“Why do you come here? The house that you are looking for is not on this street,” says the khandita nayika, full of sarcasm. The anger, sorrow and disenchantment of the heroine was captured with verve by Anuka King, a disciple of Shobana Balachandra, in the Suruti raga composition of Melattur Kashinatha Iyer’s ‘Indendu Vachchitivira.’
The sanchari, while portraying the nuances wherein the heroine says, “I am not like the other woman, flirtatious, always enticing and pampering you, my love and devotion are different,” revealed the dancer’s innate abhinaya skills that blossomed under the guidance of Nityakalyani Vishwanathan in this piece.
The programme, under the banner of Brahma Gana Sabha’s ‘Aadi Nrithyotsav,’ began on a dynamic note with the dancer attired in the traditional red and gold costume, capturing the attributes of the mother goddess for a Bharatiyar song with a combination of attractive poses and energetic movements.
The Kamboji raga varnam, ‘Nadanai Azhaithu Vaa Sakiye’ of Thiruveezhimalai Nataraja Sundaram Pillai dealt with the heroine requesting her sakhi to fetch her lord by explaining her lovelorn state. There were some moments of beauty in her expressions such as smelling the flower before rolling it in the scroll, or communicating with a glance the hard heartedness of the hero, but otherwise it was mostly a literal delineation. Anuka should internalise in depth the ideas of the sahitya and explore the emotions in greater detail to take the audience along in her artistic journey. The nritta segments were noteworthy for clear lines and movements, but the dancer can embellish it with grace by slowing down the pace.
The Mukhari raga ashtapadi, ‘Vadasiyathi,’ was a picturesque rendition, with delicate stances and expressions for the lines ‘Priye Charusheele,’ the pangs of passion and a beautiful moment capturing the gaze of Krishna turning back with a smirk on his face, mission accomplished.
‘Valli Kanavan,’ the Kavadi Chindu number was a lively folk-flavoured song, a refreshing interlude, before concluding with the Kadhanakudukalam thillana.
The orchestral team led by Shobana Balachandra wielding the cymbals was supported by Sruti Sagar on the flute, Chandrasekar on the veena and Veda Krishnan on the mridangam. K.P. Nandini’s melodious and expressive voice was an asset to the performance, but by toning down the excessive use of brighas and modulating the voice to suit the emotions being danced will enhance the impact of her singing.
