In expressive mode
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The dancer's forte lies in bringing life to lyric
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THIS WAS a chamber concert with a difference: Kuchipudi dance presented with emphasis on `abhinaya' alone.
To visualise a dance, sans footwork, is incredible in general terms but Swapna Sundari was able to sustain the audience interest for two full hours. She comes across as a versatile and articulate artiste who can translate intellectuality into artistic expression and this is no mean job.
Drawing upon her wide repertoire, her in-depth research and experience, Swapna Sundari took up the choicest pieces from the romantic `padams' of Kshetrayya and Jaavali mostly popularised by temple dancers of yore.
Since she herself had learnt, studied and practiced the `devadasi' style, which she terms as `Vilasini nrityam', she was able to relate to this genre with authenticity.
The concert was like a learning process imparted with a touch of sensitivity to the audience. Swapna Sundari's excellence lies in transforming the expressively mundane lyric into ethereal substance with a new dimension that can only evoke refined feelings.
Demonstrating emotions
She took two `Kshetrayya padams' (songs): `Swami endukippudee raaka' and `Makkuva deerchara maa muvva gopala' and two `javaalis' to demonstrate a range of emotions that did not find a single repetitive expression in one another.
She was able to portray the nuances of each with subtle variations. For instance the `javali', `Taaru maaru laade vemay vayyari' a Pattabhi Ramayya's composition, is not about the usual female longing for her lover, but a male lover pining for his flippant sweetheart.
Swapna Sundari was able to endow this highly romantic verse with a manly `abhinaya', which she emoted standing for most part with light footwork to offset monotony.
Her talent lay in being able to express myriad emotions through her large eyes for one single line of the song. Lacing her selected pieces with little details on technicalities like meaning of `Makuta charanam' and the signatory `Rajagopala, Muvva gopala', the various `nayika' (romantic female lead representative of an emotion), she was able to elevate the audience appreciation of these romantic song-dances which are often misunderstood as loud and vulgar.
Dwelling on the fine thread that demarcates a rightful demand of love by a `naayika' (Swiya naayika) from an illicit show of passion (Parakiya naayika), Swapna Sundari picked upon two songs, known for their bold erotic content and tried to demonstrate the difference in artistic mime and gesture.
Though she started off on a beautiful note, `Makkuva deerchara muvva gopala', fell into exaggerated, mocking tones of expression that contradicted the character of the `nayikaa'. There were overtones of lust
rather than longing in her `abhinaya' which did not gel with the lines, `manasuna ninnu near nammina daana raa... ' The `javali', depicting the `Parakiya naayika', also a `mugdha' (tender maiden) was depicted in the most convincing terms.
Hidden spirituality
The `abhinaya' originally adopted to suit a `mejuvani' (chamber performance by temple dancers), was replicated by Swapna Sundari in the sweetest manner possible. `Attavaaru nannu piluva vacchinaaru raa gopala' was suggestive, dreamy with romantic undertones. The penultimate `Muktaimpu' gave an impetus to the youthful love song.
The artiste was frank enough to enact the content without hammering on the hidden spirituality that is obviously not evident at least in simple reading of any of these verses. Instead she concluded the `Tanmayee' (as this concert was called) with a Sanskrit sloka in the `devadasi' tradition as if to state that at the end art is nothing but a dedication of the human spirit to the divine.
Shweta on the vocals, Sridharacharya on the `mridangam' and Subbalakshmi on the violin were mediocre. This novel concept (at least to the twin cities) was presented by Sapthaparni in association with Parampara and Anubhav.
R.K.
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
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Thiruvananthapuram
