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Music Season
KARTIK FINE ARTS
Effective portrayal
RUPA SRIKANTH
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Clear footwork, energy and pleasing rhythmic patterns were the hallmarks of Rajeswari Sainath’s performance.
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Photo:M.Vedhan
Vibrant: Rajeswari Sainath.
There is a perceptible change in Rajeswari Sainath’s dance style –it is to do with the ratio between mathematics and mime. The dancer has a penchant for laya and this preoccupation usually dominates her recitals, but this time there was more balance. Both areas were given their due notwithstanding the disparity in the expertise- for, her mime is not as polished as her sense of rhythm.
Clear footwork, good energy, pleasing rhythmic patterns and a good range of adavus were the hallmarks of the performance. The dance by itself could do with more geometry and a tauter body.
On the musical side, Murali Parthasarthy (vocal) was not always on track, but Kandadevi S.Vijayaraghavan (violin) and Saravanan (flute) were alert enough to take over and ensure the smooth flow of melody. Srinivas (nattuvangam) and Nellai D.Kannan (mridangam) kept rhythm with precision through the hills and dales of varying speeds.
The recital commenced with a beautiful ‘Laya Kavidhai- Anbe Sivam’ (Priyadarshini ragam, misram) conceived by veteran mridangist Karaikudi Mani, penned by Su Ravi and composed by Balasai, that lived up to its claim of ‘poetry in rhythm.’ The verse and mnemonic syllables (Adit Narayanan) resonated in perfect harmony. While the vilamba and madhayama kaalam sollus were straightforward counts of seven, the dhurita kaalam was manipulated to include a third speed tisram sequence and a fourth speed misram section. In reverse order, the sequence turned a full circle and came back to a slow vilamba kaalam count-this descent was one of the most beautiful moments that evening. The Siva Tandava was both an aural and a visual treat.
The same technique of symbolism in nritta that worked in the opening composition was not as effective to espouse the theory of the three deities being one in ‘Trimurthi Tatvam’ (ragamalika, panchatalam, written by Kavi Kannan, tuned by Balasai). This was despite the liberal dose of spirituality provided by vedic chants compiled by Seshadri Ganapadigal and recited by G.K.Srinivasan.
The only composition that presented abhinaya without a framework of tala was the varnam, ‘Adiyarthanai’ (ragamalika, Adi, written by Rajkumar Bharathi and Kavi Kannan) on Vittala of Pandarpur. Karaikudi Mani composed the theermanams for this vibrant composition as well. Rajeswari portrayed the stories of Vittala’s devotees- Namadeva, Janabai and Chokkamela- with warmth and involvement. She was equally focused in the nritta portions as well; her fast paced ‘tha tai thams’ that featured in the second half of the 45-minute varnam said it all.
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Music Season
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