BRAHMA GANA SABHA
Mastery over rhythm
VIDYA SARANYAN
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Dance Adavus underlined the skill of Aswathy and Srikanth.
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Photo: R. Ravindran
Imaginative choreography: Aswathy and Srikanth.
The dance recital of Aswathy Srikanth and Srikanth Natarajan at Brahma Gana Sabha was a slick presentation built upon hard work and research. It was evident that a lot of thought had gone behind the many aspects in the show, not just in the choice of
costumes and songs for the evening but also in the projection of the dancers’ persona. Where Srikanth’s dancing was restrained and dignified, Aswathy’s performance was vivacious and made a good foil to her husband. The selection of a mustard colour costume for Srikanth and a bright pink one for Aswathy worked well for the couple.
Starting from his early days as a Bhagavatha Mela artist, Srikanth has also trained under famous Gurus such as Shanmughasundaram Pillai, Saraswati and Padma Subrahmanyam. Aswathy Srikanth is the daughter of renowned Mohiniyattom artist Kalamandalam Saraswathy and has been trained in Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattom and Kuchipudi.
With concise sollu prefixed for effect, ‘Mooladhara Moorti’ in Hamsadhwani was a kriti which invoked Lord Ganesha’s blessings. Hastas denoting the special salutation (Kuttu) to Pillayar were used by the dancers for conveying the bhakti mood to the elephant god.
Imaginative choreography coupled with some concrete dancing ensured that the varnam (’Swami Naan Undan Adimai’) was the core of the evening’s performance. This Papanasam Sivan composition in praise of Lord Nataraja was interpreted through the component of bhakti as well as through Sringara.
Firm footwork
Srikanth opted for the devotional aspect while Aswathy portrayed the nayika who surrenders to the divine lover. The dancers’ skill in nritta was evident from their adavus. Srikanth’s footwork was firm and spoke of good mastery over rhythm. Agility and precision marked Aswathy’s adavus.
The story of Markandeya and the tale where Siva dons the garb of a fisherman to wed Parvati were narrated through sancharis bhava. Nandi playing the mridangam, Brahma handling the cymbals (nattuvangam) and other gods joining in the acclamation of Nataraja’s dance at Chidambaram was another noteworthy depiction.
‘Radha Sametha Krishna’ was a solo delineation by Srikanth. Srikanth related the familiar story of Krishna stealing butter from the gopika’s house. Krishna’s made-up story that the calf ate all the butter was well appreciated by the audience. Yet a meatier piece would have justified this dancer’s considerable prowess in abhinaya. A young girl who turns away Krishna’s overtures for the Swati Tirunal song ‘Itu Sahasamula’ in Saindhavi ragam was Aswathy’s presentation. Her eyes conveyed the similes likening a maiden and a lotus bud eloquently. But she seemed to miss the larger picture: of the young and innocent lass. In its place her body language and mukhabhinaya were those of the nayika wise in the way of love. Tillana in Behag, a composition by Balamuralikrishna, by both dancers was the final piece for the evening.
The music of singer Hariprasad, sombre nattuvangam by Kishore Musalikanti and able mridangam play by Vedakrishnan, as well as the splendid notes from Vijayaraghavan for the violin and Sasidhar on the flute were contributing factors for the success of the duo’s performance.
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