When Nobel-winning Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore met Einstein in 1930 they discussed science, religion, and consciousness. Inspired by this encounter, Dasgupta's work blends modern dance, Bharatanatyam Indian classical, and Tagore's Rabindra Nritya dance style to explore our ties to the cosmos.
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Mangalam Dance and Shiva3 present EINSTEIN/TAGORE: SEASHORE OF ENDLESS WORLDS, Bidisha Dasgupta's collection of original dance works that draws inspiration from Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore's profound conversations in the late 1920s. By combining a movement-based interpretation of their musings with inspiration from Tagore’s poetry and songs, her choreography explores human ties to the cosmos. Dasgupta's world-premiere performance fuses the Bharatanatyam style of Indian classical dance with Tagore's Rabindra Nritya dance style, as well as modern dance. Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest dance forms in the world, originating in southern India some 3,000 years ago. Originally performed in Hindu temples as a form of worship, this ancient dance style is celebrated today for its rhythmic, sculpturesque movements and use of hand gestures and facial expressions to convey a narrative. Tagore was the greatest poet of modern Indian literature and one of India's most influential thinkers. In 1913 he became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for his poetry book Gitanjali. This prolific Bengali writer authored over one thousand poems, a dozen plays and novels, and numerous essays on philosophy, education and religion. Tagore was a celebrated composer, and set many of his poems to his own original tunes, resulting in the music style known as Rabindra Sangeet, or "Rabindranath songs." He is also credited with composing the Indian national anthem. An avid painter, Tagore founded his famous performing and visual arts school Santiniketan based on his holistic ideals in 1901, and it continues to thrive today. At Santiniketan he created an entirely new dance form known as Rabindra Nritya, or "Rabindranath dance," which broke away from traditional Indian classical forms, focusing instead on a more naturalized expression of human emotions. Tagore was highly educated, widely traveled, and well-versed in both Western and Eastern thought. He took a great interest in science, particularly biology. In 1926, Tagore met with Einstein in Berlin. They began a years-long series of intellectually and spiritually riveting dialogues about science and spirituality. Their meetings spanned continents and garnered considerable press. The New York Times article "A Mathematician and a Mystic meet in Manhattan" described Tagore as “the poet with the head of a thinker” and Einstein as “the thinker with the head of a poet.” The transcripts of their conversations portray a fascinating discourse on the purpose of existence and humanity’s connection to the Universe.
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http://www.mangalamdance.com/einstein-tagore
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