Dance drama ‘Colours’ presented at the Bharati Vidya Bhavan on December 10 was unique. It had representations from two generations _ mother and daughter. The thematic recital by Padmini Krishnamurthy and her daughter Shivani dealt with different facets of a woman’s life. And both looked similar, clad in the same shade of blue.
Pushpanjali was an energised piece involving a lot of geometry. There was a sense of fulfilment to see the guru and sishya explore the confines of planned learning as they opened the day’s theme ‘colours.’ Each moment of the duo reflected the unfailing standards of the dance school Saraswathi Gana Nilayam. The confidence and skill that had been instilled by Padmini’s guru Ranganayaki Jayaraman, was evident from her excellent choreographic skills.
Women from various Hindu mythologies came on stage revealing different aspects of their nature and intellect. White personified innocence. Shivani with a subtle change of her garment in white joyfully brought out the various phases of girl’s childhood. Transforming herself into Meera she played with little Krishna. She also became Krishna, throwing tantrums, teasing and evading loving gestures of mother Yasoda.
‘Green’ was confidence personified. It was Meenakshi Kalyanam. Padmini, the proud Pandiya king, displayed the various talents _ art, music, archery – that his daughter, Meenakshi (Shivani) possessed. Shivani brought out the full essence of veera rasa as she waged battles with various kings. Neat and quick was the change of rasa (sringara) with the entry of Siva. Shivani’s expressions to the lyrics ‘Uruvathu matrum unnatha kolam,’ when she notices the changes in her body, showed signs of a promising dancer.
Red _ synonymous with power, struggle, anger _ was explained with scenes from the Mahabharata. The recital reached a peak as the duo exhibited their skill. Ridiculing a meek Yudhishtira (Shivani), cunning Sakuni (Padmini) manipulates the game of dice. Shivani’s bhibatsam, adbutam and bhayanaka matched her mother’s mischievous drishti bhedas and siro bhedas. Draupadi (Shivani) was roudram personified when insulted by Duryodhana in the court.
Neat was the choreography while portraying grief through the colour black. Padmini’s abhinaya (karuna rasa) was typical of an experienced dancer as she broke down at the sight of Ravana’s lifeless body and showed anguish of a wife whose words were not heeded. Asha Ramesh’s melodious voice was steeped in pathos as she sang ‘Pazhiyinai Etru...
The emotion of a mature woman, depicted through ‘gold’ was interwoven with nritta passages and presented as the final piece along with a fast paced thillana. Aharya played an important role in the recital as both quickly changed their costume to suit the mood.
From the beginning Asha Ramesh’s singing was in tune with the lyrics penned by Dr. Raghuraman. Sri Mohan with his rhythm and flautist Srinivasan with his melodious notes blended well with the moods of the scenes.
Padmini Krishnamurty (Muscat), is the founder of Sarswathi Natyalaya (Muscat) and a senior disciple of Ranganayaki Jayaraman. She also presented ‘Arut Perum Jyothi,’ at Bharat Kalachar, on December 31.
