Each dancer stamps out her own journey even as they are all driven by the same beats, a mesmerising expression of the joys of live performance. As the dancers find moments of meeting and parting, an interesting duality emerges: in performing the three variations (sections) of the piece, they come to become variations of each other – a self formed through the other, formed through the self.
-kwek yi xuan, fivelines asia (variations on a theme) 2021
The three dancers form a line across the stage, legs moving slowly and deliberately, as the light fades out into complete darkness. I am left with this final image in my head, an image of solemnity, peace, and contemplation.
-jocelyn chng, fivelines asia (pallavi through abstractions) 2020
Raka Maitra gifted the city a stunning Pallavi with Stillness… the marvels of unexpected angles, the deliberate calm of imperceptibly slow movements, the dynamics of shifting balances and a mesmerizing complexity of architecture, all delivered with a minimalism of expression.
– Telegraph India (pallavi with stillness ICCR, Kolkata) 2019
The audience watch with abated breath as the dancers move to the sound of stillness.
– Srinkhla Sahai (pallavi with Stillness, IIC, Delhi) 2019
It’s seductive, elegant and intriguing. I feel enchanted by the magical moment.
– Ezekiel Oliveira, FIVELINES (PALLAVI WITH STILLNESS) 2018
Unlike other contemporary choreographers working with classical or traditional forms, [Maitra] does not contrive flashy vocabulary from other movement forms or call for pyrotechnic staging. She has spent years building her base and returns to universal themes and trusted collaborators such as Venkateswaran, to take risks, drill deep, and turn out astonishing work year after year. 2017 is a triumph for Chowk, even without being granted regular public funding by the National Arts Council.
– CHAN SZE-WEI, ARTS EQUATOR
Pioneering and brave, Pallavi In Time clearly defines a new contemporary path for this movement vocabulary... Pallavi In Time revisits the Odissi vocabulary that underpins Maitra’s creative process and is a ground-breaking work in the Indian classical canon.
– Stephanie Burridge, The Straits Times (Pallavi in time) 2017
It was the war played out in sound - a sonic onslaught that the stoic dancers braved with their unrelentingly calm and assured moves.
– Lee Mun Wai, The Straits Times (The Second Sunrise) 2016
Heavily charged with emotions of despair and dashing any hopes these dancers leave the audience in awe.
– Ezekiel Oliveira, FiveLines (The Second Sunrise) 2016
Maitra’s choreography flowed beautifully while expressing tenderness, fragility and pensiveness through the four female dancers’ well-trained bodies.
– Lee Mun Wai, The Straits Times (The Second Sunrise) 2016
...five classically trained dancers moving together, connected through perfect rhythmic footwork.
– Ezekiel Oliviera, FiveLines (Pallavi and Space) 2016
The dancers, led by the Odissi-trained Maitra, bring life to these imaginings... They are beautiful to watch, their movements deliciously controlled, graceful and sensuous, belying the strength that this dance form demands.
– Tan Li Min, The Straits Times (From Another Land) 2015
Raka Maitra impressed people here in Avignon... and I can say that nobody will look at Indian dance the same way now that (she) has paved the way for a different approach to this dance.
– Emmanuel Serafini, Director, Les Hivernales (France) 2015
...a transportive evening, began with demonstrated sensual beauty, exquisite control and the importance of having a firm foundation in any contemporary work.
– LISABEL TING, THE STRAITS TIMES (YOU CANNOT LOOK AWAY) 2014
The Blind Age feels like a major milestone for the company... an all encompassing meeting of the performing arts, creating a completely immersive theatrical experience.
– LEE MUN WAI, THE STRAITS TIMES (THE BLIND AGE) 2014
Her body is the primary tool of communication and accordingly her movement holds full attention. Maitra moves articulately, full of femininity and strength.
– BEC TUDOR, REAL TIME ARTS (TASMANIA)
Maitra is without doubt a dancer of the 21st century. Her deep grounding in technique was evident in the facility with which she executes and incorporates; taken in new directions, it is a great big grand jete forward.
– JAMALUDIN BIN JALIL, DANCE EUROPE
Maitra moved freely and succeeded in developing a new movement vocabulary that had grown from the traditional roots.
– STEPHANIE BURRIDGE, THE FLYING INKPOT
Raka Maitra exudes a quality of peace and tranquility. Each and every movement reflects the artistic thought. A young master in the making.
– RICHARD CHUA LIM, THEATRIX
Raka has a lot of intensity and intellect, a traceable style of her own; distinctive and compact body language.
– SHANTA SEREBJEET SINGH, ISLAND CHOREOGRAPHIES
Most bewitching of the performances was Maitra’s. In Aham; assured and emotionally rich.
– JUNE CHEONG, THE STRAITS TIMES (SINGAPORE)
Raka and her new movement in dance is a source of inspiration; redefining the different dimensions of Indian contemporary dance.