Bala

Although a proper appreciation of this traditional dance form is very difficult for uninitiated audiences, this documentary goes some way toward granting the viewer aesthetic access. Even the brief explanation of the pluridimensionality (as Leroi-Gourhan would say) of the complex hand gestures was helpfully elucidating. Subtitling the lyrics of the music would have helped even more. A sense of the quality of Bala's dancing does show through, despite these difficulties.

Satyajit Ray's profile of T. Balaswaraswati, the celebrated classical Indian dancer. Ray's documentaries don't interest me nearly as much as his fictional work. This one is serviceable... it does the job of spotlighting Bala without any flash or flair from the director. I don't care much for interpretive dance, but the sense of Bala's genius comes through.