KOCHI: Right after her performance at Changampuzha Park on Tuesday, prominent danseuse Rekha Raju limped back to the green room behind the stage. She was visibly distressed by the sprain in her right leg but the audience watching her captivating mohiniyattam recital only moments before had no clue of her discomfort. Instead, the audience was drawn to her faultless movements, her impeccably poignant expressions. Watching Rekha perform her rendition of Siva Kritis composed by Tyagaraja is a masterclass in the classical dance form.
“I started learning dance at the age of four and now it has become such an integral part of me that I can’t imagine my life without it. I hope to continue this forever,” says Rekha who teaches dance in Bengaluru, where she grew up. Beginning with two traditional pieces from the Mohiniyattam repertoire, the Sollukattu and Ganapati Stuti, Rekha concluded her 40-minute performance by enacting episodes from Lord Krishna’s life. The Siva Kriti which formed the middle part of her act portrayed the five thandavas of Lord Shiva as the embodiment of seven swaras of Carnatic music.
Proficient also in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Kathak, Rekha chose to specialise in mohiniyattam. Her arangettam, however, was in Bharatanatyam in 2003. “I am drawn to mohiniyattam and have been performing only in the form for the past seven or eight years. It is not just because I am a Mayalali but it has more to do with my temperament as a dancer. I can’t see myself doing too many vigorous movements. I am expressive by nature and mohiniyattam with its emphasis on facial expressions is a form I thought I could do justice to. However, every classical dance style has its beauty and nuance,” says Rekha.
“I wanted to learn as many dance techniques as possible to see how each is different from the other. My family belongs to Palakkad which has a rich cultural scene and my mother is a Carnatic singer, so I think classical art is imbibed in me,” she adds.
Rekha is cognizant of the resurgence of Indian classical art in the popular imagination. “There is revived interest among the young generation towards Indian dance and other art forms. I witnessed this when I performed at a university in Bengaluru recently. The audience count was much higher than we expected. I later learned that students from the other departments had taken special permission to attend my performance.
This was very moving,” says the dancer who is set to perform in New Zealand next month.
Rekha who finished her 2,000th performance on last December also trains kids from underprivileged backgrounds. “When I was 10, I had to discontinue dance for a while because my father suffered a loss in his business and my teacher was not ready to teach me without a fee. This affected me a lot so I decided to start an institute for children who can’t afford to pay and learn. Teaching has helped me become a better performer,” she concludes.