True to her reputation, veteran dance guru Rhadha (sister of erstwhile dance prodigy Kamala Lakshman), gave an authentic Vazhuvoor ‘margam’ which was mind-boggling in its rapidity, rigour and versatility at the Kinkini Nrityotsava recently. The Thodai Mangalam followed by an invocatory verse to Vazhuvoor Gyana Sabesha and we were holding our breath for the appearance of the artiste on stage. Putting our scepticism about her prowess, the septuagenarian leaped on to the dais like a female Nataraja and what ensued was an amazing repertoire which made the viewers breathless. There was no compromise on the nritta, no cutting corners and making do with just abhinaya as many dancers two decades her juniors are prone to do.
The string on muzhu mandi adavus that peeped through every piece she chose, were executed with effortless ease. The theme of the day was titled, ‘Bhavaye Padmanabham’ in memory of Maharaja Swati Thirunal. She warmed up with the Pushpanjali but none of us were ever expecting anything close to a tremendous performance to follow. But it did. ‘Bhogeendra Shayinum…’ in Kuntalavarali was like an exercise in elasticity. Every verse was followed by a series of jati patterns in three kalai which were delineated with well-defined hasthabhinaya and footwork. There was no scope for a single slip considering her age especially when she went around in a circle in absolute sync to the tala or stood on one limb striking a posture! The teermanam were she moved forward showing the ‘shanku’ and ‘chakra’ hastha mudras and comes to a standstill with the ‘varada’ mudra reminiscent of lord Vishnu created an impact with the audience. The ‘Kamalaja sa kruta’ kriti of Swati Thirunal, set to music by the legendary Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, was narration in dance sans element of drama. To do a solo of that length was a daunting task but Rhadha was not the one to admit fatigue. The nritta and mime for the Hayagreeva episode was like the spoken word. With intermittent jatis, she effortlessly went enumerating the ‘dasavatara’ with quick transitions from sitting adavus to standing ones; she undertook the footwork with impeccable poise improvising them with a natural grace. The depiction of ‘yagna’ being done by king Bali in the Vamanavatara and the abhinaya with which she turns into a Vamana asking for charity was undertaken with eye expression and lithe movements. The padam, ‘Aliveni ro…’ in Kurinji was replete with fine abhinaya of the naayika who is a virothkantitha, pining for lord Padmanabha with pleas to her maiden friend. The tillana in Hindi was pronounced in nritta and handled with delicacy as warranted. Nandini Sharma on the vocal was melodic, while Dhananjeyan on the mridangam and Narasimhamurthy on the flute made a presence.
Earlier to the veteran’s dance recital, Nair sisters, Veena and Dhanya, gave a very impressive Mohiniattam. The duo’s performance was marked by delicacy in moves and mime. The footwork though traditional was rather fleeting instead of the measured sway associated with this genre. The sway was not as pronounced as it should be but these minor creases were more than compensated by the thematic presentation in Malayalam called ‘Bhoota Paatu’. Veena’s gentle dove like expression contrasting with the demonic histrionics of her sister were remarkable. Both picturised the sequence of events through dance mime with jatis that matched the situation. Dhanya was superb in enacting the demonic role which was in fact attractive. The rocking of the infant to the tunes of the flute was so convincing from an artiste as young as Veena. They enacted their respective roles in solo which in a way showcased their individual talent. The pretty sisters are poised to make it big in the near future going by their virtuosity in abhinaya, which is the hallmark of Mohiniattam. The mellifluous notes that flowed from vocalist Nandkumar could not but draw our attention to the accompanists’ dias now and then. Nattuvangam by Ashwin Nair was good while percussionists Hari on the mridanga and Kalamandalam Anish on the edakka were brilliant. Flute by Narasimhamurthy and violin by Madhusudhan were at their best.
