A Bharatanatyam recital that caught one’s interest this dance season was by young Chitra Lakshmanan, a disciple of Guru Srekala Bharath, at Bharat Kalachar. Why? Because Chitra is from Detroit, the U.S., and she presented the entire programme by learning the pieces mostly on Skype with about a few weeks of personal interaction with the guru in Chennai every year during the summer.
The first piece ‘Sri Ganapathinee’ showed that she is skilled in both nritta and abhinaya, though she has to take these much further.
Next came the Sankarabaranam varnam ‘Sakiye Inda’ composed by Dandayuthapani Pillai. In this piece, sancharis were woven into the theme of the nayika in love with the Lord of the Seven Hills. Putting across a varnam almost entirely through skype is challenging for both the learner and the teacher. The piece proved Chitra and her guru’s hard work and focused approach . While well-rehearsed adavus came up in the lines ‘Pagalum Iravum Manadai Urukkudadi,’ more exposure and personalised lessons can help Chitra enhance her abhinaya, postures, and hand movements. Dasavatharam episodes were the highlight of the varnam.
The performance also included ‘Bhavayami Gopala Balam’ in Yamunakalyani, ‘Apa Dooru’ in Khamas by Pattabiramayya, and a tillana in Revathy raga. Nattuvangam by Srekala Bharath, Chitrambari Krishnakumar (vocal), Sigamani (violin), and Dhananjayan (mridangam) provided excellent support.
Renuka Suryanarayan
