A session of classical dance in large groups marked the 17th anniversary of Nirmala Music and Dance Academy (Gajuwaka) held at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam. Group performances are of immense appeal but are best presented by senior artistes, for one has to remain cautious of not only movements but also sync with the rest.
But of late they turn out to be efforts at accommodating more number of performers . With parents being eager to see their children on stage, masters too readily oblige. In the process the aesthetics in group formations are on a decline. This performance, save a few of them, was no exception to this trend. If the masters could make people aware of the merits of waiting for the right time to be on stage, it could in itself pave the way for their bright future.
The session began with ‘Ganesh Kumara’, followed by a string of Annamayya’s compositions, and a few traditional numbers like Jayadeva’s ‘Ashtapadi’, ‘Marakata Manimayachela’ and ‘Nataraja’. After ‘Thandava Nritya’ they took up Annamayya compositions for dance beginning with ‘Ittimudduladi’. Vachhenu Alamelumanga, Kaliginadinaku, Sirutanavvulavade, KommalalaNarayanate .
The groups also depicted various scenes of love-lorn Radha for Jayadev’s ‘Asthapadi’ in a wide range of sanchari bhavas and group formations. With the dancers in the lead roles displaying good talent, this evoked good response. The other notable performance were ‘Nataraja’ on the cosmic grace of Lord Siva and ‘Marakatamanimaya chela’, dealing with Lord Krishna’s childhood pranks.
S. Tilagavathy (nattuvangam), S. Venkatarao (vocal) Radhakrishna (mridangam), Malleswararao (flute), Dakshinamurthy (violin) and Tirumalarao (keyboard) lent support.
