Friday Review
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BHARAT KALACHAR
Sequined with seasoned ease
ANJANA RAJAN
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Aesthetically designed jatis and alluring agility were the hallmarks of Meenakshi’s recital.
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Photo: B.Jothi Ramalingam
PLEASING: Meenakshi Srinivasan.
It would have been easy to miss the Bharatanatyam programme of Meenakshi Srinivasan at Bharat Kalachar auditorium the other day, since the dancer’s teacher Girish Kumar Panicker had printed invitations carrying a starting time that was much la
ter. Luckily, though, one was able to catch up with her just as she was getting into the Sankarabharanam varnam, ‘Adhi Moham Kondein,’ a Tamil composition of the Thanjavur Quartet.
Walking into the middle of a dance recital has its advantages, though. One gets to listen to the orchestra without the visual element. In this case, it was a melodious experience, and the first impression was Panicker’s voice, which was reciting the jatis with pleasing musicality. The jatis sounded organically designed, with a view to aural aesthetics rather than mathematical intimidation.
Meenakshi presented the nritta and abhinaya aspects with seasoned ease.
Some of the postures of the smitten nayika were reminiscent of the ‘alasya kanya’ sculptures found in ancient carvings and illustrations, and very alluring. Agility and clean lines marked the presentation. She took on the demanding nritta combinations with relish.
Effective portrayal
In the Purandaradasa composition ‘Kandein Naan,’ she portrayed the nayika who dreams of union with Krishna effectively. One looks forward to more involved bhava from this extremely talented dancer, who trained under Alarmel Valli, before coming under the tutelage of Panicker.
Meenakshi, blessed with good looks, a fine figure and vivacious stage presence, would seem to have all the advantages a dancer could ask for. But in an age when appearances are valued over substance, it will be a challenge for her to make sure these advantages don’t act as impediments to reaching a higher level of art.
The dancer had fine musical backup in vocalist K. Hariprasad, with Vedakrishnan on the mridangam, Narasimhamurthy on the flute.
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
