Seeta Patel’s The Rite of Spring is an exciting take on a controversial classic. Long considered a contentious piece, The Rite of Spring has challenged the norms of classical dance since its inception over 100 years ago.
Its initial premiere caused a stir in the ballet world, with many audience members unimpressed by the choreography’s violent nature. Perhaps more controversial than the choreography itself was Igor Stravinsky’s untraditional score; its rhythm and meter were described as confusing and uncomfortable to listen to.
Of course, Stravinsky’s score is now widely loved and acclaimed, so it is unsurprising that Seeta Patel has chosen to stay true to the original music in much of her interpretation. Fusing the South Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam with familiar Western music, she delivers a highly distinctive and dynamic performance.
With this piece, Patel seeks to show that Bharatanatyam dance can be just as powerful as ballet and contemporary styles. She described these hopes in a recent interview with the Bagri Foundation: “As a South Asian artist in the diaspora, I have always championed not wanting to be othered and what I hope this shows is that there is a place for Bharatanatyam on a bigger stage, on more main-stream levels.”
The show opens with a solo piece performed by Patel herself, accompanied by the rhythms of highly talented South Indian musicians. The staging here is particularly impressive, with haunting vocals growing louder and louder as the stage illuminates to reveal Patel at its centre. The Bharatanatyam style is often danced solo, and this introductory performance shows Patel to stay true to the style’s classical form, before staging an ensemble piece in part two.
Only in part two will the audience begin to recognise the sacrificial story of The Rite of Spring. The original narrative takes place in a pagan society whereby a young girl, ‘the chosen one’, is selected to be sacrificed to the god of spring, and must dance herself to death. Patel’s rendition is equally disturbing, though in her version the chosen one becomes a deity, with the rest of the cast sacrificing themselves to her.
From the offset the choreography is a feast for the eyes; the incredibly precise movements of Bharatanatyam dance are all the more impressive on a collective scale. The dancers move in almost perfect symmetry with one another, each mirroring movements down to their fingertips.
The performance is split with a short, dreamlike interlude. Here the music is reminiscent of part one, a welcome moment of calm before Stravinsky’s score launches us back into the action.
Throughout the production the use of lighting and staging is stunning. Initially, the stage is bathed in a sun-like glow, but as time passes the colours become more and more sinister, culminating in an ominous red for the show’s violent end. The dancers lurch and tear at swathes of red fabric as they meet their deaths, crawling through the deity’s legs in sacrifice. This red cloth is a powerful visual which, combined with the dancer’s expressive facials and movement, creates an unsettling finale to the piece.
In her choreographer’s note, Patel very accurately describes how it feels to watch her performance. She says “Stepping into the world of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is like walking into a calm, shallow, sun-kissed pool, but feeling that there is something much bigger than anything you’ve ever known about to consume you. This brings anticipation, excitement and a strange sense of foreboding.”
It is difficult now to imagine the negative reception The Rite of Spring first received, for Patel’s version has been widely praised by audiences and critics alike. The show completes its run in Basingstoke on November 23, 2023. Tickets are available here.
