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Young and committed
INNATE TALENT and determination to do her best seemed to be the major contributors to the success of the Bharatanatyam recital of ten-year old Medha Hari, who mesmerised the audience with her energetic performance under the auspices of Salangai Oli Trust. Medha means intellect and indeed an apt name chosen for this young aspirant who revealed composure and maturity beyond her age. Hers is a case of a fine blend of talent, hard work and commitment that is rare among her age group of dancers. Being very young, Medha was devoid of stage fear or nervousness at any point of time. It was a joy to watch this child dance with such exuberance, maintaining the dignity and respect of her tradition. After the invocatory number, Medha proceeded with two interesting compositions of Madurai Muralidharan, dancer, teacher and versatile composer, who is probably the first to compose in 35 Talas, many items for a Bharatanatyam repertoire. ``Kolahala Ganapati," describing the joyful and auspicious dancing Vinayaka had interesting sequences to incorporate certain thoughtful rhythmical aspects to denote the dance of the Lord. Medha presented these details with utmost ease. ``Konjum Sadangai," centring around the glory of the Lord of Dance was the other lively piece that brought forth the astonishing skill for precision, and perfect control of Medha over the different aspects of Nritta. Her talent for interpretation of the lyrical content was very impressive. Anita Guha, Medha's guru deserves praise for nurturing this promising youngster. However, Anita should avoid resorting to a frenzied tempo and certain harshness seen in the execution of the adavu structures. A soft and tranquil approach will enhance the performance. Anita conducted ably and sang well during the recital. Devi Kamakshi, main vocalist gave good support, while Padmanabhan rendered skilful percussive accompaniment.
Lively performance
At Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Lakshmi Parthsarathy Athreya, a disciple of Chitra Visweswaran, gave a lively performance. Lakshmi has a striking stage presence. With her supple physique, she was able to bring out the nuances of her chosen technique with grace and elegance. Her pretty face captured the different emotions swiftly. However, with the technique having a vague approach, her presentation sometimes lacked the necessary grip. Too much movement on the stage seemed to dilute the solid nature of the items chosen for the occasion. Sukanya conducted the recital with good control.
Lakshmi Partasarathy... striking stage presence.
A bright Mallari, followed by Nachiyar kautvam were the initial numbers that were performed by Lakshmi effortlessly. The major Varnam was that of Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, ``Innum En Manam," wherein the Nayika addresses Lord Krishna. Lakshmi's portrayal of the devotee who pines for the grace of the Lord with lotus-like eyes, and description of the varied sports were colourful and pleasing. Only one thought she could have used her potential and experience to improvise more. Lakshmi's handling of the Nritta portions, especially the enjoyable theermanams, and the beautiful stances typical of the Vazhuvur tradition was impressive.
NANDINI RAMANI
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