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Music Season
Meticulously planned
TULSI BADRINATH
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The Nrityagram Ensemble scored with its attention to detail.
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INFINITE POSSIBILITIES EXPLORED: Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy. Photo: V. Ganesan.
From the electric burst of movement at the beginning, to the sinuous pose at the end, it was clear that the Nrityagram Odissi troupe led by Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy knew the one secret of success — attention to detail.
This permeated every aspect of their stagecraft: excellent lighting, costumes — blouses given a beautifully rounded border at the back — announcements, music — musicians' unswerving concentration on the dancers — and make-up.
As Budhanath Swain released a torrent of sound from his mardala, the two dancers evoked, in Sankeertanam, the rustic setting of wandering minstrels singing the glory of Krishna. The drummer's exuberance was infectious, as also his smile. Next, Rashmi Raj, Ayona Bhaduri and Pavitra Reddy joined Bijayini in Ritu Basant. Here, the infinite possibilities of the dancing body were explored, with a sense of play. Notes of music, by Parashuram on the flute and Ranjan Kumar Beura on the violin, and beats of the drum were flung into the air, only to be caught and merged with dance. The music, as with most of the pieces, was composed by Pt. Raghunath Panigrahi. Three ashtapadis followed. In ``Dheera Sameerey," Surupa and Bijayini together painted the moonlit image of a river, its wind-caressed bank, and a yearning lover, Krishna. ``Yami Hey" — Sampada Maravalli sang those words with such feeling that they enriched Surupa's luminous portrayal of Radha's lament, `to whom shall I turn now?' It would be churlish to complain that the ashtapadis were rendered in an idiom of movement, with languid poses and angika abhinaya of a certain kind, that did not allow room for a more spontaneous but deeply felt evocation of bhava. For, the performance, complete in all aspects, sang the poetry of the body and the sheer joy of dance.
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Music Season
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