Any Bharatanatyam performance is enjoyable if it has the right quotient of nritta and abhinaya. Sahana Selvaganesh, 22-year-old disciple of Roja Kannan, kept this fact in mind during her performance for Natyarangam recently.
It began with a Ranganjali, ‘Ananda Narthana Ganapathim’ in Gambhira Nattai and continued with a Daru varnam, ‘Maate,’ in praise of the mother goddess in Khamas. Every pose of goddess Meenakshi that she struck reflected a mood. The speedy jatis reflected Sahana’s grip over tala and the different arudis at the end of the charanams were impressive too. She then moved on to the padam ‘Thumaka chalata’ in Misra Khamas and brought out the essence of the verses with her engaging abhinaya.
But what lingered in the mind was her portrayal of Bharatiar’s, ‘Aasai mugam marandhu poche’ . Sahana shared with the audience that the song, generally seen as a nayika pining for her beloved, was probably written by Bharatiar in memory of his mother whom he had lost at the tender age of five.
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Two-fold choreography
Therefore, the choreography was two fold — the nayika pining for Krishna, and Bharatiar trying to recollect his time with his mother.
Sahana’s abhinaya depicting helplessness, grief and hope had the power to stir up in the audience memories of their loved ones. The dancer concluded with a thillana in Tilang, a composition of Lalgudi G Jayaraman. The spirit and energy of her performance were a testimony to her skill and the reason why she received recognition and awards early in her career.
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However, Sahana would have to put in effort to sustain the araimandi posture.
The orchestra, supportive and vibrant, comprised Roja Kannan (nattuvangam), Radha Badri (vocal), Vijayaraghavan (mridangam) and Kalaiarasan (violin). But at times, especially in ‘Thumaka Chalata,’ the vibrant mridangam beats were distractive.
The performance showed Sahana’s keenness to project herself as a matured dancer. Credit also goes to her guru, who put together an appropriate margam that showcased Sahana as a promising artiste.