Nataraj Music and Dance Academy hosted its annual two-day Bharath Nrityotsav on an impressive note at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam. The fest provided a platform to many NRI artistes with each of the eight brief performances corresponding to different styles.
Dubai-based Sravani Tenneti, Hong Kong-based Roopakiran, Italy-based Srikala Jayanthi, Moscow-based Lekshmi Reghunath, US-based Priya Narayanan, Japanese artiste Yukie Sampatti, local talent Ratnamala and student artistes of the Academy presented the chosen numbers with panache. Young and talented artistes displayed remarkable artistic acumen. The artistes were given a slot of 20 to 30minutes each. With the inaugural number invariably being an invocatory, the artistes were left with hardly 15 minutes to showcase their talent and richness of respective dance form. Moreover, this was slotted between the rest of the dance forms, so artistes had to wait for long, sometimes two hours, to present their second number. Whatever may be the rationale or justification for it on the part of the organizers, the gap robbed the performance of its tempo and vibrancy. Nevertheless the artistes remained patient, enthusiastic and energetic and performed well. Though christened as Bharath Nirtyotsav, it accommodated only Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam and Odissi leaving an array of other Indian classical dance forms out thus belying the expectations of audience.
The fest opened with a Kuchipudi performance by the student artistes of the Academy. In the Odissi section, Japanese artiste Yukie Sampatti’s presentations were awesome. She danced a pallavi Megh in a captivating manner. Composed by reputed Ratikanth Mahapatra, it was about the advent of monsoon. The onset of the monsoon, gathering clouds in the sky heralding the season of hectic agricultural activity in villages and its magical impact on flora and fauna, the thrill of first showers of rain in year – all stood well captured and animated in a wide range of sancharis. She never missed even minute details in expression and footwork. Another number that she mesmerised the dance lovers with was ‘Durga Stuti’, a composition of legendary Kelucharan Mahapatra, with precision in every frame bringing alive diverse rasas intrinsic in the composition.
In the Bharatanatyam category, Natesakoutwam, Amba Kamakshi, Surya Stuthi, Siruluminchina — a sabdam in praise of Lord Krishna. In Kuchipudi, an invocatory and prevesa daruvu from Bhamaakalapam stood out.
On this occasion the academy released a book Kala Saritsaragam — a compendium of history and evolution of fine arts — by noted cultural critic Ayalasomayajula Rama Jogarao. The Academy also presented ‘Yuva Natyasaradhi’ and ‘Bala Natyasaradhi’ awards to participant artistes.
