The reach of Bharatanatyam has grown over the years. Over the years, artistes from across the globe have been looking for newer ways to express themselves through the art form. This was evident in the performance by Austria-based Bharatanatyam dancer Radha Anjali, who along with the students ofher Natya Mandir school, presented a thematic dance production at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai, recently.
In commemoration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Austria, the thematic presentation ‘Vriksha-TheTree’ was organised by Rama Rajagopalan, Consular Officer, Austrian Honorary Consulate in Chennai.
Radha Anjali, who had her training under two gurus — (Kalanidhi Narayanan and Adyar K. Lakshman) in Chennai, later established her school of dance in Austria. Radha’s Chennai performance focused on the Rudraksha tree, which in Indian mythology symbolises compassion and hope. It also conveyed the ideas of climate change and environmental awareness.
The sounds of flowing water, beauty of the rainfall, visuals of a green landscape and the aroma of the wet earth evoked a mood of serenity before the focus shifted to the tussle between devas and asuras and the emergence of the Rudraksha tree from the ocean. Different compositions were used to depict them all.
Though the concept was interesting, the presentation turned out to be a mix of too many ideas. The projection of visuals on the background screen looked amateurish. The shift from one song to another didn’t seem organic. The shift from recorded sounds to live orchestra was disturbing.
The description of a tree on the verge of extinction, and how it gets a new lease of life because of a bird was well-depicted by Radha Anjali through her abhinaya.
