CIRCUS OF LIFE

Daksha’s Sheth’s BhuKham promises to take Indian dance where it has never been before…

Here, indeed, are all the elements of the circus that we have loved as children with an almost atavistic relish: the thrill of anticipation, the sharp intake of breath at the sense of danger, the daring, the riveting physical skill, and the lingering feeling of awe at witnessing the human body pushing at the very limits of its endurance…

Arundhati Subramaniam, The Indian Express, Mumbai, Nov 18, 2000

Daksha Sheth’ reputation for “otherness” having preceded her, many…who had come out of curiosity for a dance believed to be out of step with the apostles of respectability, were blitzed by the superbly trained bodies, engaging in a type of physicality one does not associate with Indian dance…combining fluid grace with electric power…
The sequence epitomizing sensuality, an excerpt from Sarpagati, is one of the most daringly artistic creations in Indian choreography… It was interesting to see both cultural shock and stirring wonder amongst members of the audience!

Leela Venkataraman, The Hindu, Chennai, Dec 29, 2000

THE DANCE OF EARTH, BODY & SKY

Sinuous, supple and all of sixteen, she leaps, she bends, she contorts, she slithers, she flies. A sizzling bundle of molten flesh, she spans the ground and the skies in a breathtaking sweep. As Isha Sharvani storms the Indian dance scene with an unconscious electric sensuality, she leaves her audience gasping. Here is vital versatility that can only be found in youth. She raises gymnastics to sheer art. At last, a new star is born….

S. Kalidas, India Today, April 9 2001

Daksha Sheth rejuvenates her tradition in many ways… we were treated to skillful aerobatics by Daksha’s virtuoso daughter, the 16 year old Isha Sharvani… the most extraordinary item of the evening was a choreography for four dancers where Sheth, in an ingenious way, combined her own forte, Kathak dance, with western style steps and body drumming in a scintillating display of rhythmic fireworks – a magnificent culmination to the evening!

Auli Rasanen, Helsingin Sanomat, 8 May 2001

D for Dance and D for Daksha Sheth. After Uday Shankar, in this generation, if there is an original artiste, an Indian great (not dependent on patronage and press from the West to show her credentials here), a master of stagecraft, a presenter of the art of dance – in short, a genius - it is her. History will accord her that place of honour.

Ashish Mohan Khokar, attendance The dance Annual of India 2001

Daksha Sheth doesn't believe in half-baked offerings in dance and one gets the feeling that her intention is the audience shouldn't feel any neutral emotion either. Her company slithered on stage with the offering Sarpagati (The Way of the Serpent), putting up a performance that felt like a blow to the solar plexus.
Sangeetha Madhavan, The Arts Magazine, Singapore, Jan-Feb 2002

TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FRISSON

Gorgeous bodies fuse modern dance seamlessly with diverse Indian influences to produce an explosion of aerial energy.

It was nothing less than a night of physics, poetry and pure energy…. In other words it was one heck of an audio-visual experience that blended acrobatics, gymnastics and dance effortlessly, pleasing both dance connoisseurs and families.
In a literally soaring moment, a female dancers flew around the smoke-filled stage as she hung from a rope suspended from the ceiling, her body twisting and arching gracefully in the air, exacting gasps from the audience…
In the sassy finale, Sheth and three other dancers stamped, slapped and danced feverishly to roaring guitar licks and throbbing percussion. The performers dropped to their knees, the guitar gave a last wail, and the show ended to rapturous applause from the audience – a fitting climax to an exhilarating show.
Tessa Wong, The Straits Times, June 4 2002

"One thing I will say for this dancer. She dares, and whether one agrees or not with her approach, she brings to bear on her dance a stamp of its own. What one appreciates is the sheer range reflecting the two ends of the spectrum; serious tradition on one side. and its droll spinoffs on the other."
Leela Venkataraman "The Hindu". March 89.

Sarpagati leaves the audience spellbound... a beautifully-knit production...the taut tension kept everyone glued to their seats"
Leela Venkataraman, The Hindu, January 2000

Here was the laser-sharp cutting edge of creative choreography that drew its inspiration from ancient myth and powerful primordial ideas which, when analysed, were disturbingly contemporary…Sheth's riveting choreography was pregnant with thought and vibrant with evocative body language.
Reginald Massey, The Dancing Times, London, Aug 1999

... Daksha Sheth's work revives one's hope for the rejuvenation of contemporary dance in India."
Shani, The Pioneer, March 1996

".... spectacular athleticism and virtuosity .... The movement sequences while suspended from ropes are sensational"
Jukka Miettinen, Helsinki Sanomat, August 1997

BhuKham is an incredible celebration of the human form. It is an expression of how far we can push ourselves towards excellence…awe-inspiring suspended forms float about, almost playing with the concept of space. BhuKham brings all the mystery, magic, physicality, risk and excitement of the circus to dance.
Sonali Velinker, Mid-Day, Mumbai, Nov 17, 2000

Daksha's Sheth's BhuKham promises to take Indian dance where it has never been before… Here, indeed, are all the elements of the circus that we have loved as children with an almost atavistic relish: the thrill of anticipation, the sharp intake of breath at the sense of danger, the daring, the riveting physical skill, and the lingering feeling of awe at witnessing the human body pushing at the very limits of its endurance…
Arundhati Subramaniam, The Indian Express, Mumbai, Nov 18, 2000

"What a joy to see Kathak presented in this manner…. Daksha's exposition was a model…"
The Times of India, Bombay Nov 23, 1977

"... fuelled by her own volcanic intensity and energy ... Daksha came up with something that took one's breath away .... electrifying moments, charged with rare passion and dancing ability .... (Daksha's dancers) are fluid like running water, taut like a stretched bow, life affirmative as only a fresh downpour on parched land can be."
Shanta Serbjeet Singh Hindustan Times, March 1996

"Young Daksha Sheth wove a web of rhythm inseparable from every part of her being…and gave a beautiful glimpse of what space and time are in the hands of a gifted performer…"
The Hindustan Times, Delhi Nov 21, 1983

The faultless precision and coordinated movements of the troupe… were by parts spartan, forceful, compelling, lithe and erotic…
Annie Matthews-Vohra, Outlook Magazine, Jan 31, 2000

Daksha Sheth went beyond entertainment. She made the audience sit up and think…
Kavitha Srinivasa, The Asian Age, Bangalore, 16 Jan 2000

"Yagna contains ... absolutely gorgeous movements and striking contrasts of spacial organization by dancers versed in the martial art forms of Kerala and Orissa ... It was possible through all the silent stretching of the dancers, with their easy fluidity, to recognize that they had found energy fields that are hard for an urbanised Westerner to discover... This was one of the more inspiring performances of Indian dance that I have encountered in recent years....."
Ann Nugent Stage & Television Today- London,1992

"Few dancers can bring out the amplitude, buoyant lightness and power of Chhau like Daksha Sheth. Definitely one of the finest dancers of this medium today, her Dandi and Nataraja showed a postural balance and control over movement that bordered on the phenomenal"
Patriot, Delhi, April 7 1986

"Daksha has mastered the idiom thoroughly…With her natural grace she executes movements that at once stand out for their aesthetic line and breathtaking finish…"
National Herald, Delhi, March 22, 1985