Lai Haraoba in NY 20070415

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E-Pao! Theatre Review - Laihui Ensemble Performances

Laihui Ensemble Performances
at World Music Institute, New York City

World Music Institute presents
first US appearance of renowned Manipuri Ensemble
Festival of India - Songs & Shaman Dances of Manipur
Laihui

Friday, May 11, 2007 8:00PM
Symphony Space
95th & Broadway
New York

This program provides a rare opportunity to see the music and dance of Manipur ("the land of jewels"), an isolated mountainous region in northeastern India where cultural traditions have been preserved in their purest forms and kept out of reach from much of the Western world.

Manipur is located in the foothills of Himalaya, bordering Burma, and is the cradle of the civilization and culture of Meiteis, a Tibeto-Burman people.

The Laihui ensemble, which will be making its US debut, is composed of singers, musicians on the Pena (fiddle), and an amaibi (female shaman) from Imphal. Their program, Songs of Love and Creation, marks the first time that a performance dedicated to pre-Hindu rituals from the colorful Lai Haraoba festival will be performed outside Manipur. This concert is presented in association with Asia Society and produced by L Somi Roy.

The program will begin with Chuk-Pharol-Anoirol (The Creation of the World), the shaman dance ritual which opens the annual month long Lai Haraoba festival. This will be followed by Loi-Okpa (Princess Thoibi's return from exile), which tells the story of Thoibi, the princess of Moirang, who is accosted by her undesired suitor when she journeys back from exile in Burma to reunite with her true love.

Picture Courtesy : WMI

Lai-Nupi-Thiba (The love-seeking of the Gods) features two stories from Manipuri mythology expressed through song and dance:"The Birth of Khori Phaba" which tells of the divine polo-player's hunt for his bride, and "Panthoibi's Search for her Lover".

The program ends with Thang-Katpa ( Closing Ritual of the Four Corners) in which the Shaman appeases the spirits that she has brought into play during the Lai Haraoba Festival.

Laihui: The Centre for Research on Traditional and Indigenous Arts has been a leader in the traditional art forms of Manipur in contemporary idioms. Based in Imphal, Laihui, was founded by its director M. Mangangsana Meitei, under the guidance of Thongam Thoiba, his Pena Oja (Teacher).

Laihui conducts research in the traditional arts of Manipur and presents Seminar, workshops and performances in India and internationally. To date, it has produced over 40 innovative interpretations of traditional performances and three documentary films.

Watch a Rehearsal demo video of this performance here

More details on this performance at WMI here.

Picture Courtesy : World Music Institute

* L. Somi Roy is a Manipuri-American arts curator living in New York. He contributes regularly to e-pao.net . This review was webcasted on April 15th , 2007.

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