CHENNAI: For Deepika Reddy, an accomplished performer and a skilled choreographer who strives to propagate the classical dance form Kuchipudi, art is nothing but a divine form of worship. Her recent Kuchipudi performance at Krishna Gana Sabha was a treat to one’s eyes, where she was conferred with Nritya Choodamani title by the sabha. She is a recipient of many awards, including the Kalaratna Award, conferred by the State of Andhra Pradesh. Deepika and group began the recital on a meditative note with a prayer. When she performed the number, her artistry was evident with an apt abhinaya. The piece was an ode to various deities including lord Ganesa, Shiva-Parvathi, Bala Thirupurasundari and Ramalingeswara. The danseuse presented Ravinder Kavindar, a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore depicting three characters — Chitrangada, Chandalika and Shyama. It was good to see that Deepika executed the jathis with perfect synchronisation. It was interesting to observe that she had chosen these three female characters of diverse nature, from a plethora of works by the great Bengali literary figure. Deep rooted in expressions and baava, the dancer in her was apparent when she depicted the episode of lord Shiva, which had characters like Markandeyan and Yama. It was the composition of Swathi Thirunal in ragam Sankarabaranam choreographed by her. The highlight of the evening was a dance drama portraying stories from lord Krishna’s life. The piece was well-received by the audience. Focusing on stylistic, simple yet effective movements, her dance presentation was enjoyable. Percussional support was provided by Saikumar on violin, VVS Murali on flute, V Phaninarayana on veena, DSV Shastry on vocal and Rajagopalachary on mridangam.