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Wonderful imagery, subtle theatrics

Photos: R. Shivaji Rao

Dynamic choreography: ‘Ashta Nayaka’ by Aruna Mohanty and group.

As part of the ‘Yagnaraman July Fest’ Sri Krishna Gana Sabha presented a ‘Dance Festival of Choreographic Works on Sankhya (Numbers)’ that drew artists from across India.

The number eight was represented by ‘Ashta Nayika’ and presented by Orissa Dance Academy, Bhubaneshwar.

The 70-minute production was a visual treat, a bouquet of lilting music, graceful Odissi, dynamic choreography, beautiful lighting and subtle theatrics. While every facet reflected the choreographers’s (Guru Gangadhar Pradhan and Guru Aruna Mohanty) artistry, ‘Ashta Nayika’ also rode on its understated appeal. They presented the emotional states of a nayika or heroine as she goes through the highs and lows of being in love, and as the sentiments flowed seamlessly, only separated by a short introduction, one could see the obvious reference to the divine couple, Radha and Krishna. For a production without a storyline, as in a beginning and an end, the tableau was wonderfully cohesive.

Despite being largely emotive, ‘Ashta Nayika’ had much more in the choreography like the poetic movements and the imaginative group dynamics.

Woven into the abhinaya episodes were little, unobtrusive pieces of nritta, that seemed to embellish the fabric like a lace edging. Beautiful friezes, off-centre groupings and positions on the diagonal gave more sparkle to the already colourful weave.

The concept had been inspired by the Raasleela dance drama tradition that was popular in the rural areas of Orissa that was adapted with Odissi music and dance.

Jayadeva’s Ashtapadhi and medieval poems on Raasleela form the crux, with a lone Meera bhajan (‘Kohi Kahiyore’) and a Puri Jagannath temple festival song (‘Jhulanki Rangain’) also included.

There were some choreographic touches like the ‘show within the show’ concept used to describe Krishna’s Raasleela to Radha (‘Chandana Charchita’) and the sensitive treatment in another Ashtapadhi, ‘Pashyati Dishi Dishi’ in which Radha’s state is being described to Krishna, with Radha in the background, that took the production out of the ordinary.

The show stopper was the temple song that was played out as the finale in which Radha and Krishna are on a swing surrounded by the gopis. As the song celebrating this divine couple was through, the movement of the swing too slowed down in sync defining the end of the worship and so the production.

Music was its mainstay with: Bijayakumar Barik (mardala), Nazia Alam and Rupaka Kumar Parida (vocal), Surmani Rameshchandra Das (violin) and Abhiram Nanda (flute). Music composition was by Ramahari Das and Subash Pani.

Lighting was by Jayadeb Das. The dancers were: Aruna (Krishna), Madhusmita (Radha), Janhabi, Sanjukta, Sridutta and Arupa.

Senior Kathak artist and scholar Prerana Shrimali’s solo ‘Sapta Aavarta’ was founded on the premise of astrology that every planet has a human impact.

The nature of the seven planetary bodies such as the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn and their energies were sought to be conveyed through the traditional repertoire of Kathak.

‘Sapta Aavarta,’ despite being backed by the best of artists — Shubha Mudgal (music) and Prerana (choreography, poetry selection) — did not take off.

There was no energy in the production and there was no drama on stage. There was good music, good lighting (Raghavendra) and dignified Kathak, but the magic of them coming together and transforming or energising the space did not happen.

While the ambitious project conceptualised by Brijendra Rehi, presented astronomy, astrology and Kathak in a nutshell, the resulting work seemed too simplistic at one level and too esoteric at another.

Prerana Shrimali.

The introductory audio visual to each was unimaginative. And the other was the presentation of the dance; where one is used to interactive Kathak recitals, where every tukda or paran is recited before its execution, this understated display of skill was lost.

This work was originally a group presentation that had been resurrected as a solo for the Chennai programme. It was actually a well-researched work, with each star, satellite and planet given its due in terms of its nature, colours and significance.

Prerana affected split second dress changes with an appropriate odni, scarf or pleats accessorising her basic black and gold costume for each planetary body.

The repertoire included a wide ranging pick — a Kabir composition (‘Bande Kareeley’) that projected Jupiter as the one for the wisdom of the Guru; a tumri (‘Bekhiyo Chehe’) about a shy bride who stood for Venus as one for love and union; the intellectual Mercury essayed with Gat Nikas and standing footwork.

The production did seem to find its touch half way through, from the Mercury segment, but it was not enough.

After the seven orbits were done with, the dancer came back to the start to signify a full circle, one with no beginning or end. It was a good theme that was not fully exploited, like a bud that did not blossom into its full beauty.

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