Sparkling nritta
TULSI BADRINATH
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Smiling and composed, Anwesha Das used the stage well.
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POISE: Anwesha Das. Photo: K. V. Srinivasan.
After a pushpanjali, Anwesha Das danced with remarkable poise to a verse from ``Shyamala Dandakam." She has a bright, smiling presence and a composure that adds strength to her movements. However, her transition into poses could be smoother.
In the Swati Thirunal varnam, ``Sumasayaka," Anwesha's nritta sparkled and she used space well. Her footwork was generally neat, though the stamping movements back and forth, between segments, were slightly awkward.
She played the sakhi, informing Madhava about the nayika's torment in being separated from him. While Anwesha's abhinaya was expressive, it required more of the sakhi's personality and concern for her friend.
In the second half of the varnam, there was a disconcerting shift: the sakhi now addressed the nayika, with the words ``manini iha tey taapam."
She tells her, rather redundantly, that (alas) she (the nayika) is suffering the pangs of separation from her lord. Such an interpretation does not make sense, as also the change, mid-way, in the person being addressed. Of course, Anwesha performed sincerely what she had been taught.
Uma Nambudripad.
The words, as per T. K. Govinda Rao's book, are ``manini haa tey taapam" or ``Alas, the pitiable Manini, lady." Clearly, it is a continuation of the same idea - the sakhi's appeal to Madhava to ease her friend's distress.
``Sri Parthasarathi" (Madhyamavati), by Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar, was done well by Anwesha. The words `nannu paalimpa raadaa' could have been explored into further. In ``Saara maina" (Swati Thirunal, Behag) Anwesha delightfully portrayed another woman seducing the nayaka.
As she matures, Anwesha must aim for depth. Also, a better understanding of music would help her bhava; at places one felt the abhinaya travelled alone, instead of flowing with the sangatis. The Brindavana Saranga tillana ended an enjoyable performance.
Guru Urmila Sathyanarayanan ably handled the nattuvangam. Swamimalai S.K.
Suresh sang well but seemed subdued at places. Hari Babu, mridangam, Sashidharan, flute and Kalaiarasan, violin, gave great support.
Graceful
After an invocatory ``Pranavaakaaram," Uma Nambudripad moved on to the varnam ``Maaye Maayan Sodariye" (Todi, Madurai N. Krishnan).
Uma has absorbed well the style of her guru Chitra Visweswaran and the rounded grace of her movements. Her nritta is graceful and polished. She covered the stage with ease.
The birth of Krishna and his being replaced by the female baby, Yogamaya herself, formed the first sanchari, followed later in the varnam by the story of Parvati taking the form of a peacock and worshipping Siva at Mylai. While Uma's abhinaya is expressive and can communicate ideas, it requires more of the dancer's own personality to be successful. That is, while the form of the dance was flawless and well-rehearsed, one did not get the sense of the dancer's inner self being expressed through the content. It is only when that happens can the artiste create rasa.
Again, in the vintage Khamas padam, ``Theruvil Varano" (Muthu Thandavar) though every element was in place and Uma's execution was correct, her bhava required greater maturity and depth to do justice to this piece. Anxiety, self-doubt, longing, disquiet, the unbearable agony of waiting — the padam requires the artiste to translate into bhava all these feelings in an appropriate mix. Uma ended the performance with the Mohanakalyani tillana by Lalgudi Jayaraman. It revealed her strong grip on talam and her attention to the small details in nritta.
Murali Parthasarathy sang very well. Adyar Gopinath on the mridangam, Seetharama Sharma on the violin, and Devaraj on the flute worked as a team. Anirudh Vasudevan gave Uma his attentive support with the nattuvangam.
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