Enchanting performances
LASYA VEMPARALA
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Geeta Ganesan's solo rendition was one of the finest performances in recent times.
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The Dance Drama, Rukmini Kalyanam.
Kalasagaram on the eve of their 39th annual cultural festival organised Geeta Ganesan's solo concert and a dance drama - Rukmini Kalyanam. Imagine a dancer who dances from the centre of her being and embodies the very definition of perfection of emotive technique? Watching Geeta Ganesan's solo, one almost witnesses expressive lucidity and intensity, technique and discipline, control and precision. And indeed, one gets to witness one of the country's finest performers in the current generation.
The solo dance genre creates an evening of consummate expression that pulsates with rhythmic exhilaration as she offers Anjali through an enactment of the 51st shloka from Adi Sankaracharya's Saundarya Lahari - Shive shringaraadra in Ragamalika, Adi tala. Greatness of various aspects of Sri Matha like her glimpse or drushti - the forceful, intense gaze which Geeta dances with aplomb. In this rendition rich with abhinaya and sthayibhava, she becomes the naayika and beseeches the lord to yield to her request and wonders why he does not heed her plea.
And, music for this superb piece is composed by veritable Prema Ramamurthy. In one instance Geeta Ganesan eloquently shows she can depict the potent Shiva and in the next second, she can switch to Parvati's languorous graceful lasya movements.
EMOTIVE APPEAL: Geeta Ganesan.
In the second part of the programme, Geeta Ganesan pulls out all the stops in the varnam, a Papanasam Shivam composition - Saami Naan Undan Adimay in Naatakurinji raga, Adi tala. Her fervent appeals to her Lord to bless her with his all-encompassing love was decorous, as also, amorous. Her entire focus of ardour and devotion being Lord Nataraja, she eloquently describes Shiva and it is here that she challenges with her lyrical limbs the percussionists in high-pitched diction both in terms of pure dance and abhinaya.
Through her intense abhinaya, Geeta Ganesan pours on rasikas the very abundant words and metaphors in Nagumomu Ganaleni Na Jaali in abheri raga, adi tala. Through this composition of saint Thyagaraja, she at once becomes a master-sculptor that dedicates each movement of his chisel to the object of his sculpture. She transforms each word, as it were, into a spiritually enlightening dance experience.
Geeta Ganesan's solo certainly received a thunderous applause from the enraptured audience for her passionate commitment that proved itself out on the evening. With uncompromising gurus V. S. Ramamurthy and Manjula Ramaswamy doing the nattuvangam honours, it was only a more heightened performance. Evocative, magnetic soundscape for this compelling production substantiates the vocal genius of Prema Ramamurthy resoundingly supported by Rajagopalachary on mridangam, R.P. Raju on flute and Sai Kumar on violin.
A timeless epic
In this dance drama choreography that is rich, textured, innovative, and multi-layered in intent and nuance, the dancers get transformed into animated virtuosos within each brief piece chosen for the ballet. The young and chirpy dancers trained rigorously use the stage to revel in the rhythm, moods and music of concise enactments leading up to Rukmini's marriage with Krishna. Geeta Ganesan's technical perfection, rasa lakshanam, sanchaaris and theermanams are a guide to any aspiring artiste.
Especially alluring are the interludes that depict young Rukmini performing marriage of dolls. Not-to-be-missed scenes are the depiction of festivities and fanfare ahead of Rukmini Kalyanam rendered by ebullient young talent.
With an easy to appreciate background musical score by Jayaprada Ramamurthy and Geeta Ganesan, the engaging scenes depict Krishna noting the contents of the message sent by Rukmini through a Brahman. Geeta Ganesan actually enacts the contents of the message on stage with the copious rhythmic elements as well as mime and expression. In the continuum the dancer spares no effort to fully justify the swara passages with accompanying sahitya.
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