CHENNAI: “I’m really honoured to have the opportunity to have a show in Chennai, moreover, in front of dance legends like Padma Shri awardee Chitra Visweswaran...I feel blessed,” said Indira Manikam, a Malaysia-based danseuse, who along with her troupe performed in the city on Saturday. Chitra Visweswaran was the chief guest.
The production of the ‘Shivathandavam’, conducted by ABHAI, Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India, for their Pravasi Utsavam at Vani Mahal, with the disciples of ‘Nattuva Thilagam’ Indira Manikam, was an enthralling experience that harnessed the elegance and power of the traditional dance form. The performance steadily built up the extent of Shiva’s power with each scene, convincing the audience of Shiva’s brutality.
Though the stage was shared by dynamic and versatile dancers, each playing a role to support the other, Kamini Manikam, playing the role of Parvati stole the spotlight with her mesmerising gold costume and vivacious expressions that broke a language barrier non-Tamil speakers would’ve built. Sequences which help build the story tirelessly, left both the audience and the performers breathless. Coordination between Shiva, played by Arjun Bahadur Newar, and Parvati during the Ammiappan sequence was the highlight, where they never left a beat idle, moving in unison with utter delight.