There are stages in the blossoming of a classical dancer, in which most follow the learning curve until they become artistes in their own right. Manasvini Ramachandran is one such. Having trained under her mother, well-known Bharatanatyam dancer Revathi Ramachandran, and mastering the repertoire, she began to explore the dance form, though still quite young. She has been under the guidance of dancer- choreographer Sheejith Krishna and studies theory under veteran Bharatanrityam artiste-scholar Padma Subrahmanyam. Manasvini’s style today is an amalgam of the three. She performed recently at Brahma Gana Sabha.
Manasvini is intuitive with rhythm and is comfortable enough to improvise on stage; it is not unusual to see her nattuvanar (Revathi) and mridangist (V. Vedakrishnaram) remain alert in between nritta passages, in case of any unrehearsed rhythm. There were improvisations during the thattu-mettu, before and after the mukthayi swara passage, and later in the arudis of the charana swaras of the varnam, but it is done so naturally that one can easily miss it. The strength in nritta was seen in her excellent footwork and good finishes. Her agility and energy were evident as she ended a leap in a muzhu mandi during a jathi.
New phase
Despite her penchant for rhythm, Manasvini seems to be exploring a slower, more rounded vocabulary with the addition of karanas, and using less numerical complexities. She also seems to be concentrating on the interpretive side of the dance repertoire. This is a new phase, and perhaps yet to crystallise.
One therefore found the opening Guru Stuthi and an Oothukadu Venkata Subbaiyer kriti, ‘Ananda Narthana Ganapatim’ (Nattai, Adi) strangely quiet, without fireworks.
Guru Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer jathis in the padavarnam ‘Mohamana’ (Bhairavi, Rupaka, Ponniah Pillai) were given due respect with strong nritta. It was in the not-often-heard ragamalika thillana (Vasanthi, Hamsanandi, Madhuvanti, Adi, Suguna Purushothaman) on Krishna, choreographed by Manasvini, that one got to see her creative process, juxtaposing slow vs fast, soft vs brisk steps and sways.
The javali ‘Apaduruku’ (Khamas, Deshadi, Pattabhiramaiyya) brought out the ease of the dancer’s abhinaya, when she portrayed the young girl’s indignant denial of an affair, while her recollections exhibit a coyness that gives her away. Interestingly in the end, the girl lets go of her friends without a thought, and runs to him in full view, when he beckons.
One, however, had some issues with the treatment of the Bhairavi padavarnam, ‘Mohamana’ (Rupaka, Ponniah Pillai). It is a sringara-bhakti piece addressed to Tiruvarur Tyagesa, with some explicit lyrics.
There is the freedom to skirt around the lyrics and convey the overall intent, but the engagement was not deep enough regarding the nayika and her yearning; the faster pace of rendition, though well-sung (Srikanth Gopalakrishnan), did not help set the chauka ambience that the varnam requires, and the last issue being in choosing the sanchari of subduing the Daruka forest rishis in the ‘bhoga Tyagesa..’ phrase in the anupallavi.
Prime guide and mentor steered the orchestra, consisting of the delightful V. Vedakrishnaram (mridangam) and melodic experts, K. P. Nandini Sai Giridhar (violin) and Anirudh Bharadwaj (flute).
