Based on the South Indian classical dance (Bharatanatyam) item, “Alaripu.”

Choreographic arrangement of Alaripu for the camera: Cherie Sampson.

Version of Alaripu choreographed by: Prasanna Kasthuri, Soorya Performing Arts, St. Louis, MO. USA.

“Solkattu” (rhythmic recitation): Cherie Sampson.  (A traditional solkattu for “Alaripu” with slight variations by the artist for the production.) 

Video & Audio Post-production: Cherie Sampson

Camera: Brian Smith (Scanline Video), Daniel Kelly, Cherie Sampson

Costume Design: Kerri Packard

On-location assistants: Dan Kelly & Wendy Stegall

 One of the first dances traditionally learned in the classical South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam, Alaripu is a meditative opening up of mind and body in preparation for the rigors of the dance practice and presentation.  Alaripu means “blossom” in the Tamil language and there are many versions of the dance, however, all follow a similar, basic structure. In this screendance work, a three-beat, or “Tishra Alaripu” is danced throughout the environment of an apple orchard during a springtime bloom, connecting the symbolic essence of the dance with the burgeoning and intoxicating life force of the ephemeral peak days of the orchard bloom. The film opens with a gradual transition from winter into spring, followed by the dancing of Alaripu itself, dissected and reconstructed with multiple perspectives of its movements, including close-ups of mudras (hand gestures) and footwork.  Dance images are cut with illustrative diagrams of archival orchard-layout plans and bud/blossom anatomy cutaways. Juxtapositions of the dancer and biological imagery create tripartite montages, alluding to the 3-beat metric of the dance.