Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
MUSIC ACADEMY
Waste of potential, purpose
ANJANA RAJAN
|
The questionable efficacy of the troupe marred Bharati Sivaji’s dance programme.
|
Photo: V.Ganesan
STANDARD LACKING: Bharati Sivaji’s troupe.
Bharati Shivaji is an icon in the field of Mohiniyattom. One is used to seeing her decades of research melt into aesthetic, delicately choreographed compositions that bring alive the beauty of the dance form. It was therefore with a sense of expectat
ion that one attended the opening evening of The Music Academy Dance Festival, where Bharati and her troupe performed in the second slot.
Perhaps highest hopes crash hardest. The performance left one with a feeling of bewildered dismay. With years of experience, a reputation for excellence, a seasoned orchestra and the best platform one could have asked for during the music season, it was a mystery how the veteran dancer managed to present a programme that fell far short of her calibre.
Bharati and her daughter Vijayalakshmi stood out as the best dancers, but in a group production this is not necessarily good news. The varying technical standards of the six dancers in the troupe detracted from the charm of the choreography, which required all the performers to be at a comparable level of competence.
The Swati Tirunal padam in raga Husseni depicting a conversation between friends as to the possible identity of the handsome person they see pass by in a golden chariot could have been the best presentation if Bharati and Vijayalakshmi had performed it as a duet. With the veteran’s expressive abhinaya and her daughter’s excellent form, the two could have sustained the piece very well, as it is in a dialogue form, and there did not seem any compulsion to expand the number of dancers. In the ashtapadi, ‘Haririha,’ the choreography representing Krishna’s raas with the gopis of Vrindavan was effective, though the disco-style lights seemed unnecessary.
Spirited ball game
The most spirited presentation was the pandattam, the game of ball played by a group of girls. In the song, based on a poem by Mahakavi Vallathol, life’s varying fortunes are likened to a game of ball.
The quick passes of the imaginary ball and the liveliness of the music made the piece attractive.
It was generous of Bharati Shivaji to share the stage with her disciples, but by not maintaining a standard of fitness and nritta, the purpose was lost. There seemed a lack of preparedness with the musicians too, with obvious signals being given to them.
Accompanying the dancers were Sadanam Rajagopalan (vocal), Sadanam Murugajothy (mridangam and maddalam), Kalamandalam Sreekumar (edakka), Murali Krishna (veena) and Shankaranarayanan (flute).
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
