Promise and talent go together and in this case, Amrutha P. Nair established both in a matter of just an hour. Her recent Kuchipudi presentation at Ravindra Bharathi was an impressive one, though for most part she chose abhinaya-oriented pieces.
The initial prayer song Gajavadana.. (Purandhara dasa composition in Hamsadhwani) was an invocation with well-carved out postures depicting the Lord Ganesha.
The lengthy Ksheera sagara shayana… in Devagandhari provided more scope to explore the realms of abhinaya more than nritta, going by the pace of the kriti. Amrutha met our expectations with varied expressions to recreate the milky ocean ( ksheera sagara ) in at least seven wonderful postures and moves. It corresponded to the sangathisthat go with the kriti. Kudos to the guru Vedantam Satya Narasimha Sastry for incorporating diverse expressions to connote one single line! The hasthabhinaya too differed along with the sangathisto the kriti. Elucidating the lines of each verse with an apt incident like the ‘Gajendra moksham' and the ‘Game of dice' and ‘Abduction of Sita' and the aftermath, were enacted elegantly with detail. As far as facial expressions, gestures and footwork went, Amrutha was near perfect.
The Annamacharya kirtana in Hindolam Vachchenu Alamelumanga had optimum footwork,which Amruta executed with accuracy and agility. The artistry shown in the form of mood variations for the lines of the last stanza, gambheera gathulanu meera natarambhamulanu is worthy of mention.
There are however two aspects that the young danseuse has to look into. For one, the compulsive swing of Kuchipudi in stances was missing and for another, the dancer has to take count of the stage space and see to it that she covers the entire territory and not restrict herself to minimum utilisation of stage.
Satya Narasimha Sastry on the nattuvangam, Sangeetha Kala on the vocal, Bhanu Prasad on the percussion and Shiva on the violin enhanced the performance. The dance was a part of Rasamayi's literary awards presentation ceremony.
