Presenting a spellbinding Kathak performance that received a standing ovation from the audience, Vidha and Abhimanyu Lal displayed exuberance till the end of their presentation at the Music Academy.
Son and daughter-in-law of guru Geetanjali Lal of Jaipur Gharana, the duo displayed a remarkable creative camaraderie. They were backed by co-dancers Varsha Dasgupta and Era Dogra.
A 21-beat Ganesh tal presented as Siva Stuti (Bhimpalasi) showed beautiful movements through todas, tatkars, paran and elaborate footwork. Composed by Bijunayak and choreographed by Geetanjali Lal, this first piece described Ardhanareeshwara, Chandrabala and Seesha Ganga, through abhinaya that mingled with the rhythmic patterns reverberating in the foot mikes.
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Next came a bandish ‘Naval Vasant’ (Basant) in the taals Dhamar (14 beats) and Basant (9 beats). In this piece, Vidha with her co-dancers narrated the stories of Krishna, Radha and the gopis revelling in merriment during Holi.
Intense footwork
The piece-de-resistance that evening was Shuddh Nritta (Charukesi) in teen taal. Vidha and Abhimanyu displayed unbridled vigour in the uthans to repeated applause from the audience. Uthan is a compilation of bols played on the tabla and performed by the dancer.
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Vidha demonstrated a long paran, which she learnt from her guru and pirouettes with remarkable precision. On his part, Abhimanyu came up with an intricate Gopucha Bhol. After a tihai by Vidha, the two presented a jugalbandi, a mix of soft and intense footwork. This piece was full of improvisation.
Next, Vidha performed Mor Pakha (Meghmalhar), an abhinaya piece in teen taal (composer Ras Khan, choreographer Geetanjali Lal). The concluding piece, though brief, was highly interactive with the tabla and the audience participating.
The accompanists who played a major role were: Mahaveer Gangani (pakhawaj), Santosh K. Sinha (vocal), Yogesh Gangani (tabla) and Salim Kumar (sitar). Yogesh deserves special mention for a super display.