The auditorium of ADA Rangamandira was echoing with the bols of Kathak and raagas of Odissi on Friday evening where Nadam was celebrating its mega festival of classical dance and music. It was the inaugural day of the four-day festival by the Nadam Ensemble. While the first hour of the programme saw a Kathak performance by the Nadam Ensemble, the latter half of the function mesmerised the audience with Odissi performance by Rudraksha.
Dance could relate many stories, it could depict many historical events through its movements, bols and expression. The Kathak performance by Nadam showed an act Tawaif ki Kahani Mujre ki Zubani wherein the different stages of a courtesan’s life was shown through different acts. While a courtesan is paid a lot of attention and acknowledgement in her initial years, the latter life remains ignorant. The act jotted down such a similar picture in the minds of the audience.
The lead artiste’s performance along with the other participants was awe-striking. The shadow performance of the dancers were in perfect synchronisation. However, the best element of the whole act which made it more lively were the music compositions made for the choreography which enhanced the theme realistically. The Odissi performance by Rudraksha displayed three acts of the classical dance. With the establishment of Nataraja on the stage, the group of six performed a graceful, elegant, exquisite act in the beginning of their performance .
The final act was a a group performance by the male members of Rudraksha wherein the act was all about synchronised footworks, movements sans any expression. The performers held on to the audience’s attention throughout the final act with their harmonious actions moving like a stream of water amidst the woods.
The second act by Rudraksha, however, was the star attraction which related the a tale of Krishna leela which is often found in Odissi acts. The act depicted the passionate and ecstatic love between Radha and Krishna and Chandrabali’s jealousy and grief towards their love-making.
While on one side, the audience could feel the love between the duo through their movements, on the other side Chandrabali’s bold, stern expressions and gestures induced empathy within the minds of the audience. The two-hour programme was an experience of many time-periods set in different moods, expressed by some phenomenal dancers in their respective classical arena.