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Marked by grace
A POPULAR TV actress hailing from a family of dancers and theatre personalities Vidya Venkataram, reached the peak of her abhinaya talent in her performance held during the above festival. Endowed with large eyes, full of bhava, the slim Vidya Venkataram was at home in both the technique and artistry of Bharatanatya. Musically aided by her mother-guru Vasanthalakshmi (nattuvanga), Bharathi Venugopal (vocal), Gurumurthy (mridanga) and others she went through the agenda of her programme with confidence and competence. Her good grounding was evident in the exploration of the most familiar Nattakuranji varna. The virahotkhanthita nayika as depicted in the varna was impeccable. Her soft touching of the `sama' and a laya which, while perfect, is almost natural never attempting to draw attention. It was a symbol of the dancer's art, which has become an internalised experience. Her dance was totally inward looking. Never was this better captured than in its abhinaya sequence. Aesthetic sensitivity enriched the depiction of the famous Jayadeva ashtapadi "Natha Hare". The vasikasajjika nayika came out of the composition in shining colours. Parvathi's characterisation on the basis of "Parashivana Sathi" (Ragamalika) was done with intensity.
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The 36th anniversary and the three-day Rasa Sanje-2005 dance festival under the auspices of Sri Venkatesha Natya Mandira, led by Guru Radha Sridhar, held at ADA Rangamandira, was notable for tradition, colour and gaiety. Group dance by Srimathi, Gayathri, Manasa, Hitaishi and Mamatha was proof of Guru Radha Sridhar's able choreography. Without disturbing the tradition of Bharatanatya, Radha had incorporated almost all the salient feature of Bharatanatya into her choreography. A rare Muralidhara Kauvthuvam, "Swagatham Krishna" (Mohana) and the concluding Hindola tillana bore the stamp of her artistic elegance.
M. SURYA PRASAD
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Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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