The Music Academy’s Dance Festival 2018 threw up some really delightful young dancers. Imbibing the best of the gurus and their training, they were beautiful to watch. If this is the trend, we are looking at a future of intelligent and accomplished artistes, who can take the art to the next level.
Meera Sreenarayanan stood on stage like a singular piece of sculpture and when she started dancing, her movements held the audience in thrall. Here is a dancer who is simply superb!
Agile and sprightly, Meera began with an Alarippu which made one sit up and watch. In Chaturasra Dhruvam, she was supported with excellent vocals (Brijesh Krishna). Her footwork showed the hard work and exemplary training she has undergone under guru Indira Kadambi, who did the nattuvangam.
It was in the Nattakurinji Varnam that Meera truly proved her mettle — it has been adapted by Indira Kadambi from an original done by Rukmini Devi, which is an ode to Lord Vishnu and the love he inspires. Meera filled every bit of it with intense bhakti and there was not one boring moment in the almost perfect manner of landing gently on her feet and striking poses where she was so sure of her stance and stamina. There was one scene that stayed in the mind — of Adisesha unfurling himself so that Lord Vishnu could recline on him. It was done so poetically, that you could see the glorious Serpent feeling blessed by this act of the Lord.
The lotus from Mahavishnu’s navel winds its way up and there is space for his consort, Mahalakshmi too. Every bit of this imagery was captured beautifully. It was all about the subtle lift of the eyebrows, the slight neck movement and the imperceptible shrug to convey Divinity. Here again the veena (Ananth Narayanan) interludes added luminosity to the dance and there were times when dance, music, lyrics and imagery merged delightfully.
Meera danced even as her waist belt was slipping away — unperturbed, she completed the varnam confidently.
In the Purandaradasa kriti in Ragamalika, Mishra Chapu, choreographed by Indira Kadambi (which she learnt from Kalanidhi Narayanan), the dancer delighted in the antics of Krishna bringing smiles to the viewers — she revelled in the naughtiness of this Little Lord who is so endearing and irresistible.
Jayadeva's Ashtapadi — ‘Sakhi He’ — was more on a serious note. It was complemented by the uplifting singing (it was sung with a pleading tenor), the veena’s notes, the brief violin solos (Eshwar Ramakrishnan) and the steady mridangam playing (Charudutt). Meera concluded her recital with a thillana in Revati, a composition of Lalgudi Jayaraman.
It was a fitting conclusion to a recital so well worth the time spent at the Music Academy.
