Platform for talent and expertise
AMBILI RAMNATH
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Some of the best talents in India participated in the Soorya Dance and Music Festival 2006.
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VIRTUOSO PERFORMANCES: Dr. Padma Subramaniam and Vineeth.
The dance presentations in the Soorya Dance and Music Festival this year showcased some of the best talents in the country. The music and dance performance began with danseuse and anchorperson Rajasree Warrier's performance.
Her short Bharatanatyam recital began with a Vinayaka sthuti in ragam Kanakangi. This was followed by the main piece, the varnam, `Mohalahiri merude swami' composed by Kunnakudi Venkitaramaiyer in Kapi. Portraying the nayika waiting for her lord Murugan, this piece displayed some imaginative choreography, wherein the reality and dream sequences switched from one to the other. This technique, wherein shades of vasakasajja and vipralabdha nayikas were interwoven, offered ample opportunity for the dancer to exhibit her prowess in abhinaya too.
Poise and grace
The adavus, though simple, were interspersed with striking poses and executed with grace. `Chikkavane ivano,' by Purandaradasa in ragamalika and set to Adi talam was a delightful piece in which the gopis complain to Yasoda about her son Krishna. All the pieces were choreographed by Rajasree.
Odissi recital
Meera Das and her disciples demonstrated some remarkable examples in group choreography through their Odissi recital.
Shobhana
In honour of the Soorya festival, the invocatory piece, the mangalacharan, was a tribute to the sun god and specially choreographed by Meera Das.
As a child, Meera was trained in Bandha Nritya, a classical dance form involving acrobatic movements. Incorporating this into mainstream Odissi, she performed an item unseen in the usual repertoire, where the artistic blended with the acrobatic. A pallavi in rag Sankarabharanam and the Dasavathar from the Gitagovindam followed.
Meera Das's yen for innovation found expression in the contemporary piece entitled `Meghambari,' which celebrated the beauty of Nature with peacock-like dance movements.
Meera Das
Dancing to a full house was Shobhana. Her illness kept her away from doing the varnam herself, which disappointed her rasikas.
Proud guru
But they were amply compensated on seeing Shobhana excelling in nattuvangam, in the mature role of a proud guru to her worthy disciple, Anurupita Sampath. This young danseuse wins a near perfect 10 for her performance in `Saami nine korira.'
The padam in Begada set to Misra chap talam, presented Shobhana in the role of the abhisarika nayika, who fearlessly and confidently goes to meet her lord. This mood of this number contrasted sharply with the tone of devotion evident in `Bhaja govindam,' which was a gem of a piece.
Rajasree Warrier
The clever inclusion of Gitopadesham and Dasavatharam as sancharis lent depth to this piece that is usually seen composed in a straight forward manner. The Kavadi chintu exposed the folk element in Bharatanatyam and with these three presentations, Shobhana went through the whole gamut of expressions, quite literally.
Full house
Soorya's Dance and Music Festival has always featured Dr. Padma Subramaniam, since the year of its inception. Now 29 years later, the hall was packed for her performance as it did the very first time. This indeed speaks volumes for her credibility as a devotee of the art form.
This year she was accompanied by her senior disciples, actor Vineeth and Dr. Gayatri Kannan, who also teaches at her dance school, Nrithyodaya.
A geetam in Malahari, set to Misra Chaap talam, was the first item of the recital, following which was a jatiswaram in ragamalika, choreographed by Padma Subramaniam. `Swami naan unthanadimai' was the varnam chosen for delineation. This composition by Papanasam Sivan in Natakurinji and set to Adi talam, was performed in parts by all the three artistes of the evening.
`Saa virahe thava dina' from Jayadeva's Gitagovindam was the solo number by Dr. Padma in which she did full justice to the abhinaya aspect of dance.
The last item was a scintillating thillana composed by D. Kannan, Padma's brother, a skilful veena player who was part of the pakkamelam.
The other members of the orchestra were Vidya Kalyanaraman and Radhika Muthukrishnan on the vocals, Nellai Balaji on the mridangam and T.S. Balu on the violin.
It is always a treat to listen to the orchestra accompanying Padma Subramaniam's performances as the dance and music move in perfect synchronisation. With this recital, the curtains came down on the dance presentations of the Soorya Dance and Music Festival 2006.
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