It was an evening dedicated to male dancers at ‘Rasasvada’, the dance festival organised by Nrityantar Academy of Performing Arts and in the course of three hours, five dancers-- Kohal Das, Dr. Sanjay Shantaram, Probal Gupta, Surya N. Rao and Parshwanath Upadhye presented solo recitals in their respective classical styles. The packed, mixed-bag sort of programme resembled the format of a relay race which could have been tiresome but luckily what worked in its favour was the fact that each dancer competently shouldered the responsibility for his bani and presented it with utmost care. The other aspect which made a difference was the kind of compositions that the dancers themselves chose- from simple devotional pieces to elaborate treatises- there was a variety that kept the audience on their toes.
Kohal Das, a student of Madhulita Mohapatra, chose ‘Jay Mahesha’, a straightforward, traditional piece that pays obeisance to Shiva. A clarity of expression and a combination of grace and strength marked Das’ performance which albeit simple, left an impact. The vocabulary of a style is perhaps best visible in traditional pieces such as these and the ability to perform them to near-perfection is no mean feat either. The evening made a sudden shift from the suave mood that Das had created to a rather dramatic one that Dr. Shantaram brought on stage with his 'Ravana Patraparichaya', a traditional Kuchipudi performance presented in the Bhagavatha Mela idiom. Live music accompanied Shantaram’s performance which delineated the different facets of Ravana. Blurring the lines between drama and dance, Shantaram tried his best to recreate the Bhagavatha mela setting using aspects such as vachika abhinaya, the use of the sutradhara and dramatic dialogue. This performance was deliberately melodramatic in nature. Probal Gupta presented a traditional padam wherein Krishna consoles the Pandavas as they prepare to leave for the forest. The arguments that Krishna uses form the crux of the piece and Gupta’s Kathakali recital attempted portray them through dance. Gupta also projected a translation of the Malayalam lyrics which was more of a distraction unfortunately. The translation broke up words rather arbitrarily disregarding grammar and sentence construction too.
Gupta’s strength was in the pure nritta sequences where he adhered to the 16 matras of the paddiniya chempada talam . His abhinaya, however, seemed a bit disjointed often making it difficult for the audience to follow the narrative purely on the basis of his expressions. Surya presented a variety of compositions within his segment. He began with episodes from the Ramayana, followed by a piece on Ardhanarishwara and a pure abhinaya composition, Priye Charusheele . What strikes you first about Surya’s dancing is his agility and flexibility. Sticking to the idiom of Kuchipudi, Surya also simultaneously showcased his prowess in choreography, especially through Ardhanarishwara and Priye Charusheele and one realised that abhinaya is Surya’s stronghold. The best was indeed reserved for the last when Bharatanatyam dancer Parshwanath Upadhye came on stage. There is a certain unity in Parshwanath’s performance which also gives his dancing a feeling of rootedness and a character of its own. This is also accompanied by remarkable stage presence and a sense of effortlessness. He first presented an Amba Stuti which was followed by his version of Ardhanarisvara . Clean lines, neat footwork and an abundance of energy marked Parshwanath’s performance, which despite being shorter in length in comparison to the rest, managed to create an impact. It was a befitting finale to the evening’s performances and reiterated one’s belief in the fact that there can be no better substitute to good dancing after all.
