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Music Season
BHARAT KALACHAR
Musical movements
RUPA SRIKANTH
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Valli’s ‘comeback programme’ was full of fireworks.
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Photo: S. Thanthoni
Refined footwork: Alarmel Valli.
The proscenium has a festive look this season, with colourful banners in happy colours much like symbols to ward off the evil eye, draped along the wings. It was a perfect setting for an equally happy Bharatanatyam performance by Alarmel Valli. She is back on the scene after a gap of two years and seems to have come back refreshed. While there is a renewed purpose in her step, her improved footwork speaks volumes all on its own.
In addition to the ‘happy’ state, Valli’s ‘comeback programme’ was full of fireworks. Fireworks in nritta and fireworks in abhinaya, only the decibel level varied. This performing artist obviously has no faith in the power of silence. The expert orchestra was as charged — the mridangist (Shakthivel Muruganandam) had another mridangam tuned to the panchamam note and used the higher pitched ‘dong’ for effect all evening.
The nattuvangam (C.K.Vasudevan) maintained a brisk pace while the powerful vocalist (Latha Ramchand) added drama with full-throated participation. In contrast, the instrumentalists — Ranjani R.Arun (violin) and R.Thyagarajan (flute) provided quiet melody.
While this approach works most of the time, and Valli has the energy to pull it off, there is a need for a quieter style sometimes. A case in point is the Kshetrayya padam, ‘Adi yoka yugamu’ (Khambodi, Adi) that requires intensity to portray a broken and bitter woman. Valli’s expressions were diluted by the constant movement during the piece and the wide, expansive gestures did not help her case either.
The opening ‘Siva Panchakshara Stothram’ in ragamalika would have been more effective without being punctuated by swarams. This alternating leaves you in the middle. So it was neither a ‘dhyanam’ nor a happy, nritta celebration. Valli‘s javali, ‘Entati kulukke’ (Kalyani ragam) portraying an indignant woman, hurt and bewildered by her lover’s familiarity was another matter altogether with its trademark ‘kulukku’ that she does so well. The dancer had dedicated the programme to the memory of her music guru T.Muktha, who passed away this year, from whom she had learnt the padam and the javali.
Valli was at her best though in the nritta-dominated padavarnam (ragamalika, Rupaka talam, Ponniah Pillai) ‘Swami ninne kori naanura’ and in the concluding Swaralaya (vasantha ragam, Adi talam, composed by Valli and Prema Ramamurthy). They were feasts of music and rhythm, melody and energy. She said that she, ‘Sings with her body while dancing’ and one can very well endorse the sentiment. Her movements are musical, sharply pointed at times, nicely rounded otherwise, but always flowing and joyous. And most importantly, served with a smile…
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Music Season
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