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Spanning a spectrum

LEELA VENKATARAMAN

The recent Ananya Festival of Choreography in New Delhi saw a range of approaches.

SPLENDOUR ON DISPLAY One of the dance troupes at the Ananya Festival at Purana Quila in New Delhi.

Against its magnificent Purana Quila backdrop, the Ananya Festival showcasing pan-Indian group choreography of an enterprising nature, casting its impresario net wide for hitherto untapped groups over consecutive years, is inevitably running into problems of uneven standards. Dedicated to the memory of the late Ustad Bismillah Khan, the festival had a fittingly dramatic Odissi curtain-raiser in Nrityagram Ensemble's presentation, Artistic Director Surupa Sen's choreographic vision in a class by itself. Frankly explorative, the new repertoire `Sacred Space', in its high vaulting jumps and leg extensions, pushes the frontiers of the Odissi form. Professionalism, unbelievable synchronicity of group movement and sensitive accompanists Beidanath Swain and Rajendrakumar Swain in vocal support, mardal and ukkuta recitation adding a new emotive throb, characterised the presentation. Bijoyini Satpathy as the electric centre, flanked by diligently trained dancers, can produce sparks. The ashtapadis "Dheera sameere" and "Kishlaya tanaya" with soft nritta passages reinforcing the interpretative sequences, pulsated with passionate feel. `Nivritti' the finale inspired by the Orissan Chausat Yogini temple, in its variously aspected majestic postures evoked overtones both tantric and tribal. The starting sankirtanam inspired by wandering minstrels singing and dancing was patchy and did not quite peak. Both this and `Aakriti' showed how the troupe's phenomenal physical control exuding the joyous confidence of total command can in its emphatic assertion lose out on the softer lyrical aspects of Odissi.

Enchanting moments

Nalanda's Mohniattam group led by dance educationist and exponent Kanak Rele, in `Lure of the Flute', following a thiyani in praise of Ganapati, created enchanting moments of Krishna devotion. Regional cross-pollination was evident in the libretto by Kavalam Narayana Panikkar rendered to Sopanam music, drawing on Ayyappa Panikar's Malayalam translation of Sitakant Mohapatra's poem "Radha". The narrative envisions Kalindi (the Yamuna) reminiscing on happenings on her site a thousand years ago. The Jayadeva intervention visualising the aneka nari scene of Krishna sporting with myriad gopis and the ashtapadi "Keshi mathanam udaram" was delightfully captured in group arrangements, neither drama nor dance overdone by the disciplined and well-trained group. Rukmini learns to her chagrin, after failing in the ropewalking across the river, that her love for Krishna cannot measure up to Radha's selflessness. Appearing in short spurts, Kanak Rele lost herself in the passionate intensity of portraying Kubja, the hunchback. Helping evoke rasa was M.S. Girishan's highly involved singing of verses in Natakuranji, Mohanam, Kamboji, Neelambari and Sindhu Bhairavi, aided by a meticulously rehearsed music team.

Neat presentation

Excellent in group spacing was the Bharatanatyam presentation by Bharatanjali under Bhanumati's artistic leadership, with some of the neatest choreographic arrangements by eight meticulously trained disciples. A sparklingly tidy nritta/nritya start, with Kathak and Odissi shades, was in the 19th century Poorva-ranga-vidhi, a legacy of the Mysore palace tradition. "Subrahmanyam Namaste", L.R. Lakshmi's composition, had some arresting group images. Tyagaraja's Mayamalavagowla Brahmanandam used the saptaswara arohana avarohana imaginatively for group presentation. The Manmatha Dahana, Markandeya Vijaya and Amrita Manthana narratives in Purandaradasa's "Chandrachood Sivashekhara" provided some natya hype. While lauding Bhanumati's very symmetrical group imagery, one cannot help mentioning that some motifs like dancers arrayed one behind the other using hands to create the peacock, halo effect, were repeated too often. Asymmetrical formations too, as a contrast, should be tried.

Parvati Dutta's Aurangabad Kathak group never rose beyond a tame level. Parvati, a fine solo dancer, had some good thematic ideas of a dance journey, re-living the heyday of feudal Kathak, fitting with this site. But in translating this to effective group choreography, she failed. Clusters of hands moving in air, with dancers in uniform costume may have had a better impact. Music in forms like Dhrupad and Khayal are difficult in metre to suit Kathak tone. And even Swati Tirunal's "Chaliye Kunjanme" and the Bindadin composition, given the uneven group, were lacklustre.

Natya Stem Dance Kampani, Bangalore, in its contemporary vocabulary inspired by Kalari, Yoga, Thang Tha and Kathak led by Madhu Natraj, provided unexpectedly fine moments, though some of the eye-catching motifs were repetitive. The Kathak-derived chakkar, hand movements were cleverly contemporary and costumes were aesthetic. Music mixing, however, could have been less patchy. Despite competing events, Ananya attracted good audiences.

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