Seasoned Bharatanatyam dancer Rama Vaidyanathan was recently in Kolkata for a three-day workshop conducted under the aegis of Sparsh Studio for the Performing Arts followed by a lec-dem. Later she came up with a full-length mesmerising performance for dance lovers of Kolkata at the Satyajit Ray Auditorium of ICCR Kolkata on the request of Bickram Ghosh Academy of Performing Arts.
Spiritual bent of mind
The pieces Rama chose to perform revealed not only her adeptness as a powerful Bharatanatyam dancer, it also displayed her choreographic qualities. The chosen topics laying bare her spiritual bent of mind, her dynamism, style of rendition. She covered the full stage with power and indomitable energy, spreading aesthetic bliss that left the audience in a trance.
All her chosen pieces were dealt with devotion. Whether it was the Shiva Thiruvempavai by Manika Vachikar asking devotees to wake up from their deep slumber at the commencement of her abhang piece, “Utho Panduranga” , asking the Lord to wake up as the morning light has shown up, or the Keertana composed by Maharaja Swati Tirunal, a devotee of Padmanabhaswamy. It was a reflection of the Rama’s spiritual quest.
Creating rasa
She was greatly helped by her accompanying vocalist and composer, recipient of Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar Sudha Raghuraman, a creative music composer and a gem among musicians. Her vocal rendition at the concert gave the recital a new dimension altogether. The dancer and the musician went hand in hand to create rasa . The story would have not have been half as juicy as it was that evening without the duo working together.
At the heels of her dance activities in the art loving city, came the announcement of her being chosen for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. The news was a joy to all concerned.
When asked about this great news, she said, “The SNA award to me is a validation that I am on the right path. A lot of the journey is yet to be completed! I am extremely honoured and humbled to receive this award.” Rama doesn’t come from a family of artistes. “But I am from a family of spiritual seekers and that has influenced me a lot. Because I think dance too is a quest for finding inner meaning.”
She said it was her mother who had a dream for her and it is she who initiated her into Bharatanatyam at the age of six with Guru Yamini Krishnamurthy. “The three women who have inspired me are my mother, Yamini amma and my mother-in-law Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan.”
Rama said that she had tried to bring new compositions into the abhinaya aspect of Bharatanatyam. “There are many who do the traditional padams extremely well. But my aim is to bring a fresh approach to abhinaya through execution as well as content. I look for poetry in various languages that can be used to explore the emotive aspect.”
Apart from hard work and dedication Rama said she expected right attitude towards art from her students. “Humility and respect towards your art is essential.”
