Nrityageet is a major production and achievement. It is outstanding among Guyana’s foremost, important and longest-running annual dance productions. It holds a prominent place in the history of dance in Guyana.
Nations erect monuments to commit to posterity moments of glory, their heroes, significant events, milestones and personalities in nation building, episodes and institutions that have had an impact, or left a mark on their history. On May 5, as a part of the commemoration of Arrival Day, 2019, the nation of Guyana unveiled a new monument to East Indian Arrival in Guyana, erected at Palmyra in Berbice. That now adds to the ostentatious pieces of public art, of concrete cultural trophies in the country – a public and permanent acknowledgement of contributions to human development, to social, economic, political and cultural heritage.
On the same weekend, May 3 and 4, 2019, 70 miles away in Georgetown, the Nadira and Indranie Shah Dance Troupe closed the curtains on the annual dance production, Nrityageet, with performances of “Nrityageet 40 – Unity in Diversity Through Dance” directed by Dr Seeta Shah Roath, celebrating Indian Arrival in Guyana. That they have been doing this for 40 years, in the context of theatre anywhere, is a remarkably long run, and in the context of theatre in Guyana, a monumental achievement.
The annual production is a monument in the history of dance and theatre in Guyana. “History is built around achievement and creation” (Naipaul), and this long-running production that has contributed a lifetime of energy to the local stage has been a tradition of creation and achievement. Having built a monument to Indian Arrival and paid tribute to it with dance theatre, the Nadira and Indranie Shah Dance Troupe can be considered nation builders in the field of culture and deserve tribute for this contribution.
In 1979, the three sisters – Seeta, Nadira and Indranie Shah – founded the dance company and started to perform the full dance production at the National Cultural Centre. They have sustained that production every year in the first week of May as a celebration of Indian Arrival.
Nrityageet 40 directed by Dr Roath, was subtitled “Unity in Diversity Through Dance” and “Celebrating Indian Arrival for 40 Years”. In this production there was both a focus on Indian dance in keeping with the Arrival Day agenda, and an interest in modern dance of other different forms. Attention was certainly paid to the themes of diversity and unity both in a social context and in dance. Guyana as a plural society was taken into consideration and certainly took advantage of this as an opportunity to explore a diversity of dance forms and influences.
Such are the interests and curiosities of dancers and of all artists. The Shah dance troupe has shown this widening interest throughout the years of its existence. Additionally, the annual shows have had many guest performers who lent some of the “diversity”. In performance 40, the National School of Dance performed “Alleluia” by Linda Griffith. Interestingly, another item on the programme was “Wonders of Allah” by Joshua Percival, introducing something of Islam as another current.
Going further on that note was a reflection of the Hindu influence as it obtains in the plural society and as it has made its mark on dance. Guest performers included the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre – dance students Aneesa Singh and Preiya Methuram, as well as kathak instructor Pankhuri Srivastava. There is a symbiotic interdependence between Hinduism and dance which has been particularly pertinent in Guyana. Many Hindu organisations and holy institutions develop and maintain groups as dance is part of their religious outreach. Such is the case of the Golden Om Dharmic Dance Group which performed “Gopi Prem Leila” and “Bangra Vibes” in Nrityageet 40.
The folk forms are also of relevance. The Guyana Ramlila Group performed “Ramlila: The Abduction”. This relates to the abduction of Sita by Rawan in the story of Lord Ram, which is an extract from the lengthy Ramlila. This folk form is really a dance drama of epic proportions that used to be performed annually by the folk in Guyana where it is now extinct; in Trinidad it flourishes each year. The Guyana Ramlila Group is on a mission to revive and maintain it. This drama is used to educate about the principles of Hinduism. What the Ramlila Group does is an assimilation on stage of the traditional folk form that is normally performed outdoors on a field.
Diversity was also brought to the proceedings by the distinguished presence of the National Dance Company, which performed “One” a choreography by company director Vivienne Daniel, and “Expressions II”.
Furthermore, there was quite a range starting with the opening introductory choreography by Seeta Roath performed by the Nadira and Indranie Shah Troupe which specifically paid tribute to Arrival. This was in two parts – a solo by Nadira Shah Berry titled “Leaving the Mother-land”, and the second part “Arrival” performed by members of the Troupe Joshua Percival, Keon Heywood, Melissa and Christina.
The diversity continued in other pieces by the Troupe, such as “Mosaic” – the work of dancer-choreographer Suzanne Shah Nilsson, daughter of Dr Roath. She performed in the dance alongside Indira Itwaru, Sony Sikandar, Heywood and Percival.
Further to those, were exhibitions of kathak by senior members of the Troupe, starting with solos by Nadira Shah Berry, the evening’s and the company’s most senior and celebrated dancer. Shah Berry is one of the founders who rose to the pinnacle of dance in Guyana as a soloist and as a leading member of the Nadira and Indranie Troupe. She followed that with an international career in Barbados, the USA and Sweden where she lived.
Kathak continued with duets including other senior leading Troupe members like Rewattie Datt, a prominent dancer-choreographer. These also included Nilsson who grew up with Nrityageet, starting as a child performer all the way through training, her own international career in Sweden and status as a rising major dancer on the Guyanese stage. Duets additionally included senior dancers Itwaru, Heywood, Rewattie and Nilsson.
Kathak is a major dance form in Indian culture with sacred Hindu associations, and it has certainly been studied in various editions of Nrityageet, with Shah Berry as an expert. Shah Berry’s choreography was further represented by “Vandana” with additional company members Suzanne, Indira, Sony, Rewattie, Keon, Joshua and Ellie.
An outstanding feature of this dance company and of the annual production is the way it was kept going even after all the major performers, choreographers, tutors left the country to reside abroad. This left Dr Roath, who returned to be the lone, locally based director to produce the
annual show and run the company including its training school.
However, all of them returned to Guyana religiously every year to be a part of the production. This had to be very costly, and a show of commitment and dedication. There were, however, other members of the team, such as Mrs Bhanmattie Shah, mother of the founders and wife of the legendary Cyril Shah (Cyril Shaw), leading producer and promoter and once manager of the Mighty Sparrow. His wife and daughters surely upheld the tradition in theatre, production and music that he led.
Mrs Shah was a major worker in the field, carrying out backbreaking labour in production and most of all in costuming. For several years she was responsible for the outstanding spectacular costuming which a number of times won the Best Costume category in annual theatre awards.
Dr Roath has been a rock in the turbulent sea that kept company and production afloat in the several turbulent years. She has been a dancer, trained in ballet, a writer, choreographer and performer, as well as a practitioner in studio production, film, broadcasting and communications. She has been the Technical Director for Guyana at Carifesta and the Chief Executive for the Guyana Learning Channel (television). Dr Roath has worked at the University of Guyana and is a lecturer at the National School of theatre Arts and Drama.
During the years, Nrityageet MS and the company that directed it has won Best Production theatre awards, represented Guyana at Carifesta and has been decorated with National Honours and Awards. Those remaining at the helm are to be congratulated for creating a monument in the dance theatre of Guyana.
