This month’s 74th Sai Nrithyotsava held on July 1 at the Metro Ranga Sthala on Mahatma Gandhi Road showcased praiseworthy talents.
Excellent creativity, impressive choreography, apt visualisation and vibrant communication marked the presentations. The young dancers displayed their ability to interpret themes and to convey the nuances of choreography with brilliance.
Gentle movements
The gentle movements, erect posture and the formation of the typical ‘8’ by enthusiastic Mohiniyattam dancer K. Parvathi vouched for the authenticity of the dance form. The dancer’s eyes played a very important role in accenting the direction of the dance movements. The movements were soft and graceful (lasya oriented) like the sway of palm leaves in the gentle breeze. Opening with Ganesha stuti (Arabhi), the performance segued into slow paced nritta.
The dance-form aptly and gently fitted into the thematic interpretation of Gangaavatarana---the descent of the hold River Ganga. With the prominent Edakka, the lively recorded musical accompaniment enriched the visual effect. Thanks to the short but clear storyline and professional approach, Parvathi was at home in her interpretation.
Vibrant show
A seasoned Kathak dancer Neha Banerjee from Mumbai reeled off chakkars and other movements with ease and confidence. Lord Shiva was saluted on the basis of a Pandit Birju Maharaj’s krithi. Interspersed by pure dance, Neha proved that she is a performer of immense caliber and grace. She managed well to seamlessly blend the music and her movements in the rhythm-oriented piece Dhamar.
She unfolded an unending and varied laya patterns in the 14 beats’ framework in the form of upajs, aamads, chakkars and tatkaars. She dazzled in the elaboration of teen taal Trivat, a composition with three prominent features - sargam, bols and tarana. The coverage of the space and time was excellent and vibrant.
Neat and nuanced
A group of budding Bharatnatya dancers trained by Suparna Venkatesh exhibited their level of understanding. Purandaradasa’s popular Devaranama Chandrachuda addressed to Lord Shiva was neatly interpreted by two young dancers. They dealt with the nritta, nrithya and abhinaya portions admirably.
Pure and expressive
With recorded music contributing much to the aesthetics of the programme, Sowmya Govind Naidu of Qatar combined pure and expressive dance in a notable manner. The very opening with a rare Mela prapthi followed by Shiva shloka captivated the audience. It was poorvarangavidhi rendered to the accompaniment of instrumental music.
The dancer covered the stage in geometrical patterns and stole the show. Likewise in the next Swaranjali too, she translated the intricate swaras and jathis into a superlative dance language.
The famous Bhagyada Lakshmi baaramma (focused on Abhinaya) showcased the theatric talent of Sowmya. The concluding Valachi tillana was packed with the technical skills of the dancer and the piece of text on Goddess Adi Shakthi was beautifully portrayed.
Splendid dance
Splendid young dancer Ananya Santosh, was a picture of artistry and zeal. Trained by seasoned Guru Mithun Shyam, Ananya provided the artistic finale to the 74th Sai Nrithyotsava. The recorded musical support embellished the visual-rhythm of Bharatanatya. She used simple mudras and adavus to recreate the poems visually. Her abhinaya skills heightened the quality of the narrative. She began with Gambheera Gananatha in Gambheera Nata raga and the traits of Lord Ganesha were beautifully expressed. The distinct tala patterns in the piece were quite intricate and Ananya was in full control of the rhythm
Purandaradasa’s Baarayya Venkataramana (ragamalika) which elucidates in detail the various exploits and deeds of Lord Vishnu, is an item that has a lot of scope for abhinaya. It had an abundant, suitable and supportive lyrical content to present a compact and apt description glorifying the Lord.
The dancer’s movements were characteristic of the Bharatanatya medium. From the benevolent form of the Lord, it went on to his vivacious and aggressive forms. She could visually bring out the all-encompassing attributes. Her elegant presentation had a smooth, unbroken chain of movements weaving a fine dance narrative around it.
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