Budding dancer Mahithaa Reddy showcased her versatility at her best at the Bharatanatyam dance recital at the TTD Information Centre in T Nagar on Saturday, leaving a few rasikas in doubt over her talent.
With a fluid-like movement, the dancer — a disciple of Padmashri Meenakshi Chitharanjan, founder of the Kaladiksha Dance Academy — enthralled the audience with her performance that lasted for about two hours.
The recital began with a performance to Oothukkadu Venkatasubbier’s Krithi ‘Anandanarthana Ganapathim bhavaye’ in Raga Naatai — an invocation to Lord Ganesha, the queller of obstacles. Mahita’s eyes, along with her graceful gait, did the talking.
Up next was the Varnam ‘Parkadal Meethinil…’ — a composition of Pandanallur Srinivasan in Ragamalika, which seemed to bring out the best in the dancer. She brilliantly performed the Varnam, which depicted the Dasavatharam, the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu. Just as singers rendering the krithi made an effortless transition from raga to raga — from Hindolam to Sudha Dhanyasi to Atana and Saranga — Mahithaa made a matching transition on stage, depicting the mood of the avatar and making a delightful Jugalbandi of sorts. The Rama and Krishna avatars, in particular, were performed with careful details. This was followed by the Padam ‘Brahma Okkatte’ in Ragam Bhoopalam, an expression of devotion to Lord Vishnu. The highlight of her performance was the ‘Ranganatha’ pose, as the Padam ended. She capped off her performance with a Tillana composed by Dr M Balamuralikrishna in Raga Kadanakudukalam, her movement matching the talam of the singers. In all, it was a memorable performance from an upcoming dancer.