Cultural extravaganza
|
A festival organised by Chetana Sangeet Natya Academy provided a rich cultural fare as it included dance performances, concerts, lecture-demonstrations and seminars.
|
Picture of grace: Vasundhara Doraswamy
`C<232>HETANOTSAV,' ORGANISED as part of the inauguration of Chetana Sangeet Natya Academy, Thrissur, was a rare cultural treat on all counts. While the performances were expositions of classicism, the lecture-demonstrations and seminars were pedagogical.
After the inaugural ceremony, Vasundhara Doraswamy enthralled the audience with her unmatched artistry.
Right ambience
Noted for her choreographic ingenuity, the danseuse from Mysore sprang a surprise by presenting `Melaprapthy,' a rare confluence of music, percussion and dance, which created the right ambience for a Bharatanatyam recital. Soon she presented a Siva sthuthi. Her depiction of the gait of the peacock in `Shanmukha Kauvuthuvam' and of child Krishna's pranks as explained in the Bhagavatha vouched for her abhinaya. The pada varnam, based on the composition of Paranje Lakshminarayana Bhatta, was praiseworthy for intricate jathis, a skilful balance of nritta and nritya and a graphic narration of the virahotkhantitha nayika. Vasundhara was equally adept in the lecture demonstration she presented on `Yoga and Bharatanatya.' While explaining the correlation between aasanas and the adavus, she demonstrated how `Trikonasana' was akin to `natta' adavu, Parsvakonasana to `mandi' adavu, Uddithapadangushtasana to `tandava' adavu and Vrukshasana to `tha, thei, tham' adavu.
Graceful dancer
Appearing in Thrissur after six years, septuagenarian C.V. Chandrasekhar once again proved that he continues to be a phenomenon in the field of classical dance. His repertoire included traditional numbers that are considered classics. The much sought-after Sankarabharanam varnam of the Tanjavur Brothers received a majestic delineation that was characterised by masculine grace. He chose two Ashtapadis, perhaps, to highlight the differences in approach chosen by a male dancer and a female dancer. While `Mamiyam chalitha vilokya,' the seventh Ashtapadi, performed by Chandrasekhar, brought forth the viraha of Krishna, the 17th one `Yaahi Madhava, yaahi Kesava,' presented by his daughter Chitra depicted the anger and agony of Radha. What carries Chandrasekhar's abhinaya to singular heights is its subtlety. Chitra's portrayal of Radha was captivating.
Both the artistes gave lecture-demonstrations on the chaturvidha abhinaya on the second day.
The programmes included a Mohiniyattom recital by Kalamandalam Husnabhanu and an elaborate lecture demonstration on the techniques of Mohiniyattom by Nirmala Panicker, who was assisted by her young disciples.
Vocal recital
The only vocal recital in the festival was by T.V. Sankaranarayanan, who paid homage to Pope John Paul II. In an impromptu virutham, he described the Pope as a banyan tree that provided succour to millions.
Pramila Gurumurthy, head of the department of music, University of Madras, presented a paper on `Ragalapana' and `Kalpana swaras.' Quoting profusely from ancient treatises like `Sangitha Ratnakaram' and `Sangitha Sampradaya Pradarshini,' she demonstrated how they are practised by musicians.
The festival included an exhaustive study of Vocology, the first of its kind to be held in Kerala. Vocology, a new branch of knowledge, pertains to the science of voice production, voice therapy and voice culture. R. Jayakumar, a laryngologist, spoke on the nuances of voice production and the care to be taken by the musicians to protect their voice. A short film `A Voice Tour' produced by Tom Cleveland of Tennessee, was screened on the occasion.
G.S. Paul
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
