Challenging repertoire
RUPA SRIKANTH
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Backed by a collection of her own choreography, Janaki’s Bharatanatyam recital reflected her confidence.
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Photo: B. jothi ramalingam
Brisk: Janaki Rangarajan.
Janaki Rangarajan, a researcher in Molecular Genetics in the United States of America, has returned to the performing circuit after a few years. This new mother runs a small dance school in Maryland. She is a disciple of Padma Subrahmanyam, but her s
tyle is not Bharatanrityam, it is a hybrid style that combines a very linear style of Bharatanatyam and the occasional karana.
Backed by a repertoire of her own choreography, Janaki’s Bharatanatyam recital reflected the dancer’s brisk and confident manner. Her nritta is impressive in its precision and timing and her straight posture and agility give the adavus a well-finished definition, but there is insufficient azhutham that requires attention.
Skilful team
Janaki had the support of skilled accompanists such as Jayashree Ramanathan (nattuvangam) and S.S.R.Krishnan (mridangam), who added to the precision.
While Janaki is expressive, her abhinaya is too clinical, which means she needs to stay in character or hold the sthayi longer and she cannot apply the same rules of precision to the dramatic moments.
Some of the gestures like the quivering lips and the wringing hands (an expression of a helpless ‘aiyyayo’) were also too contrived and unnatural. She might benefit with some guidance in this area.
Commencing with a brisk Mallari (tisra triputa) and a Ganapathy sloka (‘Pallum Theli Thenum’), Janaki delineated the navaragamalika varnam (‘Swamiyai Azhaithodi Vaa,’ Adi, K.N.Dhandayuthapani Pillai) with smooth confidence. One could see how much she enjoyed the experience of dancing and performing.
A beautiful padam in Murali ragam, perhaps the only composition in this genre by Balamuralikrishna, ‘Ennadaina Vintina,’ and compatriot Subramanya Bharati’s ragamalika, ‘Dikku Theriyada Kaatil’ were the choices in the abhinaya segment.
The finale was a Behag thillana by the Thanjavur Quartet. The repertoire was challenging for the musicians with two ragamalika compositions; Vanathi Raghuraman’s music was inconsistent, so it was left to senior violinist Kandadevi S.Vijayaraghavan to maintain the melody, which he did successfully.
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