Steps of tradition

Classical dance forms of India captivated the audience at the Nishagandhi Festival in Thiruvananthapuram

February 02, 2017 12:13 pm | Updated February 03, 2017 11:43 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Nishagandhi Festival had a mixed bag in the past, with the focus often shifting away from its cause. But not this time, as the festival featured dance alone. The inaugural ceremony itself had a touch of novelty, as P. Sathasivam, the Governor of Kerala, lit traditional lamps held by dancers representing different dance forms.

Aruna Mohanty and group

‘Yahi Madhava..’ and ‘Chandanacharchitha...’, set to two songs from Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda , were the highlights of the Odissi group recital by Aruna Mohanty and team on the opening day.

Radha in a quarrelsome mood and Krishna trying to console her was the theme of the first one. Aruna and Madhusmita Mohanty, taking the roles of Krishna and Radha respectively, made it noteworthy. While the focus here was on the expressive part, the other Ashtapadi had a good amount of dance as well. Pravat Kumar Swain was Krishna this time and the female dancers were the gopis. An invocation to Lord Shiva, Hamsadhwani pallavi and ‘Konark Kanti’ were also performed.

Neena Prasad

Mohiniyattam re-imagined could be the best way to describe her recital. A Hamsadhwani cholkettu, appended with Siva Panchakashara Stotram rendered in Poorvikalyani, marked the beginning and that was just a glimpse of what was to come. In ‘Anandavalli...’, the Swathi Thirunal keerthana in Neelambari, she evoked the bliss of devotion, with an added narrative on Abhirami Pattar, who was saved by the goddess herself from a life-threatening situation.

The danseuse was seen in complete contrast while presenting Arjuna in distress in the next piece, ‘Sakhyam’. The theme was that of the friendship between Krishna and Arjuna. It had a non-linear approach, moving back and forth in time, with some adventures that the two had in the past presented as sub-plots. Both the pieces had dance phrases significant to the repertoire that blended seamlessly into the narrative part.

Srimayi Vempati

Kuchipudi recital by Srimayi Vempati at 'Nishagandhi Festival 2017’. Photo: Hareesh N. Nampoothiri

Kuchipudi recital by Srimayi Vempati at 'Nishagandhi Festival 2017’. Photo: Hareesh N. Nampoothiri

The danseuse performed a duet recital in Kuchipudi with her daughter Kameshwari Lakshmi.

Lima Das

The songs were in ancient Assamese, but that hardly mattered when Lima performed Sattriya, as she was able to connect with the audience in no time with her abhinaya. Familiar stories of Kubja, Draupadi and Ekalavya formed the content of her recital and she was at her best while essaying different characters. Instead of stretching the scenes, Lima focused on the crux of these narratives and that made it captivating. Making the Ekalavya story end on a positive note was a striking way to conclude.

Maulik Shah, Ishira Parikh and group

The Kathak production was called ‘Vividha’ and it truly was, showcasing variety without sacrificing virtuosity.

The duo opened with an item paying obeisance to Lord Ganesha, and were soon joined by the entire crew. The segment showing rhythmic brilliance stood out because of the way it was planned and executed.

A touch of Sufism in ‘Deewani’, presented gracefully by the women, evoked tranquility. Maulik’s presentation of the Mirabai bhajan, touching upon the stories of Draupadi and Prahlad, looked a bit out of place with its lengthy narratives. They concluded the experience, with the team coming together and creating a mood of festivity with a piece aptly titled ‘Utsav’.

Geeta Chandran

She was seen at ease as she started her Bharatanatyam recital with a kauthuvam in praise of Lord Chokkanathar. But as the restful approach intruded into Vallabhacharya’s ‘Nandakumar Ashtakam’, presented in the varnam format, the recital somewhat failed in keeping alive the interest factor. Geeta’s take on Sant Kabir’s poem highlighting the eternal sound that swells within oneself was praiseworthy. In the final bhajan ‘Vanamali Vasudeva...’, the verses were set to music in a cheerful manner and was presented with serenity.

Mandakini Trivedi

The dancer came in an improvised costume of Mohiniyattam, which was attractive, but the recital did not do justice to the repertoire.

Darshana Jhaveri and group

A Manipuri recital by Darshana and group had ras dancers performing Vasant ras and other items focussing on Krishna and Radha, and cholom dancers presenting Pung cholom, Dhol cholom and Dholak cholom. Not every ras dancer was seen involved in the proceedings. It was the percussionists who impressed with their skilful manoeuvres.

Uma Murali

‘Simha Nandini’, in which the dancer draws the image of a lion by dancing over a powdered area or a canvas, was the prime attraction of Uma’s Kuchipudi recital. But the effort failed to make an impression as the arrangements couldn’t meet the requirements for that particular piece. Uma presented a Ganesha stuthi and ‘Kulukaka Nadavaro...’, an Annamacharya composition in raga Atana.

Vidha Lal and Abhimanyu Lal

The Kathak performance was par excellence. With supple footwork and admirable stage chemistry, they made an impression right from the start and kept it intact till the very end. Other than the opening piece and an expressive number presented by Vidha, the rest of the recital focussed on rhythmic intricacies of Kathak.

Abhimanyu excelled in moving his feet to rhythmmic patterns created on the tabla by Yogesh Gangani while Vidha earned applause executing a variety of chakkars (signature spins). Both landing perfectly on ‘sam’ at the end of each beat cycle doubled the excitement.

They got the audience too involved for the final lap and received a well-deserved standing ovation upon completion.

Sujata Mohapatra

With her impeccable style and exuberant charisma, she made her Odissi recital an awe-inspiring experience.

In the opening mangalacharan and the Hamsadhwani pallavi, Sujata filled the space with her precise, poetic moves. Taking care of even the minute aspects, for instance - the fluttering eyelids of the golden deer luring Sita, and effortlessly coming to terms with the body language of each character, Sujata’s abhinaya took the audience to Panchavadi, where they witnessed the abduction of Sita.

The Jatayu episode was also presented and she concluded the piece as well as her recital by lauding Rama.

Madhu Gopinath, Vakkom Sajeev and group

Members from Samudra made their contemporary dance presentation a visual treat by bringing some fine-tuned acrobatics into their dance, making their moves in sync and coordinating their entries and exits.

‘Cosmic Dance of Siva’, the theme, was more of an abstract one. The idea seems to have been to create ‘visualscapes’ of the body movements under controlled but limited lighting, which they were able to do.

The festival saw some fine musicians and percussionists providing ample support to the performers.

Although there were still some aspects to be improved, the Department of Tourism of Kerala, as the organiser, surely deserve credit for taking some right decisions this time, helping the festival reach new heights.

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