CHENNAI : Revathi Ramachandran is a dancer, choreographer and teacher, who is a direct disciple of the legendary guru Mangudi Durairaja Iyer. A maestro of the Melattur style of bharathanatyam, he revived suddha nrittam.
We are aware that an exceptionally talented bharathanatyam Kala Bhooshanam Mangudi Durairaja Iyer, who hails from a culturally talented family, was well versed in mridangam, dance, music and drama. The researcher is responsible for bringing out rare natya styles like perani, suddha nrittam and bhattasa natyam, which belong to the twelve type of natya expositions.
Needless to mention, following the Mangudi dance style noted for its focus on adavus, postures and foot work, senior dancer Revathi Ramachandran is bringing out the dance legacy of suddha nrittam, to modern day audiences. It is said that when he felt his life was drawing to a close he bequeathed suddha nrittam in five jathis to Revathi, along with his personal mridangam and cymbals. Suddha nrittam consists of various tala patterns. The dance technique follows all the rules of the sastra, retains all the basic requirements of nrittam, but does not incorporate the abhinaya and geetha. There are no jathi utterances, cymbals or tala measurements with the hand.
The programme Bhaavaarpanam was presented at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan by the students of Kala Sadhanalaya’, which was established 26 years ago by Revathi. As a homage to her guru, a dance programme titled Suguna Maargam was presented.
Guided by various gurus, including Padma Subrahmanyam, her foray into dance was further enriched by the training in nattuvangam under guru Bhagavathulu Sitarama Sarma. She learnt veena under Kalpagam Swaminathan and kuchipudi under the renowned guru Vempatti Chinna Satyam. She was recognised as the best dancer in the ‘Spirit of Youth Festival’ conducted by The Music Academy.
Her total dedication to the art forms and her ability to listen and learn have blended to make her the ‘perfect artiste’ she is today. She is receiving the Arsha Kala Bhushanam Award from Swami Dayananda Saraswathi this year.