When natyam becomes dialogue
ANJANA RAJAN
|
Adept at rhythm, Shobana dances, as if having an unplanned conversation with the audience and the musicians.
|
The Music Academy Dance Festival began on December 3 with a Bharatanatyam performance by Shobana that attracted a capacity crowd. While Shobana is known for her experimental bent and sets her Bharatanatyam to music of various genres, for this performance she stuck to the pure Carnatic idiom. But that is not to say she did not imbue the show with her individual interpretation of the dance: abhinaya unshackled by definitions of stylisation (natyadharmi) and nritta that revels in the movement between two postures, lending a soft quality to her Bharatanatyam. Adept at rhythm, Shobana puts in a step here, a pause there, with little surprises if you are keeping tala, but quite casual if you are not, as if having an unplanned conversation with the audience and the musicians. This and her dramatic abhinaya make her performance easy on the eye for the lay public.
The opening piece chosen by the dancer was Thodayamangalam culminating in a viruttam addressed to Lord Siva. It was refreshing that no speeches marked — or marred — the inaugural event. The Vignesha slokas sung by Radha Badri prior to the dancer's entry were thus more effective in creating an invocatory mood.
The varnam whose lyrics were by Dr. Hridaya and music set by Radha in a ragamalika, was a magnificent piece of work, with each line in a different jaathi. Dedicated to Siva, Ardhanariswara, the varnam includes allusions to his destruction of Daksha's yagna and his conquering of desires as he meditates alone in the Himalayas. Dramatic portrayals were the highlight of the abhinaya, and the jathis — each in mishra, khanda, sankirna, etc. — were impressive. The jathis, smoothly intoned by Revathi Kumar, offered tala combinations others might find daunting. Shobana's dance kept up with them effortlessly, and while her footwork was clear, one craved a little more geometric clarity and symmetry in the postures. Bharatanatyam is characterised by balance at many levels, and one would expect the beauty of its symmetry and asymmetry both to be represented. Keeping the mukthai swaram purely instrumental was an interesting idea.
Shobana's delineation of Sarangapani's padam "Mogaduchi" emphasised the playful character of the gopi's childhood association with Krishna. This made the ending moment a poignant one, when, just as she is about to leave with the husband she was married off to as a child, she rushes back to touch Krishna's feet, allowing her immense sorrow to burst through the brave front at that last moment. "Bhajagovindam" of Adi Sankara brought the performance to a close on a devotional note.
PHOTOS: SHAJU JOHN and R. SHIVAJI RAO.
ABHINAYA UNSHACKLED: Shobana
Radha Badri's superb singing was an asset, as were Ramakrishnan's mridangam, Sivaraman's violin and B. Muthukumar's flute.
Resonating lyrics
It was not an easy job for Deepika Reddy to gather the audience's attention when she took the stage after Shobana.
She managed however, with the help of the traditionally set invocation based on "Pranavakara Siddhi Vinayakam" of Oothukadu Venkatasubbaier with his resonating lyrics. Her centrepiece was an extract from a thematic production, "Stree Trayam."
Deepika chose the episode on Draupadi, extolling the courage and resolve of the queen of Hastinapur. In an age of literalism, the audience appreciated the dancer, who had left her hair loose for this piece, tying up her tresses at the end in a symbol of her revenge against the Kauravas.
Deepika's abhinaya is expressive and her footwork sharp. Her depiction of the gambling scene, where the conversation between Yudhisthira and Duryodhana was made clear by only showing Duryodhana's reactions, was skilful.
Deepika Reddy.
The laughter of the victorious Duryodhana, though, was a bit stereotyped.
Later, however, in "Govardhana Giridhara" which included the display on the brass plate, in the depiction of vastrapaharanam, one felt the inner meaning of the episode was lost when after the surrender in which the gopi performs namaskar to Krishna giving up all inhibitions and has her clothes returned, Deepika continued to make faces at Krishna, in the manner of a harassed woman. This tarangam had been choreographed by her guru, Vempati Chinna Satyam.
Deepika ended with a fine tillana, composed by Balamurali Krishna and choreographed by Kishore Musalikanthi.
Her orchestra included, besides Kishore on the nattuvangam, Sweta Prasad who sang soulfully, Haribabu on the mridangam, B. Muthukumar on the flute and T. Bhawani Prasad on the veena.
The orchestral accompaniment was well balanced to enhance the emotional effects.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
