Some drama, some dance
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
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This past week saw an interesting clutch of dance recitals. But the `walkout' staged by percussionist Chandrasekhar was an unpleasant if unique add-on.
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POISE WITH CHARM Abhay Shanker and Kakali in a Kathak duet.
The dancer/musician relationship while so inevitable in the Indian context is not without its uneasy ripples. An embarrassingly glaring instance of this was provided at the Triveni during the Kuchipudi recital of Nandini Nandan, student of acclaimed dancer Swapnasundari, with the percussionist Chandrasekhar walking out with his mridangam during the musical interlude after what seemed an unpleasant exchange between him and the late-arriving guru, following the lacklustre violin solo with no percussion accompaniment provided. While the reasons for the altercation as recounted by Swapnasundari over the mike and the mridangist (later in the evening talking to this critic) differed, this critic felt that just an announcement craving the indulgence of the audience, for the latter half of the recital which would be without the percussionist due to unforeseen circumstances, would have sufficed, without the public airing of anger.
Despite Vasanti Rao's experienced vocal accompaniment, the musical effort sounded staccato. But Nandini Nandan, notwithstanding a certain angularity in movement of lanky arms, is a talented dancer and in the typical Swapnasundari vein, her items, different from hackneyed Kuchipudi versions of familiar items, had a freshness. Meenakshi's love for Siva, even as she is held back by the snakes round his neck, was an interesting item. Nandini's depiction of scenes from Bhama Kalapam was particularly noteworthy, catching Satyabhama's myriad emotional states. In the vachika bits, one appreciated the dancer's effort to sing the words. No great singer, she nevertheless has a basic sur awareness with feeling imparted to the singing. With her feel for rhythm, Nandini did not allow the lack of percussion support to bother her. Tanjavur Kesavan, joined by Swapnasundari's cymbals, in the second half provided fine nattuvangam.
Diligent training
Away from the much frequented Kamani, Triveni, FICCI, SRC complex, at Purva Sanskritik Kendra, Lakshmi Nagar, the Society for Action Through Music under Vijay Shankar Misra mounted the annual Gama Maharaj Smriti Samaroh, featuring the U.K.-based young Amy Patel, disciple of Kathak dancer Abhay Shanker Mishra, now teaching at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London. Her clean dance profile, clarity of padhant and tala grasp in both the Teen tala and the Dhamar nritta spoke of diligent training, with even items like paran, paramelu and ladi correctly rendered. With experience, the freeze balancing after fast movement, and complete awareness of time measurement in upaj segments should grow. If she could impart more of the quality of energy into otherwise correct hand movements, her Kathak would radiate more verve. The invocation "Jai Shankar Jai Gangadhar" as sung by Kolkata-based vocalist Gautam Dutta oscillated between Shankara and Hamsadhwani touches. The dancer showed involvement in the well-structured Ram/Ravan battle scene built on Gama Maharaj's rhythm composition, though the unmusically sung excerpts from "Shudha Brahma Paratpara Ram" hymn by Abhay Shanker hit a wrong chord.
Taking the Sai Baba auditorium stage himself, in a Kathak duet with wife Kakali, Abhay Shanker was in his element, his strong presence in tasteful attire sporting the right blend of guru bhakti and quiet confidence. Combining grace with precision were upaj, uthan and the Jaipur gharana gems like pippilika yeti.
The exits, entrances and transitions between him and Kakali, a much-improved dancer though not in the same class, were well thought out. The singing for the recital left much to be desired.
A Meera bhajan like "Maro Pranam Banke Bihari" sung in the typical Rajasthani mould is such a strong part of cultural memory, that setting it to another raga just for the dance makes for an emasculated version of the original.
Mohiniattam
Manjula's Mohiniattam at the India International Centre revealed a more contained dancer without the sugary over-emoting, which characterised her dance earlier.
She began with a delightfully impish Ganapati outwitting his brother Kartikeya, in the "Jaya Ganapati" sung in a melodious Mohanam by Sadanam Rajagopalan. The Swati Tirunal padam in Suruti, wherein an angry nayika crossed in love finally succumbs to the charms of her beloved Padmanabha, and the ashtapadi "Vasante Vasanti" were mimed with restraint.
Grace and clarity of nritta emerged in the Ragamalika mukhachalam and tauratrikam. Guru Bharati Shivaji conducted, leading a well-rehearsed team of musicians.
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