Darpana Academy Celebrates 75 Years with ‘Meanwhile Elsewhere’

Darpana Academy, a Dance And Theatre school, was started by Mrinalini Sarabhai, now run by her daughter, Mallika Sarabhai. It is celebrating its 75th year. Darpana, in collaboration with Nexion, staged a musical drama ‘Meanwhile Elsewhere’ at the Natarani amphitheater. It was a spectacular drama presented on a multilevel stage with unique and exciting props. The props were, among others, long lengths of white and pink cloth and reams of polythene paper.

Twelve young enthusiastic dancers of the academy danced, weaving intricate patterns with these long lengths of material. Their movement was fluid. The precision of their entries and exits was spectacular. They danced while entangling themselves in the streams of cloth and polythene.

The story was an adaptation of “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino. In the original tale, Marco Polo is a merchant traveler. He describes to Kublai Khan, the Mongol Emperor, the fictional cities he visited. In his narrative he explores themes of memory, place, and the nature of human experience.

In the play ‘Meanwhile Elsewhere,’ Marco is played by Mallika and three others in different scenes. Marco tells the tale of near dysfunctional cities and the alienation of the people in fictional cities.

The presentation was exciting with each scene beginning with a philosophical quote projected on to a transparent curtain. A comment on life in the cities: ‘Each day we bury the past and call it progress‘. And then the curtain rose and every time one was enthralled!

‘The city has a secret: It knows only departures and not returns’. The characters tell stories in their own language, including English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Malayalam. They also use foreign languages that I did not understand. There is a story of a migrant and a taxi driver, who never felt they belonged to the city.

There is a feeling of mystery, sorrow, love, loss, and alienation. In one scene an air hostess announces the name of a city and the temperature outside, and we land. Each city is depicted as being exactly the same. There is a barber, sweeper and vegetable vendor, performing the exact same tasks in each city!

The sets, scene and dances were almost mythical. It was a most enjoyable experience. We were transported into a different world.