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Photos: AP

A panorama Some of the dancers performing at the Nritya-Parva Sattriya festival in Guwahati.

Guwahati’s refurbished Rabindra Bhavan auditorium encouraging audiences braving inclement weather, and varied programming were indicators in Nritya Parva-2007 that the Sangeet Natak Akademi-sponsored Sattriya Dance scheme, with Assam Directorate of Cultural Affairs associating, is at last stirring creative energies.

Alongside the three-day performances were meticulously planned lec/dem sessions with animated discussions on Ankia Bhaona facets following Pradip Jyoti Mahanta’s paper on masks, Sailendra Saikia’s painstaking Hindi paper with the demonstrated ‘laalitya’ and ‘gambheerata’ of Patra-Pravesh gaits and Manika Babayan’s superbly graceful demonstrations along with Hari Saikia’s delightful Sutradhar Nach. The strong contemporary statement came in Gunakar Dev Goswami’s theatre experiments with Sattriya-inspired adaptations from Ankia Nat, Mati Akharas, Keertan Sangraha, Ojhapali and Bayan-Gayan, skillfully woven into plays “Virangan” on women’s empowerment and “Ratnakar”.

The Gayan/Bayan programme curtain-raiser by Sattra professionals featured Titabar Kamalabari Sattra’s strong presentation, the excellent dancing/khol playing, with many mudras exuding dramatic punch in unarticulated rhythmic syllables- in-the-air and zig- zag (‘pani-poduva’) formation, covering floor space. Another peppy performance was by Natun Kamalabari Sattra Majuli. Quieter, not raga-based, but ritualistic with mridangam substituting khol was the Sri Mayamora Dinjoy Sattra, Chabua version with few mudras and more of sideway stepping with dipping and elevating movements and circular formations.

Among the solo dancers, Bismita Das, rendering Jagannath Mahanta’s dance composition, had a deeply internalised approach, abhinaya stillness characterising Gitor Nach depicting an excerpt from Parijataharan of haughty Satyabhama’s anguish after hearing of Krishna’s gifting the Parijata flower to consort Rukmini. Easy ‘palta’ switches from Narada to Satyabhama apart, the dancer’s expressional facility communicated Satyabhama’s mercurial mood changes. There was technical finesse in the lasya-laden Ramdani.

Madhusmrita Das, disciple of Ramakrishna Talukdar with fine presence showed animated mukhabhinaya portraying child Krishna’s feats. In Bhaskarjyoti Ojah she had an excellent khol accompanist. Her open stance and full movement stretches (carry-over presumably from another dance form), are unlike the more curtailed aesthetics of Sattriya. Shatrupa Chatterjee, disciple of Garima Hazarika must shed her Odissi hangover, which makes her Sattriya nondescript.

Jadav Hazarika with his Kamalabai Sattra legacy reveals the Mati Akhara discipline in the suppleness of body and torso. The pose-invested “Kona Swaroopa roopa” describing Krishna, the Kunj with bees and flowers and Nagini-s pleading for their Naga in the Kaliya-daman episode, all carried a deeply reverential attitude. But the dancer over- stepped his time limit. The other male soloists Durgeswar Barua and Gopal Bordoloi were disappointing.

The Pankaj Baruah and Jollymani Saikia duet choreographed by Sharodi Saikia, in the excerpt from Parijata-apaharan, with K.D.Goswami’s fitting score in refreshing sringar treatment projected a winsome Krishna/Rukmini exchange, in the suite including Jhumura Ramdani, Gitor Nach and Melanach. Manashri Pathak and Gaurab Dutta combined well in the Dasavatar freezes at the finale of the Namghosha verse. Expressive, Gaurab needs to work on his technique. Manashri had a permanently wide-eyed ‘vismaya’ look for all moods. The Dwijen Barman / Dreamly Gogoi duet was thwarted by Dwijen’s pasty-faced makeup and unfinished movements and Dreamly’s exaggerated histrionics, portraying the monkeys.

Amongst groups, Sangeet Sattra’s three girls in the Rajghuria Chali, dramatic Pootana Vadh, and Kalyankherman formed a rehearsed, well-coordinated combination. The nagada was used for extra effect. Jatin Goswami’s Sattriya Akademi ably presented Ramdani, Sali and excerpt from Usha Parinayam with Usha recounting to Chitralekha (who journeys to Dwarka) her dream. Three dancers from Mangaldai Youth Club presented “AajGopinath Pekholo akhi”, the Pootna vadh full of the demoness’ conflict torn between motherly love for the beautiful child and fear of Kamsa’s wrath. Five finished dancers from Guru Ghanakanta Bora’s Sattriya Kala Kendra, in Rajghuru Chali, and Melar Nach in Ektal, with smooth formations gave a fine presentation of Sankaradev’s Patni Prasad excerpt, with an eye catching final freeze.

The Bakasur Vadh, Dhenukasur Vadh, Makhanchor from Krishna Bhaona Nritya from Keli Gopal done by Sattriya Sanskriti Kendra was enthusiastic though more finesse needs to evolve. Guwahati Kala Kendra in the too-fast pace destroyed the group chali, precision thwarted by half finished movements.

And in Narakasur Vadh, with Vachikabhinaya, dance/drama distinction was lost.

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