Curtains up
The Kathak Kendra's Dikshant Samaroh this year was a contained one-day presentation at the Kamani unlike previous years. With her electric freezes on sama and smiling ease while performing, talented Pratishtha Sharma, trained under Guru Rajendra Gangani, with the innovative flair for trying out her own thematic numbers, needs to bring in a quality of response into her presentation, which now has a `bedam' breathless quality of unceasing speed giving the viewer a brain fag. Bittu Sarkar, a disciple of Krishna Mohan, injects a deliberately enhanced movement ambit into full arm stretches and a well-held shoulder line. At times, the very obvious enlarged span of movement has a feel of exaggeration. But with his fine presence, he is a dancer to watch, barring sudden amnesia, which made him freeze after the tihai line had been repeated just twice (on realising he quickly continued with the rythmic phrase), his Dhamar tala depiction, followed by Krishna as Govardhana Giridhari were neatly rendered.
Shruti Shukla, Guru Munna Shukla's disciple, has no flourish in her Kathak but is quietly efficient and graceful as seen in the Teen tala followed by thumri interpretation. Rajendra Gangani's concept of a male/female combination in Samiksha Sharma and Ajay Kumar, interacting through bandishes bringing out the allure of Krishna and its attraction for the female, was evocative. Turned out in aesthetically matching costumes, the two dancers shared a good chemistry. To end the evening was a blaze of colour in group choreography designed by Geetanjali Lal.
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
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Thiruvananthapuram
