Characters enter in style
|
The Kalakshetra show was an effective mix of Bharatanatyam and Kathakali.
|
WITH TELLING EFFECT: Krishna dances in. Photo: S. R. Raghunathan.
Bharatanatyam was either a solo or a duet during the early days. The credit for introducing ballets goes to Rukminidevi. The Bhagavata melanataks of the Thanjavur district share the honours.
Rukminidevi learnt and performed only Bharatanatyam as a soloist. It was she who brought dance teaching under an institution — the Kalakshetra. Influenced by Chathunni Panicker, who came to serve in the institution, she acquired a fascination for Kathakali and started choreographing ballets in both dance forms, at times alternatively in a single sequence of an episode.
At the Music Academy, Kalakshetra students presented short episodes — the Pravesa (entry) of a character. The introduction of Krishna, Rama accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana, and the entries of Radha, Hanuman, Soorpanakha, Ravana and others were enacted. The entry of Hanuman (a scene from "Choodamani Pradanam") was in the Kathakali mode; so was that of Soorpanakha. Though these characters could have been introduced in the Bharatanatyam format too, their valorous or demoniac character was better projected in the Kathakali style.
"Harikatha," "Sritakamala" and other Ashtapadis from `Gita Govindam' were used. Had it been just Bharatanatyam, the meaning contained in these verses would have been mimed but they were only a few scenes from different ballets. There were only plain movements to the accompaniment of some Ashtapadis. The dancers played their part perfectly. Jyotsna Menon wielded the cymbals to the lilting vocal music of Hariprasad and Mangalam Sankar. Anilkumar, Sasidhar, Srinivasan and Srijit Nambiar handled the mridangam, flute, violin and maddalam. It was a good show from Kalakshetra to a packed house.
B. M. SUNDARAM
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Music Season
