Bharatanatyam has become eclectic in the sense that its ingenious banis are becoming indecipherable, as a young generation of dancers are increasingly reluctant to stick to a particular school and its distinctive vocabulary. However, there are a few dancers whose performances are marked by the idiom they have been trained in thanks to their respect for and commitment towards the style they learnt.
Bengaluru-based dancer Aparna Vinod is one of those dancers who stick to the school she was trained in. As an offspring of the Vazhavoor School pioneered by virtuosos such as K.N. Dandayudhapani Pillai, Aparna, disciple of Bhanumathi, is a loyal practitioner of it, as was evident from her recent recital in Ernakulam.
Aparna began her recital with a traditional item, Pushpanjali, followed by a Choorni in praise of Goddess Saraswathy and Ganesha stuthi. She presented each item with fluency and restraint accompanied by mellifluous renditions of the lines in ragas Hamsadhwani and Arabhi. Aparna then took up a padam, Kanjadalayathakshi , in raga Kamalamanohari, before moving on to a varnam Swamiye Azhaithodiva in Navaragamalika, originally choreographed by Dandayudhapani Pillai.
While her portrayal of the nayika beseeching her sakhi to bring Lord Siva, to her was poignant, the execution of the adavus in consonance with the jathi did not have the anticipated punch. The javali that followed was a bit too tempered so that the flirtatious nayika’s movements and expressions did not create the desired impact on the audience.
Next Aparna did a Kshetrajna padam depicting a young woman’s passion for Lord Krishna, even at the cost of snubbing her proud husband.
The dancer then proceeded to perform the famous Ashtapadi Mamiyamchalita, depicting the remorseful and guilt-laden conscience of Lord Krishna for having ignored Radha. His antics with other Gopikas resulted in Radha deserting him. Aparna convincingly portrayed Krishna’s myriad moods accentuated by the raga Hameerkalyani, rendered by Nandakumar Unnikrishnan in his bhava-laden voice.
Aparna concluded her recital with Pancharatna thillana in raga Hindolam, once again highlighting charm of pure dance.
The recital at TDM Hall was organised under the auspices of BEAME.
