Strong in technique

January 13, 2011 06:45 pm | Updated 06:49 pm IST

Anvesha Das. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

Anvesha Das. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

A vibrant stage presence, angasudha and competency in abhinaya were the highlights of Anwesha Das' performance. This talented dancer from U.S. is a disciple of Urmila Satyanarayana. Her dance at the Petachi Auditorium came packaged with the traits of a perfect technique and boosted by a happy smile.

Anwesha established her credentials with the invocatory number, where brisk calculations elevated the recital. Anwesha’s entry and the subsequent mallari in Gambheeranaatai evoked the majesty of the nagaswaram amidst the temple milieu. The dancer’s confidence enabled her to tackle the differing speeds that graduated from one tempo to another with ease.

Violin vidwan Lalgudi Jayaraman’s compositions are a perennial favourite with dancers and particularly during this season, the Navarasa ragamalika varnam is being featured in the recitals of up-and-coming and seasoned performers alike.

With Swamimalai Suresh handling the ragas with his customary ease, Dhananjayan securing the tala with his expert mridangam play and Selvam chipping in with unassuming nattuvangam, the dancer was assured of steady orchestral support.

The dancer’s approach to the varnam was based on the varying rasas such as love, disgust and anger. Each stanza spotlighted a particular emotion and this was delineated by the dancer with alacrity. One of the impressive depictions by Anwesha was her portrayal of driving the chariot in the war. Correspondingly, her gritty performance of the sarukkal adavus, without blurring the lines, were positive points of her dance.

While she invested equal energy in all sections of natyam, the upshot would have gained greater intensity had there been more attention paid to detail in her performance. An instance: ‘Ilanagai’ that can be loosely translated as a little smile was depicted as a beaming, sunny smile in all the repetitions of the line. The underlying rationale of the ‘tender smile’ in the story of Meenakshi’s encounter with Lord Siva is her transformation from a warrior princess to a shy woman in the first flush of love, and it is the clasp of such subtleties that lifts the plane of a dancer’s artistry several notches.

‘Ye ra rara,’ the lively Kamas Javeli, saw Anwesha invest a nayika with strong feelings for Lord Vishnu. A tasteful depiction, this lyric had imaginative variations stapled in for the lines ‘Maara Janaka.’ In particular, the invitation to the ‘Lord who sleeps on the serpent bed’ was appealing for its surprise element.

Curiously, the varnam as well as the javeli revolved round strong women and left one wondering if this factor was premeditated or not.

Polished moves that integrated interesting combinations of beats for the Thillana in Kaanada gave the performance a sparkling feel.

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