Rhythm of the wind
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The sixth anniversary celebrations of Uttaraa had an interesting mix of music and dance. GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
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RHYTHMIC RAGAS Students of flautist Jayaprada excel in their recital.
Uttaraa Centre for Performing Arts marked its sixth anniversary with an innovative mixture of music and dance. The programme reflected the advantage of an institute of having a dancer and a musician as its founders.
Flautist Jayaprada and exponent of Bharatanatyam Geetha Ganesan appeared to have struck a commendable balance in not only imagining a theme of this kind - that the sound of music is the result of the Earth's wind streams - but also in its execution.
Held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, the programme was inaugurated by Prayaga Vedavathi, deputy director, AIR.
Before the main show, the disciples of Jayaprada and Geetha revealed their talents in programmes they presented in groups. Jayaprada conducted a flute programme of the juniors who presented a Bilahari Swarajathi, Raminchuvevarura in raaga Suposhini, Rama Janardhana in Sankarabharanam and Bhagyada Lakshmi in Madhyamavathi. The seniors presented a brief programme of music that began with a Kambhoji varnam in Khanda Jathi Ata Thalam. Then followed a Kannada song Rama Rama Enniro, in Vasantha.
Mohana was the major effort and different students contributed to the essay. Thyagaraja's Bhavanuta was the choice that gained tempo as it progressed with musical variations and rhythmic build up. They proved good at swara play too, displaying ease. The programme of senior students gained strength in having veterans - violinist Ampolu Muralikrishna, mridangam player K. Sadgurucharan, ghatam player G.S.V Prasad and kanjira player Srikanth - in the ensemble.
The students who took part were Shankari, Maitreyi, Ananya, R.P. Raju, Sriram, V. Saran and Sridhar. Young dancers Geetha Krishna, Sushmita, Priyanka, Rishika, Arpitha, Amritha, Sneha and Srikari took part in the dance part of the programme.
Then came the creative work of Jayaprada and Geetha titled Wind and Earth. Life sways to these two elements of panchabhootas that control the universe. What this musician-dancer duo did was to weave a theme through a chain of ragas in rhythmic cycles.
Disciples of Jayaprada and Geetha took the stage and danced to the rhythm of music, produced on flutes and supported by percussion instruments. The dance movements exhibited good footwork in basic rhythmic patterns reflecting nature's magic. The ragas used were a combination of popular and rare, to reflect the mood of the ballet and inherent beauties of nature, like Kadana Kutuhalam, Simhendra Madhyamam, Sumaneesha Ranjani, Hamsanandi and Revathi. The talas used were Khanda Chaapu of five beats, Mishra Chaapu of seven beats cycle, Sankeerna Ekam of nine beats, Aadhi with eight and a waltz-like Trisra Ekam with three beats that match each of the moods of the navarasaas. Uttaraa then felicitated senior musician and violinist Kokkonda Subrahmanya Sarma and conferred on him the title of Sangeetha Nidhi.
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