All style and aesthetics
RUPA SRIKANTH
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Vigour and elegance combined to make Rukmini Vijayakumar's recital dynamic.
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Rukmini Vijayakumar
Elegant in muted shades of grey and gold, Rukmini Vijayakumar, from Bangalore, displayed the same sense of aesthetics in her Bharatanatyam performance for Bharat Kalachar. Her style is like a supremely crafted piece of work, where every angle, tilt of the head or eye movement represents a chiselled moment of poetry. The effect was dynamic.
Rukmini is a disciple of Guru Narmada, and has trained under Sundari Santhanam and Padmini Rao as well. Her passion for dance has seen her exploring other styles like Kathak and Jazz. .
The dancer displayed good stamina and control over laya in the Thanjavur Quartet's Kali Kauthuvam and in the kriti on Muruga composed in Sudha Saveri set to Adi taalam. In the latter, the movements in the theermanam mimicking the peacock were impressive as was the narrative on Muruga's birth.
Dhandayuthapani Pillai's Todi varnam set to Adi taalam, ``Aadhi Sivane" saw Rukmini push the boundaries of physical movement without compromising the grammar of Bharatanatyam. While the leg lifts and the side-splits went well with the depiction of Siva, the finish of the regular footwork fell short of the promise otherwise seen.
One was also disappointed with the choreography of some of the pure dance sequences that could have challenged the dancer with a wider variety of movements and rhythm.
The charanam section was more striking with Rukmini's stylishness enhancing the appeal of the theermanam and the arudi. Rukmini's sparkling finale was a Valachi thillana, composed by Dwaraki Krishnaswamy and set to Aadi taalam.
The orchestra was an accomplished group with dancer-nattuvanar Praveen Kumar leading the way with authority. The flautist Jayaram deserves special mention for his melody as do his colleagues, Madhusudan on the violin and V. R. Chandrasekhar on the mridangam. The only disappointment was the baritone-voiced Balasubramanya Sharma whose melody and diction left a lot to be desired.
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Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
