Greener Pastures

The production,titled Godaan – the gift of a cow,was developed entirely on two farms in Norway — Kaabel Gård in Våler and Smestad Gård in Kløfta. Adhana and his two dancers,Nora Svenning and Raja Anand,would spend months working on the farms,utilising the small spaces to improvise on the choreography. They got Norwegian music-composer Ulf Knudsen to create the music for their performance. “Ulf has used basic farm sounds,and a background of string instruments and a flute. We have deliberately not used any percussion to retain its simplicity,” says Adhana.

The performance includes lyrical jazz and acrobatic choreography,and it is the first time Adhana will bring his production to his hometown. “I grew up on a farm in Faridabad and the first performance I gave at the Faridabad Convention Centre was on Michael Jackson’s Black or White,13 years ago,” he says,excitedly. Steering clear from the differences between Indian and Norwegian farm life,Adhana wanted to give the performance a universal feel. “In Premchand’s story,the protagonist longs for a cow,which was a symbol of prosperity. Through this performance,I’d like to bring out the nagging sense of desire that we all tend to have,” he says.

Godaan – the gift of a cow will be performed at The Convention Centre,Faridabad on March 21 at 7.30 pm and Epicentre,Gurgaon on March 22 at 7.30 pm. Contact: 9818352302