This previous class I became very interested in the extra
dimension that the traditional Asian forms of dance add to the performance of
their epics and stories. The contrast that Guru presented between the Western
and Eastern styles of telling the same story were what brought this to my
attention. Whereas Western plays rely upon the words of the stories to tell
their tale, Eastern traditions evoke movement that represents the words to
convey their ultimate meaning. Although this is a completely different venue
than is used by productions in the West, I can see similarities in both of
their goals.
Shakespeare’s
plays were beloved mainly because so many people could understand and relate to
them. A good playwright during his era needed to be able to appeal to both the
lower and upper classes if one was to be successful in any capacity. Many of
the writers at his time used highbrow language un-accessible to the majority of
the population but Shakespeare was able to utilize a tone and level of language
that every member of his audience could understand.
In the East, they came across a
similar problem, but contrived a much different solution. The challenge was
that the Mahabharata was written in Sanskrit, a language most of the
population, excluding the high-ranking Brahmins could not understand. So, just
like Shakespeare, the performers knew they had to present the story in a way
that everyone could comprehend it. Because it was a sacred text, the language
could not be changed as in Western plays, so instead the performers chose to
express themselves through dance. The dances bring meaning to the spoken parts;
they act out the words and are really the heart of the story.
No comments:
Post a Comment