a positive way of dealing with incomprehension and mystery.
The film projection by Levina Tameris displaying nature’s beauty strengthens the mystery of Adbhuta.

Hasya (Joy/Humor)

‘Feeling happy is the best medicine that laboratories may yet invent.’*

In Hasya Rasa the mysterious atmosphere of Adbhuta is been broken by a humorous slapstick movie followed by a joyous act of the sisters in a kitschy show-bizz atmosphere. Pleasure and enjoyment of life in times when things aren’t too serious are being expressed. Eventually Surajit takes over and starts to play energetic and joyous music strengthening the blissful feeling of Hasya and announcing the entrance of the emotion Love, the finale.

Shringara (Love)

The beginnning of Shringara is a celebration of it’s presence and it’s power to make things eternal. We see another reference to the Vedas which speak of the eternal, ever-loving soul who resides in the temporary material body. The mood of joyful love takes on another form, the tragical side of love. The more one loves something or someone, the more difficult separation from it becomes. It points towards death and parting from loved ones. Because there is a cognition of eternity in the emotion Shringara the sisters find peace together, initiating Shanta Rasa, the emotion Peace.

Shanta (Peace)

Shanta is actually not regarded as an emotion in the Natya Shastra. This is because, in it’s purest form, it’s actually a state of complete absence of emotion. It’s therefore called ‘Arasa’ or the opposite of emotion. But, because it appears as being a mood, nowadays Shanta is accepted as the ninth Rasa. In Shanta, the desired emotion in meditation and yoga, everything becomes equal. Complete contentment is experienced. The piece ends in the same way as it begun resembling the end of creation when everything is being reclaimed by it’s origin.

*‘The Yoga of the 9 Emotions’ by Peter Merchand.