10.61°C Science and spirituality save the day in this new dance piece from the wonderful Sanskruti Dance Company. Tree of Life, presented at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester, tells the story of Aranyani, the Goddess of forests and the wild, who is dying. If she is to recover and continue to support the plants and animals who depend on her, she needs nourishment and balance in the world. It is down to a spiritual Sage and a Scientist – and the audience – to discover how to save her. Simply yet effectively staged, this gentle and mesmerising piece had the audience, of all ages, enraptured.
Effective narration keeps us informed of the myth that is being recounted, and the performers move superbly in the space, each gesture and movement clearly conveying meaning. The tree itself is wonderfully inventive, with pulsing lights that show when green, nature is in balance; when red, a clear warning that the environment is out of control and fire is a real threat. Science works out how to overcome the dangers, and peace is restored, but there is a clear message here about looking after Earth.
As with the other productions I have seen by this company, appropriate audience participation demonstrates how much the young people had learnt during the show, and the production concludes with each child being given a sunflower seed to plant and grow. It’s touches like this that make this company warmly educative, whilst entertaining the audience through exquisite movement and music.
