A five-day national dance festival held under the auspices of ‘Nrithaswadakasada’ , a unit of the Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, Edappally, was remarkable not only in terms of the aesthetics of the recitals but in terms of audience participation as well.
On the opening day of the fete, Janaki Rangarajan presented a Bharatanatyam recital. She began her concert with a visualisation of Vallabhacharya’s Madhurashtakam rendered in ragamalika, Adi tala. The body kinetics of Janaki interspersed with her spic-and-span footwork was a treat to watch. Janaki then moved on to a Sringara pada varnam set to raga Thodi, Adi tala. She depicted the pangs of separation of the Nayika who pleads for union with the Rajagopala of Mannargudi.
In her element
Janaki’s distinctive presentation was noted for her choreographic skill and evocative presentation. As the abhinaya piece, Janaki chose a padam of Vidyapathi that depicts the intimacy between Radha and Krishna. Janaki was in her element in the portrayal of the two characters. The finale was a vibrant thillana in raga Vasantha followed by a Meera bhajan.
On the second day, Mohiniyattam danseuse Sunanda Nair graced the stage. Following a slokam in praise of Ganapathi, Sunanda took up Madhurashtakam and delineated in vivid visual metaphors Lord Krishna from head to foot. She did three brief vinyasams; Krishna lifting up Govardhana mountain; Kuchela’s much awaited encounter with Krishna; and Geethopadesham.
As the third item, Sunanda selected the Swati padam Elathalirsayane in raga Punnagavarali.
Vivid portrayal
She began with theliviyalum mukham , the anupallavi, and movingly portrayed a Nayika’s anguish over her separation from her beloved. Ardhanareeswaram, which followed, consisted of steps and movements in consonance with the chollus . Next she did a Tamil padam unfolding the tenderness and the affection of a mother towards her daughter who elopes with her lover. Sunanda concluded her recital with the tale of Sabari, a devotee, meeting Lord Srirama in the forest.
Preceding the principal item of her Mohiniyattam recital, Gopika Varma, on the third day, presented Ekadantam bhaje in praise of Lord Ganesha and in continuation did an interpretation of the sloka, Santhakaram bhujagasayanam , glorifying Lord Sree Padmanabha.
The dancer then switched over to her thematic presentation of Dasyam, almost akin to a varnam. Deviating from the traditional track, the dancer depicted in compact visual frames how the Lord transforms himself into a ‘servant’ of the devotee.
Detailed exposition
Gopika started with the story of the origin of the Padmanabha Swamy temple linking it with the story of Vilwamangalam Swamiyar. She narrated tales of Lord Krishna including those of Kurooramma, Mahabali and Radha’s reunion with Krishna. In the portion Bhartrudasyam, the dancer portrayed Krishna who wins over his consort Rukmini tactfully. By incorporating the beautiful lines from Venmani’s lyrics for Kaikottikkali, pankajakshan kadalvarnan , Gopika attributed simple yet suggestive layers to the segment concerned. Mathrudasyam, the concluding item, focussed on Yashoda recollecting in her old age the pranks of child Krishna.
Exuberant presentation
Monisa Nayak began her recital with a Dhrupad on Lord Ganesha set to Raag Bhimpalasi and Chautaal. Ashtamangal, which followed, was set to 11 beats. In it, Monisa performed Upaj (spontaneous Tatkar), Thaat, Uthaan, Amaad, Paranaamad, Tora, Paran and Tihari, all of which invariably carried the joie de vivre of pure dance. The third item too was a pure dance piece in Teentaal (16 beats). The next two pieces laid emphasis on abhinaya . The first one brought out the beauty of the mystic aura of Lord Krishna. Gatbhava too centred on Krishna and his childhood pranks. The dancer’s sprightliness could effectively conceal the banality of the vinyasa concerned. Ginti ki bandish, the finale , had 31 pirouettes and jugalbandi with bols on the tabla.
Manju Warrier began her Kuchipudi concert on the final day of the fete by creating the image of Lord Vinayaka through neatly executed gestures, movements and a pleasant disposition. She then did the Tharangam, Viksheham kada gopalamurtim , a composition of Narayana Theertha on the gopikas and the playfulness of Krishna.
Confident and poised
Her picturesque portrayal of Brindavan, pranks of Krishna and the Gopikas besotted by the music flowing from the flute was enchanting to watch. Her footwork on the brass plate was brief but unblemished. Next she presented Ardhanareeswaram , Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s kriti set to raga Kumudapriya, Roopakam.
Manju effortlessly switched from Siva to Sakthi and vice versa before doing the vinyasa that depicted Lord Siva as the saviour of Nagendra who reached Kailasa to escape the wrath of Garuda. Manju concluded her recital with a thillana, Gita dhuniku taka dhim , the popular Swathy Thirunal composition in raga Dhanasri set to Adi tala.
