SRI KRISHNA GANA SABHA
Scores on the bhava front
RUPA SRIKANTH
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Melody and vivacity complemented each other in Ananda's high-energy performance.
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Photo: R. Shivaji Rao.
POIGNANT: Ananda Shankar Jayant.
It was the concluding item of the evening, the Gitopadesa, which made the best impact.
If not for it, Ananda Shankar Jayant's solo Bharatanatyam programme on the haloed stage of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha might have remained just one more proficient but forgettable programme of the season.
The verses from the Bhagavad Gita, tuned into an operatic composition by Prema Ramamurthy brought out the best in the musicians and in the dancer.
The momentum of the finale on the Kurukshetra battlefield gradually grew from a ripple to a wave of empathy and poignancy through brilliant bhava-laden music and involved portrayals. The wave turned into a tsunami with the vision of Viswaroopam... wonderful way for the dancer to sign off.
The invocatory `Omkara Panjara Shuki' in ragamalika, tuned again by Prema Ramamurthy, set the tone for the recital. Melodious music and Ananda's vivacity complemented each other well in a high-energy recital.
For a dancer, having strong orchestral support is half the battle won and this year's Nrithya Choodamani awardee came fortified with an excellent band of musicians from Hyderabad. With vocalist S.Venu Madhav in the forefront, the team consisted of Sai Kumar, (violin), I.V.Renuka Prasad (nattuvangam), T.P.Balasubramaniam, mridangam, and local musician, Ramana (flute).
It was the nritta that drew the attention for the wrong reasons in the varnam on Rajagopala, `Mohalahiri konden' (Todi, Adi), a composition of the Thanjavur Quartette.
The softness of approach, a lack of force in the stamping movements and an absence of the seated stance all suggested a strong Kuchipudi influence, amounting to a distinct compromise on the classicality of Bharatanatyam.
The rhythmically appealing theermanams peppering the varnam were composed by Adyar K.Gopinath and handled with a good time sense by both the dancer and nattuvanar.
Ananda's abhinaya is her strength, blessed as she is with a mobile face and an uninhibited style. The varnam contained sancharis that allowed her to give full rein to this talent. The visual essay of Rajagopala's procession and its attendant crowd of devotees that jostles the heroine as she attempts to garland the deity were well scripted.
Sringara bhakti gave way to a flirtatious and regretful heroine turning Krishna away from her door in the Kapi javali, `Sarasamulaadayatandhuku.' It certainly helped that every such effective portrayal had the backing of melodic mood music.
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