CHENNAI: Long, rare thalams can be a part of dance recitals too,” asserts Madurai R Muralidaran, a composer, musician, dancer, and artistic director at Nrityakshetra Dance Academy. He is well-known for presenting complex Bharatanatyam rhythms and themes in an accessible manner. And his latest project ‘ChaturvidhaM — a three-day festival of rhythm’, will deliver four different Bharatanatyam repertoires, set in four different contexts.
For two months now, students training under him at the academy, have been preparing for the performance. Muralidaran explains that he has composed and choreographed the pieces in margam format. “They are pieces with 13 and 29 beats, and the longest is a 35 thala margam, which is very rarely performed,” he says.
His students, Ananya Sangeetha Nagarjunan will perform a margam in sankeerna jathi triputa thalam; Rubika Sri Rajasekaran in misra jathi jhumpa thalam; Megha Kumaran in chathusra jathi ata thalam; and Kavya Muralidaran will present her margam in sankeerna dhruva triputa thalam. Amid exams and hectic schedules in their schools and college, the dancers share that ChaturvidhaM will be breakthrough for them as upcoming dancers.
Kavya, who has been juggling between her MA thesis and practice sessions, says, “It’s been quite challenging, even though I have a lot of experience in thalams. That’s because sankeerna jaati has 39 aksharas, and is the longest in Carnatic music.” While they are all mostly nritta pieces, she’s most excited to perform the jaavali piece, which is themed on women standing up for themselves and leaning to say ‘no’.
Ananya Sangeetha, a student at the academy, who was introduced to these rare ragas for the first time, shares, “Until two months back, I hadn’t heard of raga putrika or nasikabhushani. And I found these songs composed by my teacher extremely beautiful.”
Muralidharan’s aim was precisely this too. He explains, “Once dancers are introduced to varnams, thillana, or jatiswaram composed in these lesser known ragams, then they can explore possibilities, and hopefully bring in these compositions to more recitals too.”
Workshop
Register for a one-day workshop by Muralidaran, to learn the ChaturvidhaM. The workshop is from 10 am at YGP auditorium, Satyamurthy Nagar, T Nagar, on April 1. For details visit: www.nrithyakshethradanceacademy.com
Watch the dancers perform at ChaturvidhaM from March 30 to April 1, at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Maharajapuram Santhanam Salai, T Nagar, from 4.30 onwards. For details call: 28140806