There is something to look out for when the custodians/descendants of a dance form bring on stage their mythological dance dramas devoid of cosmetic surgery.
Ethnically artistic, seasoned Kuchipudi exponent Dr. Vedantam Ramalinga Sastry’s ‘Nartanashala’ (dancing abode) was one such theatrical which drew the south Indian crowd, more so the Telugu lot, from their winter cocoons to India Habitat Centre to watch the doyen actually perform a Bhagavata Mela on stage, which is a rarity of late. Dance running in his DNA, the veteran who played the role of ‘Keechaka’ to the hilt with his inimitable abhinaya and footwork endeared himself to one and all. The episode drawn out of Mahabharat is about the Pandav’s incognito existence in exile in the royal court of Matsya king Virata, whose powerful brother-in-law (Keechaka) is smitten by his sister’s (queen) hand-maiden (Draupadi), little knowing that her husbands are all around the place in disguise. His courtship, Draupadi’s rebuff and consequent events by Pandavs to contain him is what this dance drama is all about.
Open platform
There is no ‘Nartanashala’ without Arjun as a eunuch (Brihannala) imparting dance lessons to the king’s daughter Uttara – so we had a female and a male dancer showcasing the Kuchipudi dance form in the process, which was appealing more because of its antiquity than anything else. It sent us back to the village of Kuchipudi where even to this day, the men folk in proper dance attire perform mythological dance dramas on an open platform in the centre of a four-road junction of their village in the midst of their own homes.
Dr. Sastry’s ‘shringara’ rasa flowing into a sequence that evoked ‘bheebatsa’ emerged subtly in the ballet whose sole objective is to mirror human nature and its tenacity to overcome hurdles without succumbing. If a few drawbacks like garish costumes, stage management and music could be fine-tuned, this traditional dance form can still find relevance and draw appeal beyond its native borders.
Group choreography
Before the dance drama, guru Jayarama Rao’s pupils presented a group choreography – Ganesh Kouthwam and Jati swaram– typical Kuchipudi pieces in good sync. The group would do good to take care of their hand posture as they enter.
Emerging danseuse Reddi Lakshmi, also a disciple of the guru, enthralled the audience with two completely contrasting pieces, establishing her credentials as a dancer to look forward to. While she oozed ‘shringara’ in the traditional javali (sarasamuladetanduku), a romantic lyric with undertones of bhakti, the next piece, the dancer took up was a ‘pravesha daruvu’ (entry with self-introduction) portraying the demon Hiranyakashipu where Lakshmi went amazingly chivalrous and masculine emoting ‘veera rasa’ from every pore.
Her virtuosity in displaying a romantic charm (lasya) without allowing it to slip into vulgarity in one piece and immediately shifting into a tandava (masculine) stance with the gait, gesticulation complimenting the character, was admirable as was her footwork. However, the artiste could have put a little thought into the choice of her costume, working out a via media colour in keeping with the mood of the two pieces she performed.
