CHENNAI: The brightly lit ambience and the lilting evening breeze blowing in from the sea lent an air of celebration to the enthusiastic audience that gathered for the culmination of the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha, held in the little fishing hamlet at Besant Nagar this weekend.
The main vizha, which saw a range of performances in the lead up to it over the course of the previous month, was heralded by a heady mix of gaiety and folk art mixed with classical art forms, albeit performed in a rather nouveau setting.
With the stage that looked like a large boat, about to transport its inhabitants to a new world, on Saturday, the vizha began with a triumphant nadaswaram procession by musicians Devarajan, Boopathi, Devarajulu and Karthikeyan, as they set off from the kuppam and around the area before circling back and taking to the stage for the rest of their performance.
It was the children of the hamlet who stole the show, as they performed Meenavar Paadargal (fisherfolk songs) with the troupe of tiny tots regaling the audience with quirky and entertaining songs on the lives of the local fishing folk. They followed it up with an energetic and lively dance performance that had the audience on their feet and moving to the rhythm!
Staying true to its vocation of presenting classical art forms in unconventional spaces, the vizha also had a performance of Kuchipudi by Jaykishore Mosalikanti and troupe, with the performer taking the time to explain to the audience the origins and story behind the art form.
The evening was given a fitting end by the Tamil rock band Kurangan, who first lulled the audience with their breezy tunes before upping the ante and getting the audience to join in on their act with a dappankuthu-style finale.
The Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha was started last year as an effort by carnatic singer TM Krishna, as a means of addressing the elitism inherent in the classical arts by exposing audiences to new forms as well as taking the classical arts to unconventional spaces.