International Dance Alliance provided glimpses of the choreographic skills of eminent dancers/gurus — Chitra Visweswaran, Padma Subrahmanyam and the Dhananjayans — at ‘Nrithya Sangamam’ held recently at Narada Gana Sabha.
Two things stood out: First, the works of these renowned artistes are so deeply embedded in the psyche of the audience that they could instantly connect with the performances. Secondly, these gurus have given to the dance form many talented dancers to take their legacy forward. One also mused on how for the past many decades, only a handful of gurus have retained their lofty space in terms of choreography.
From ‘Meenakshi-Pandyakumari staged at International Dance Alliance event in Chennai
The first work to be staged was ‘Meenakshi-Pandyakumari,’ with choreography and direction by Chitra Visweswaran.
It conveyed the essence of bhakti and had the traditional aesthetics of the art in place. The group of dancers was led by Vidya Ravindran Anand. The compositions, ‘Anjali’ in Gambhiranattai (music by R.Visweswaran) and ‘Angayarkanni’ in Ragamalika (music Lalgudi G. Jayaraman) enhanced the mood of the production.
From ‘Vaishnavam’ staged at Internation Dance Alliance event in Chennai
Excerpts from ‘Vaishnavam’, with choreography and direction by the Dhananjayans, impressed with its aesthetics, story telling and coordination among the dancers. The production had lyrics and music by D. Pattammal. Music, movement and expression fused to present ‘Dasavatharam,’ where the dancers, dressed in a beautiful colour palette of off-white, brown, yellow, ochre, mint, saffron and mustard, excelled.
‘Gangaiyin Kathai’ was presented by Gayathri Kannan and group of Nrityodaya. Choreographed and directed by Padma Subrahmanyam, it was marked by inspired story-telling and a chic style of blending music and poetry. The lyrics were by Meenakshi Subrahmanyam and music was by S.V. Ramanan. The production showed how the banks of the Ganga have been witness to the happenings down the ages. The young dancers succeeded well in communicating the narrative.
