14/07/2026
The Tapestry Project:
ATMA: Looking back at a milestone. 🕰️✨
Following our production of Bophana earlier that year, ATMA was presented in 2007 as our second-ever production as a company. Conceived as the powerful final chapter of our End of the Beginning series (which spanned 2005 and 2006, and was artistically produced by Kavitha Krishnan), this boundary-pushing contemporary dance theatre production uncovered the raw, untold spirit of Ravana, the legendary King of Lanka from the great epic, Ramayana.
Following its Singapore premiere, the work travelled to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, where it was presented as part of a powerful double bill alongside Ramesh Meyyappan’s Mistero Buffo, with the generous support of the National Arts Council (NAC).
Through a fierce collision of traditional Asian dance, text, and transcultural soundscapes created by composer Alex Dea, ATMA traced a karmic path of defeat, redemption, and ultimate spiritual liberation (moksha).
This production holds an incredibly special place in our hearts. It marked a historic, foundational collaboration with Balinese dancers and masters, I Gusti Ngurah Sudibya and the late I Nyoman Sura—both of whom were esteemed lecturers and practicing artists from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.
More than just a performance, ATMA was a crucible of cross-cultural experimentation. It challenged us to weave classical roots into a stark, contemporary vocabulary and performance design, balancing the fiery intensity of dramatic storytelling with deeply meditative rituals. The energy shared on stage during this production laid the very groundwork for Maya Dance Theatre's transcultural identity, shaping how we approach movement, collaboration, cultural narratives, and dance theatre design to this day.
Revisiting this chapter of our history reminds us of where our journey began and how the echoes of that sacred collaboration still resonate in our art and hearts today.
