KARTIK FINE ARTS
Enchanting dance recitals
``Sura Samharam" ... excellent teamwork. — Pic. by V. Ganesan.
EVEN THE concluding Dasavatharam, ``Paarkadal Alai Mel" in raagamalika, Adi taalam, sung by M. L. Vasanthakumari in the movie ``Raja Desingu," though performed at a frenetic pace was enough to sum up Shreelatha Suresh's dancing skills. She has a slim, flexible body that can bend at will and keep up a tireless pace of movement, while her expressive eyes and mobile face can flit between moods at the flick of a switch. She turned into an arrogant Hiranyakasipu one moment, a ferocious Narasimha the next, a quiet Brahmin dwarf soon after, a raging Parasurama thereafter, and so on. Each performed quickly in succession. And for her this was an effortless role-play. A disciple of Delhi V. Krishnamoorthi, this talented artiste with a flair for the dramatic is a performer and a teacher as well in North America.
Another unusual piece in Shreelata's presentation was the ``Sthala Puraana" in raagamalika, Adi taalam from another Tamil movie ``Konjum Salangai" that visited five auspicious temples in Tamil Nadu like Chidambaram, Srirangam, Madurai, Tiruchendur and Srivilliputur, and prostrated before the deities there. The delineations were etched with perfect clarity despite being dealt with at a brisk pace. The lucidity of Guru Krishnamoorthy's diction and his proficient handling of both departments of singing and conducting the programme with the steady support of Padmanabhan on the mridangam, Nagaraju on the violin and Srinivasan on the flute, surely contributed to this achievement. But one has reservations about the need for speed and rhythm in every item.
The centrepiece of the programme was a varnam in dasaraagamalika, Aadi taalam, a composition of Kumbakonam Gajendran that served to showcase Shreelata's excellent geometry as she sculpted the space with precision. The theermanams and arudis were clothed with effervescence that was a reflection of her lively personality. But the dramatic rendering by Guru Krishnamoorthy felt exaggerated and detracted from their merit. It was a question of rhetoric overtaking the content. The varnam enumerated the five elements and the corresponding Siva temples, alongside their presence in the heroine who yearns for Lord Nataraja. They were dealt with comprehensively, the only argument being that theatrics and speed obliterate the talent of the artiste and the beauty of the compositions.
Never a dull moment
The thrill of anticipation never abates — the last-minute rustle of papers and the testing of instruments before the curtain goes up... the strains of Chakravaham fill the air and the prayer to Ganesha heralds the start of another performance, this time it is ``Sura Samharam." Presented by Guru Ranganayaki Jayaraman, with fourteen students from her institution, Sri Saraswathi Gana Nilayam, the dance drama was a graphic depiction of the invincible asura, Surapadman.
Excellent teamwork was the hallmark of the production. From the outstanding vocalists Radha Badri and Chitrambari to the accurate Nellai D. Kannan on the mridangam, to the melodious Vijayaraghavan on the violin and the tuneful Bhagyalakshmi on the flute, each contributed to the harmony. Guru Ranganayaki Jayaraman, who had composed the music and choreographed the dance drama, was in her element wielding the cymbals while contributing to the theatrics with her evil laughter while varying the intonation of the theermanams to suit the characters.
The script in Tamil was by H. Vaidyanathan and the special effects were handled by Parthasarathy.
Shreelata Suresh
Another feature of this production was its clarity brought about by the brief narration preceding every act and the good portrayals by the dancers. Surprisingly for a group production, some characters came across with so much warmth: Binesh Mahadevan as Surapadman was appropriately arrogant, especially when he captured and commanded the Devas to do his bidding and later as a frightened asura trying to save himself. R.Sharanya as Veerabahu was most endearing in her fearlessness.
Padmalakshmi Suresh as Muruga represented the serenity of an all-knowing god, while Sivashankari as Asamukhi and Deepti as Banugopan were impressive in their loyalty to Sura.
The story from the Kanda Puranam used the language of dance with liberal doses of drama thrown in to create a gripping tale. There were many memorable moments in the choreography, some simply amusing like Sura's encounters with the Devas and Veerabahu's brave attempts to thwart Sura, while others were clever like the use of a dancer with painted fingers to indicate the travelling vel.
But there was never a dull moment. The fight scenes could have been shortened though, and the use of elaborate mythological costumes minimised. This entertaining production ended on a devotional note with the Arunagirinathar Thirupugazh, ``Naada vindu kaladi namo namo."
RUPA SRIKANTH
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