A decorous stage presence and neat lines manifested agreeably in Varsha Akhouri’s Bharatanatyam programme for Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha Dance Festival. Varsha is an alumnus of Kalakshetra, a fact reflected in her dancing which integrated grace and energy in equal parts. Though she eschewed the traditional centre piece varnam, the set of items she presented imparted an air of liveliness to the evening.
A slokam by Shankaracharya was followed by Alarippu in Misra Triputa talam composed by Sheejith Krishna. Intricate combinations of three and four counts ushered in rhythmic piquancy and were presented with confidence by Varsha.
‘Pradoshashtava’ stotram extolling Lord Siva and ‘Sankara Srigiri’ in Hamsanandi was a composite item which took up the greater part of the performance. Siva’s celestial dance as described in the Sanskrit slokas formed the prelude to the kirtanam. Leela Samson’s dance composition has become a favourite with many Bharatanatyam artists for its distinctive stamp of peppy narration that blends sprightly body movements. Varsha’s delineation showed her grasp of the larger picture and she quickly navigated both the pure dance sequences as well as the emoting sections with verve.
The tale of Manmatha being burnt to ashes was pictured with enough energy, but needed greater expressive dexterity to go beyond the given storyline.
‘Padari Varugudu’ in Khambodi by Ghanam Krishnaiyer is a classic outpouring of a heroine in love with Lord Muruga. She beseeches her friend not to delay further and reunite her with the Lord. If primary communication was the only goal, then the padam was a good effort. The dancer could sustain the main thread of thought in the lyrics and engaged her eyes to convey basic ideas clearly.
But if one was looking for more shades to enrich the sthayi, then Varsha’s visualisation fell short of accomplishing a sophisticated level of artistry. The padam needed not merely the framework of hastas but also greater fluidity in characterisation to flesh out the dominant mood.
The choreography credited to Rukmini Devi provided ample scope for a dancer to explore relevant nuances with empathy, for instance the feeling of viraha through a lingering look or the quavering breath of the pining nayika but these manoeuvres were left underutilised by the dancer.
Vocalist Srikanth’s rendering of Khambodi resonated with the raga’s spirit perceptively.
‘Rase Hari Riha’ in Misra Khamas was a lively portrayal of Radha’s recollections. Varsha enlivened the performance with the scenes describing Krishna’s sport with the gopikas in the bowers of Brindavan. Although the juxtaposition of the past in the form of sweet reminiscences by Radha against her present feeling of jealousy could have been emphasised, the overall picture of the Ashtapadi materialised with an appealing sincerity.
Lalgudi’s thillana in Madhuvanti and choreographed by Leela Samson was performed diligently. The adavus such as the ‘leap and twirl sarukkal’ were gracefully executed.
Nattuvangam by Rakesh reflected his command over rhythm while Anil Kumar on the mridangam and Melakaveri Thyagarajan on the violin provided competent support.
