Moria Chappell: "Dewi Sri" (Nocturnal)

“Dewi Sri“ is a first of it’s kind choreography that melds Moria Chappell’s Javanese dance with Tribal Fusion belly dance and Victoria Teel’s Fan Veil Technique. The piece is in homage to Dewi Sri, the Javanese goddess of rice, wealth, and abundance. She was born from the tear drop of a snake that magically turned into an egg jewel when it touched Earth. After the beautiful goddess died prematurely, she was buried in a secret place where a miracle occurred: rice grew for the first time from her navel. This was her gift to the world. Because she has dominion over the Underworld and the Moon, this performance piece for Moria’s theatrical show “Nocturnal“ depicts the goddess in her myriad forms. As she dances through the night, she encourages nature’s growth through the gentle pulses her movements conduct to the earth while the cool breeze flutters her fabrics through the air. Our lives are changed over and over by the flutter of but one butterfly wing.