More stardust on Capital stage
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The Sangeet Natak Akademi's festival of young dancers continued with some heartwarming performances, says ANJANA RAJAN.
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AS NRITYA Pratibha, the Sangeet Natak Akademi's festival of young dancers continued through this past week, enthusiastic performers whipped up a storm around Meghdoot theatre. The lightning flashes were definitely there, as were the sparks of hope, but there were undeniably also clouds of doubt.
The third day began with a Manipuri recital by Laishram Bina Devi, a graduate of the Government Dance College of Imphal and currently a disciple of the Delhi-based Guru Singhajit Singh and Charu Mathur. Expectedly graceful, poised and light-footed as she was in the Lai Haroba rendition, it was in the execution of the Thang Ta style that she impressed even more with her agility and the controlled tandav, so characteristic of Manipuri dance. Enacting the chakravyuh tale from the Mahabharat, in which Abhimanyu is assassinated at the hands of senior warriors who, beaten by him in single combat, abandon principles of fairplay and attack him in a group, Bina Devi gave ample evidence of her prowess in abhinaya and her acting training under the eminent Kanhailal Singh. The variety of drums played along with this piece and the simple violin accompaniment added immensely to the effect. One only felt that the ending was prolonged, detracting from the drama of Abhimanyu's tragic death.
Next came a duet Kathak performance by Pallavi Vishnu Degwekar and Mayur Gajanan Vaidya, disciples of Guru Asha Joglekar of Mumbai. With their guru providing padhant, the dancers showed good preparation. Their thaat postures set for two, using different levels and directions, were pleasing. Diagonal arm spreads that give a delightful, free feeling, good voice modulation in bol recitation and a capacity for concentrated abhinaya (as witnessed in the Meera Bhajan) are assets of Pallavi's dance. Both acquitted themselves well, and the kavit in which Radha ends up with the flute and Krishna with the water pot was a delightful vignette.
Harikrishna Kalyanasundaram of Mumbai performed Bharatanatyam, representing a family of natyacharyas of the Thanjavur school of Bharatanatyam. A disciple of his father, the famed Guru Kalyanasundaram Pillai and also trained under his cousin G. Vasanth Kumar, Harikrishna is the grandson of Guru Kuppiah Pillai and nephew of T.K. Mahalingam Pillai, and has an illustrious lineage to live up to. With Guru Kalyanasundaram conducting, he performed, among other items, a varnam in Shuddha Dhanyasi raga, Adi tala, followed by a shloka from the Krishna Karnamrita. With all his training, there was something tentative in his movements. While the postures were clear, strength seemed lacking, and the jatis left everything to be desired.
Dedication
Sangeetha Rajan, also of Mumbai, opened the fourth evening with her Odissi recital. With a pleasing demeanour and an inner calm, her renditions revealed her dedication. Her good form was visible in the pallavi, and flare for abhinaya in the Oriya lyric, "Leela Nidhi Hey" in which the gopi is both shy and audacious with Krishna who has hidden her clothes. A disciple of Guru Debi Basu, Sangeetha was initiated into dance by her mother Santosh Rajan. She is also trained in Bharatanatyam under Lata Surendra, but creditably, this training does not get in the way of her Odissi.
Rujuta Soman, a disciple of Guru Rohini Bhate of Pune, earned an excellent name for herself with a virtuoso performance highlighting her command over rhythm, with a display of footwork requiring complex calculations as well as speed of tatkar. Exuding confidence, though not brashness, her free flowing movements and solid taiyyari brooked no obstacles. In her recitations over the mike, Rujuta displayed noticeably better breath control than others in the festival. While her abhinaya in the Surdas pada was adequate, she left a lasting impression with her rhythmic prowess, ending with some catchy, rather thrilling tukras in drut - fast - laya. A prominent feature of Rujuta's presentation was the exquisite vocal accompaniment by Madhur Joshi. The pure classical approach added an extra dimension to the recital.
It was nice to note the marginal increase in the size of the floral offering for accompanying artistes as the festival progressed. On the first day, the single red rose each was handed seemed embarrassingly miniscule. In contrast to the large bouquets given to the dancers and their gurus, the blush of the rose acquired a new meaning.
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
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Thiruvananthapuram
