Bharat Nrityotsav, a three-day annual festival of Nataraj Music and Dance Academy featured mostly NRI artistes to perform for its fourth edition at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam. With a sprinkle of foreign artistes, it was an alluring mélange of grace and grandeur of different Indian classical dances.
Lively performances by these artistes from the shores far and wide spoke volumes for the way they remained intensely connected to native cultural moorings. Considering the fact that they have nurtured and perfected it in a non-native milieu, the innate spirit of Bharateeyata that was pervasive in the performances. The festival this year presented more than 20 artistes from a dozen countries.
The fest opened with Kuchipudi which took a lion share in the array of slots in the fest. In a 20-minute slot each, artistes having warmed up with an invocatory, showcased their artistic acumen.
US-based young artiste Manish Polavarapu’s danced to sage Narayana Theertha’s tarangam ‘Vikshekada devadevam’ with panache. His was a refined presentation of Kuchipudi, as with perfect movements and balanced postures he captured the divine attributes of Lord Krishna.
Eight-year-old US-based prodigy Aruhi Vakkalagadda was a highlight of the fest as she danced the tarangam Neelamegha Sareera with verve. Her fluid movements and elegance in expression spontaneously evoked thunderous applause.
Sprightly gait and imaginative articulation of lyrical lines marked the performance of Nigeria-based Sai Gargi.
Her good grasp of the nitty-gritty of Kuchipudi remained evident all through. US-based Spruha, Hema Silpa, Roopa Raju, UAE-based Shruthi Subramanian and UK-based Kopal Vedam were other dancers whose lively Kuchipudi performances enthralled dance lovers.
Eleonora Ukhanova from Russia, Kasiet Adilkhanova from Kazikasthan, Australia-based Chandrika Srinivas, Hong Kong-based Roopa Kiran and UAE-based Jatin Subramanian wove the magic of Bharatanatyam. They were at absolute ease all through and explored the lyrical nuances in an unhurried pace. Particularly the way Russian and Kazikasthan artistes detailed the chosen pieces in a wide range of sancharis was simply superb.
Oddissi performances by the disciples of Guru Deepak Roy from Oman charmed the dance aficionados through stylized postures and spell of myriad expressions. The troupe’s performance during three days was a class apart. They presented sthayi, pallavi and Jatayu Moksha in a wonderful coalescence of foot work and expression. It was no different with Nazanin Baygani from Iran who presented Odissi with gusto.
Manipuri glowed in its soft shades of aesthetic appeal in the performance of US-based Rinku Bhattacharya Das detailing the subtle and tender shades of Radha and Krishna’s love. She spiced her presentation of a piece with an element of cholam involving vigorous swirls usually performed by male dancers, thus winning a big round of applause.
Sattriya by Philadelphia-based Madhusimta Bora, Mohiniattam by US-based Shobha Subramanian and Kathak by Sri Lanka-based Anjali Mishra spread out the varied charms of the respective dance forms.
A display of paintings of Anvish in acrylics on the premises added additional attraction to the fest.
