SRI THYAGA BRAHMA GANA SABHA
Dramatic portrayal of Parvathi's wedding
RUPA SRIKANTH
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The dancers showed remarkable involvement in whatever scene was being played out.
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Photo: R. Shivaji Rao.
OPULENT ALL THE WAY: Parvathi Parinayam.
The curtains went up to a magnificent sight. There were more than 40 young dancers dressed in the elaborate costumes of devas, rishis, apsaras and bhootha ganas, neatly arrayed in rows at different levels. It seemed like a family portrait taken in Kailasa. This was the introduction to `Parvathi Parinayam,' a dance drama presented by choreographer and teacher Sheela Unnikrishnan and the students of her school, Sri Devi Nrithyalaya.
If one word could sum up the production, it would have to be `opulence.' There was opulence in numbers — the strength of the cast was 52; there was opulence in the costumes that were detailed to suit each character; there was opulence in the variety of sounds or instruments used in the recording; and there was opulence in the dramatisation.
Yet `Parvathi Parinayam' was not an indulgent production. The introduction and the concluding `Maapillai Oorvalam' and wedding scenes were the only lengthy ones with rich visual displays of characters and of coordinated movement.
The story was of Dakshayani and her reincarnation as Parvathi, who does penance to win over Siva. The choreographer lost no time and ensured that there were no commas or semi-colons midway.
But what the choreographer did was to bring in other dramatic components besides classical music and dance. The dialogue mouthed by the characters and excessive orchestration diluted the classical element.
Another issue was the use of filmy movements especially in the opening Siva-Parvathi duet and in the Kadanakuthuhalam (Adi) tillana. The pity is none of this was actually necessary. With the pool of talent available, the same could have been achieved within the classical framework.
The dancers between the ages of seven and 13 acquitted themselves with dignity and their co-ordination was excellent. They showed remarkable involvement in whatever scene was being played out, even when they were just by-standers.
There was no trace of diffidence or self-consciousness either. The main characters were played by Archana, Uma, Gayathri, Vidyalakshmi, Lakshmipriya, Anusha, V.Harini, Pavithra, Varsha and Harini. The lyrics were by Kaadal Mathi and the music composition was by Bala Bharathy.
There were some memorable scenes as the ones with the child Parvathi and her friends, and the detailed presentation of the steps in a Vedic wedding ceremony. Noteworthy also was the conceptualisation of both the Siva-Parvathi duet with mirror-image movements, and the Rati-Manmadha duet incorporating all the classical dances of India into a Mohanam raga instrumental piece. The difference of opinion lay only in the execution.
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