Come January 11, the Platinum Jubilee Auditorium of St. Teresa’s College (STC) will be the stage for musical Hamsadhwani - Words in Motion, an adaptation of the 19th century Russian ballet Swan Lake. Presented in a fusion of classical Indian dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali alongside contemporary, freestyle and folk dance, it will have 46 dancers presenting Pyotor Illyich Tchaikovsky’s piece which was first staged by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877. Hamsadhwani is being staged as part of the centenary celebrations of the college. 

All the dancers, except the seven male dancers, are students of the college — present and past.  Rehearsals have been going on since October 2024 in the college. While the dancers and the choreographer, Suma Varma, are Teresians, the concept, ironically, was developed by a non-Teresian, Sajeena Jacob, who says she has been taken into the Teresian fold by the dancers. “I may not have studied here but my mother, aunt and sister are Teresians,” she adds. Based in Ghana, she works at the Embassy of Belgium there. 

As D day approaches, Suma, who graduated in 1987, says she has the jitters. She is the narrator of the musical.

It is a sweet homecoming of sorts for her and the other former students, who are part of the show, are excited about. For some it is a return to college, while for some others it is a return to dance. 

“We are returning to college after ages, putting up this show, which some of our teachers would also be watching. These are the people who shaped us…it is a big deal for us,” says actor Remya Nambeesan, who graduated in 2008. Apart from her, actors Mrudula Murali and Devi Chandana, also alumnae of the college, are also part of the show.   

“We picked Swan Lake because it is the ‘eternal ballet’, which is more than 150 years old. It is a different kind of story which places value on love and other emotions,” says Suma, a Kathakali actor and Mohiniyattam dancer. Suma and Sajeena became friends during Suma’s stint at Ghana. “It is all about love; about how love triumphs over evil,” adds Sajeena.  

The duo had earlier collaborated, while in Ghana, on two projects one of which was an adaptation based on Cinderella for the annual celebration of Suma’s dance school. Following the response, they planned one on Swan Lake. “We ended up putting up a 20 minute show — it was like telling Ghana what we intended to do,” Sajeena reminisces. She is all praise for Suma, who is trained in classical dance, for the choreography. “Hats off to her for creating this piece which is not strictly classical!”

The project was put on the backburner once Suma returned to Kerala in 2019. However, when the centenary celebrations were being discussed Swan Lake came up again with Suma prodding Sajeena to revisit their plan. The entire project has been the work of one-and-a-half years with the music taking the most time because it was composed for the show. Once the music, composed by Krishna Raj, was in place, Hamsadhwani was on its way. 

Choreography came next, assisting Suma on it was Sruthi Rajeev Varma. “Initially we practised the solo pieces and then the groups and finally stitched it all together to one cohesive whole!” says Suma. 

The oldest dancer in the musical is 70-year-old, Sushama R, former joint registrar, Cochin University of Science and Technology, (CUSAT), who graduated in 1974. Though she has been part of other dance programmes, Hamsadhwani is special. 

“I am really thrilled to be part of the programme and to be dancing on stage in my alma mater. It is wonderful to be back in college. I am excited to be part of such a big event, especially on such a momentous occasion,” says Sushama.  

It is not an all women’s show however; there are seven male dancers too. Of these, two are children. “I wanted the male characters to be essayed by men rather than women donning men’s roles,” says Sajeena. Among the male dancers is contemporary dancer Satyajith Ravindranath, an alumnus of Attakalari Centre for Movement Art, the others were trained at Kerala Kalamandalam and RLV College of Music and Fine Arts. The make up is by Pattanam Rasheed and costumes are by Teresians Mini Jacob and Dhanya Raghunath.

Hamsadhwani will be staged on January 11, 6pm, at the Platinum Jubilee Auditorium, St. Teresa’s College. Tickets on quickkerala.com or call 8129905333