There are any number of Kathak dancers in the place but if the art form is presented in a unique manner or rather in its original style without modernising the content or skill, well it calls for appreciation. Divya Goswami Dikshit’s solo was one such performance where she made the adherents of the Lucknow gharana proud.
She gave us a glimpse of ancient Kathak that eulogises Krishna through lyric and dance. ‘Maro pranam ban ki bihari...’, a Meera composition, coming as it did at the very opening was also a salutation to lord Krishna and the audience. This was just a taste of the dancer’s sensitive portrayal and command over her medium and she elicited spontaneous applause from the audience. The mime to ‘bansi baja..’ emulating the deer’s skip, hop, jump and fleet, birds in flight to the melodic flute (Kiran Kumar) was like a painting come to life. The footwork and gestures were unique too with hand gesticulations complimenting the movement of feet to bhol which was graceful to the core. This was more markedly visible in the technical aspect which has come to stay in Kathak from the Mughal period. Her still postures, swaying movements and hasthabhinay were worked out lucidly with brilliant footwork set to teen taal from vilambit (slow tempo) to drut. The arching of her right foot in the flow of her footwork with matching facial expressions was the most alluring part of Divya’s style. The salaami was full of poise and elegance as were the chakkars which gradually grew in number. The mnemonic patterns with the ‘dha’ syllable occurring like a refrain was marvellous.
The dancer was able to demarcate her two pure dance pieces – the technical and the tarana – in such a manner that at no time was there a duplication of footwork patterns or mime and movement. The tarana in Bhairavi also set to pure mnemonics (bhol) with chakkars interlacing her footwork was a totally different artistic experience for the viewers. As it tails off, the Bhairavi becomes a eulogy to goddess – Bhairavi priyadarshini hey maate... which touched the crest of creativity. Her abhinay piece – ‘aaye rithu saawan ki piya ghar aaye nahin...’ brought out the virahothkantitha (artistic state of mind of heroine) pining and turning nostalgic over the short separation from her beloved.
Varying moods
Now happy over past romantic memories, now realising the present where his absence is pricking, now desolate with pangs of separation – Divya oscillated between these varying moods with alacrity.
However, miming the jhoola could have been a little more realistic especially during the upward swinging movement! The much-acclaimed peacock dance was too brief to dwell upon for viewers. Her change of dupatta to denote a different role and dance piece is worth a note.
The live orchestra made for a fitting accompaniment, except that when the dancer was trying to speak, the audibility was marred by the constant twang of the sarangi. So was the announcer’s lack of clarity for each piece prior to the commencement of the dance which was held at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.
