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The dance movements with bodies closely intertwined show remarkable flexibility and suppleness of body.
Society Magazine, India, Sep 2000
Thrown in with the well-toned bodies and synchronized movements was a message.
India Today Magazine, India, Dec 2001
The hard work
and research gone in to the project is obvious when one sees the stage performance.
The scintillating dance and the flawless steps are matched brilliantly with
the sets, background voice and the lights. All credits go to Sudarshan Chakravorty
for excellent conceptualization and choreography.
…sheer professionalism was on display as the artists matched their
rhythm with difficult body movements.
The Statesman, New Delhi, India, Dec 7, 2001
The ballet shows a more intellectual treatment of the subject… is based on extensive research charting Indian history in a new interpretative mode.
The Indian Express, New Delhi, India, Nov 28, 2001
…there was not the slightest prurience in the way the young group of supple performers was practicing its leaps and stretches. They entwined and interlocked their limbs…they have to get rid all inhibitions undoubtedly, but it is all in the interest of releasing the artist and creator in themselves.
The Telegraph, Kolkata, India, Aug 4, 2000
The programme worked enjoyably as a visual color fest which sparkled with enthusiasm, best revealed by the expressions on the dancers’ faces. They sweated for all they were worth and kudos for that…. Dextrous footwork and malleable moves by lead dancers Dibyendu Nath and Paramita Saha.
The Pioneer, New Delhi, India, Dec 4, 2001
Dance to this group is an attitude, a way of life. The expressions are unique in their diversity and boldness. This group of firebrand individuals believes in themselves and the strength in their own interpretations of life. The fluid movements are well-synchronized to establish the central theme. Hours of back-breaking practice has paid of. All the dancers complement each other and symmetry is achieved through the juxtaposition of three media- dance, cinema and music.
The Asian Age, Kolkata, India, Aug 11, 2000
Kolkata’s dynamic dance troupe Sapphire Creations has broken all barriers of tradition with their very own dance statement. The lead female dancer of the group, Paramita epitomizes womanhood in all her portrayals. She is at one time, the Bharatiya nari and the modern woman emancipated, free and unfettered. Themes such as this or such bold depictions have rarely been witnessed on the Kolkata stage. But their audience has always loved their performance. Why else would their show at Rabindra Sadan draw a full house?
The Times of India, Kolkata, India, May 21, 2001
Post Mortem
It is a dynamic dance ensemble from Kolkata that dares to question social values through a dance style that is contemporary and the concerns themselves creating a healthy attitude toward art and life. .. costumes that are simple yet effective and movement that highlights form and fluidity. Post Mortem, really impresses, besides provoking thought.
Mid Day, Mumbai, India, July 28, 2001
Their simplicity and honesty showed through their dance…one of the peaks of festival
The Hindu, Chennai, India, Dec 2000
Dance with a difference…the production is brimming with innovation, be it the dance movements, the costumes or the lighting.
The Telegraph, Kolkata, India, Feb 28, 2002
SDT
Celebrating the triumph of life…it is a union of body, mind and soul that Sapphire Creations strives to achieve in this project… what makes the ballet unique is the presentation that touches upon diverse issues like interpersonal relationships, the concept of society ad celebration of life and love.
The Hindustan Times, Kolkata, India, May 25, 2003
There is more to dance than movements and there is more to dancing than mere performance, if this be the guiding creed, the formulators must necessarily be people with vision.
The Asian Age, Kolkata, India, June 18, 2003
Not a dreamy image born out of feverish delirium, rather a 15-min timeless piece, a momentous moment, out of Sapphire Creations’ newest experimental production. Director Sudarshan Chakravorty, along with Dibyendu Nath and Paramita Saha in a rare and enriching contemporary dance presentation set to music by Mayukh Bhaumik, “Solitude, Determination and Triumph” makes us think in a new and different light.
Sangbad Pratidin (Translated), Kolkata, India, June 20, 2003
In the piece on Solitude, dancer Dibyendu Nath depicted the loneliness of man in today’s world. The choreographer tried to establish a link between solitude and artistic creativity. The piece on Determination signified the different challenges we celebrate in the world.
The Telegraph, Kolkata, India, Jun 20, 2003
Walls
…an unusual performance by Sapphire titled Walls where the wall of the café, was used as the main theme and prop. The object was to depict how insensitive and oblivious man has become and the constrained life he leads as a consequence. Employing contact resistance as a dance technique the members of Sapphire portrayed the competition that exists nowadays.
The Telegraph, Kolkata, India, Nov 28, 2002
Sapphire staged their latest creation, Walls, with dancers Dibyendu Nath and Paramita Saha putting up an excellent performance. Nath needs special mention for his flexible and spontaneous movements and also hair-raising facial expressions…. The duo kept the audience spell-bound.
The Times of India, Kolkata, India, Nov 28, 2002
The dancers put
up a stellar performance with expressions quickly changing between angst
and frustration to the occasional ecstasy. They matched this with well-synchronised
and vibrant movements…
The Hindustan Times, Kolkata, Nov 28, 2002
The Alien Flower
Sudarshan Chakravorty’s strength lay in his technically competent dancers and that he dared to question social values… the idea was good, the dancers well-trained.
The Asian Age, Kolkata, India, June 28, 1996
It was competent choreography all along…there’s no doubt that the dancers have enough talent to ride ahead. After all Sudarshan Chakravorty, the script-writer-cum-choreographer and the man behind the movement, is an artist with a vision.
Sunday Magazine, India, June 1996
A bold attempt, if ever there was one on the Calcutta stage… the finale has an imaginative sequence in which the group turns a scarf in to a cradle, expressing endearment for the child and indicating the cycle of life and death. It was all aimed at evoking sympathy never preaching. The choreographer had his work cut out for him…they worked as team with the appropriate entries and exits, the use of space, the imaginative lighting and flawless movements.
The Statesman, Kolkata, India, June 28, 1996
The artists of Sapphire Creations gave a brilliant performance. The able directions and choreography evoked the need of more such festivals in the mind of the reviewer.
Desh Magazine(Translated), India, Jan 1997
Individual scenes enthralled. The protagonist confined in a framework and the society celebrating the festival of lights or when at the end a scarf is transformed into a cradle signifying the home for a child, a member of the human race…
Aajkaal(Translated), Kolkata, India, July 10, 1996
If a pot-pourrie of attractive movements, martial arts, modern dance lexicon and unforgettable freezes could make an iconoclastic statement then Sudarshan Chakravorty’s production of the The Alien Flower have carried the day. He has a troupe of good dancers and is one himself…
The Telegraph, Kolkata, India, June 21, 1996
Rituranga
Tagore is set free in a realm of non-linguistic, cross-cultural movement and expression…the seasons are explored through an idiom which is radical, experimental, and with a colourful geometry of designs against space and time. The breath, fragrance and feel of each season connects to the inner soul through visual and body metaphors.
The Pioneer, New Delhi, India, March 25, 2005
Tagore in Leotards…The show choreographed by Sudarshan Chakravorty , fuses Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry with the music of Dr Partha Ghose in an eternal celebration of the seasons.
The Indian Express, New Delhi, India, March 29, 2005
Nature comes alive in a very appealing way because every element of Nature is infused with life, longing, movement and an almost human sensitivity… Rituranga is a dance presentation which celebrates the seasons… but through an idiom which is radical and experimental.
The Statesman, New Delhi, India, March 18, 2005
Natyashastra redefined…a maverick dancer undaunted by the onslaught by critics, sets about the task of redefining the art form…
The New Indian Express, Thiruvananthapuram, India, April 23, 2005
…While the show is interspersed with readings from Tagore’s prose and poetry, one can expect to see his works in a new avatar… purists will shower brickbats but Tagore himself advocated innovation…
The Telegraph, Kolkata, India, April 7, 2005
A splash of colour, the magic of light design, and the smooth fluidity of dynamic bodies is the trademark of Sapphire…from esho he boishakh to amaar noyon bhulano, the presentation was an amazing amalgam all along…
Sangbad Pratidin(Translated), Kolkata, India, April 1, 2005
In Rituranga, Sapphire explores Tagore, whose sense of aesthetics and beauty embrace in itself the sense of gradual breakdown but in a language and rhythm that can only be his. The production explores facets of natural and human beauty, form and relationships.
The Statesman, Kolkata, India, May 5, 2005
A tribute to Tagore’s cosmic vision…without sounding too speculative, one could hazard a conclusion: Tagore would have liked Sapphire Creations Dance Workshop’s Rituranga…an innovation but it is born out of the deepest respect for the poet.
The Hindustan Times, Kolkata, India, May 12, 2005
Positive Lives
Arts and Culture against AIDS…India’s dance troupe Sapphire Creations stage a show to highlight the courage and strength of people with HIV/AIDS who brave the stigma, pain, loneliness and frustration to emerge victorious in life.
Bangkok Post, Thailand, July 10, 2004
First of its kind in Bengal….A Sapphire presentation always demands that extra attention from the people and this production was no exception…
Sangbad Pratidin(Translated), Kolkata, India, June 23, 2004
Gender, identity, sexuality and HIV/AIDS are areas where angels fear to tread, but Sudarshan Chakravorty and his troupe Sapphire have always met them head on...
The Hindustan Times, Kolkata, India, July 8, 2004
The health department has not really woken up….but the artistic community of Kolkata has responded to the critical situation…striking ahead in the worthy endeavour of spreading the word of awareness , Sapphire is ready to set another milestone in the global dance scenario..
The Statesman, Kolkata, India, July 10, 2004
Coming to terms with reality…this is one ballet with a difference, a tribute to the countless people who brave the odds and social stigma that they face everyday because they are living with HIV/AIDS.
The Times of India, Kolkata, India, June 7, 2004
Fighting AIDS
with creativity…a piece against AIDS discrimination
…art that values human life and artists who are willing to do something
about it..
The Los Angeles Times, United States, Jan 2, 2005
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