Mastery of technique

A. Lakshman proved his artistic mettle, despite some inconsistencies

February 27, 2014 04:17 pm | Updated May 18, 2016 11:09 am IST - Chennai

A. Lakshman. Photo: R. Ravindran

A. Lakshman. Photo: R. Ravindran

A. Lakshman is one among the few solo male dancers who has carved a niche for himself in the Chennai dance arena, both as a solo performer and guru. His performance for Brahma Gana Sabha was enhanced by the melodic singing by Hariprasad, with T.K. Padmanabhan providing violin support and G. Vijayaraghavan the rhythmic touches. His disciple, Sudharma Vaidhyanathan, wielded the cymbals with competence.

The varnam that the dancer chose as the main item, was the Karnataka Kapi song, ‘Sumasayaka,’ composed by Maharajha Swati Tirunal. The highlight of this varnam was the vibrant nritta segments, wherein the dancer’s expertise and split-second clarity of footwork and the clear angika abhinaya revealed his mastery. The theermanams were well structured in varied kalapramanas and choreographed in a visually appealing manner.

Arresting abhinaya In the abhinaya segments, his sancharis showing the preparation of the bed chamber, adorning the body with chandanam, the coyness of the heroine to the romantic overtures of the hero was arresting. Equally beautiful, was the delineation of the lotus pond and the nayika pulling out a leaf to write the message, as also during the sequence expressing her longing for the lord, by talking to the deer and birds.

A consummate artist that he is, one expects him to move beyond the mundane, but in this show his visuals of the lotus arrow of Manmadha’s tormenting the heroine was highly repetitive and overdone. The pain and anguish of the pining woman also did not translate into effective communication. This lack of consistency in expressions diminished the impact of the varnam.

He regained his artistic mettle in the kalyani raga song, ‘Chhitike Vesithe.’ The arrogance with which the nayika shows how the men hover around her like bees around a flower, the coquettishness while preparing the paan, the sari pallu used as a fan suited to the variation of the sequences were some of the finer moments of this song.

A tillana in Mandhari raga was a lively finale to the performance.

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