About 500 people were at Cohen Auditorium Saturday evening to watch Kathak dance, an ancient Indian art. Chitresh Das, a world-renowned master of the art, gave a solo performance with Swapan Chaudhuri, Christopher Ris, and George Ruckert providing musical accompaniment. The Tufts Association for South Asians (TASA) organized the event, which drew people from all over Boston to the show.
Das made the evening accessible and entertaining for people who knew little about the art by explaining each dance. At one point, he explained that he begins each dance by moving his eyes; the movement then spreads to his neck, his wrists, and then the rest of his body. The dances require the dancer to keep track of intricate numerical sequences, allowing progressions to exist within a 16th-note frame, i.e., he progress from eight notes to one note, all within the 16th-note framework.
"We had a fabulous turnout for the concert and I think it was an absolute success," TASA president Amol Sharma said. "From the looks on people's faces, they seemed mesmerized by the artists [who] really tried to explain what they were doing, which I think was appropriate for this particular audience."
The dance helped raise funds for an Asian Women's Shelter, Sakhi, and was followed by a dance workshop on Sunday.
