Impressive recitals

Nritta and abhinaya were impressively showcased at Natya Kausthubha Ntrithyothsav – 2019 in Thrissur

April 11, 2019 01:00 pm | Updated 01:00 pm IST - Thrissur

Kathak by Shweta Venkatesh

Kathak by Shweta Venkatesh

Natya Kausthubha Ntrithyothsav – 2019 held in Thrissur witnessed young talents from across the country vying to showcase their best in many genres of classical dance.

Anupama Mohan and team staging ‘Ayyappa Charitham’

Anupama Mohan and team staging ‘Ayyappa Charitham’

Kuchipudi danseuse Anupama Mohan, who organised the festival, staged a group choreography ‘Ayyappa Charitam’ in Kuchipudi. Penned by the late poet and chenda maestro Kalamandalam Kesavan, the narrative, which retells the popular legend of Ayyappa, was replete with alluring dance sequences. While Anupama donned the roles of Mahishi and Surpaka, her students Kavya (Mohini), Neelima (Siva), Lakshmi (Vishnu) and Nirupama (Ayyappa) donned the other roles.

Just two pieces were enough to highlight the lasya-rich elements of Odissi. The items were performed by Delhi-based Prachi Hota. The pallavi, in Saveri, and taals Ektaali and Triputa, were delightful. What demarcated the performance was the myriad sculptural poses.

‘Braja ku chora’ , excerpted from the work of devotional poet Bhaktha Charan Das, was abhinaya-oriented. Yasoda’s challenge to put to bed the baby Krishna was the leitmotif. By telling him different kinds of stories, she tries to make him settle down in his cradle.

Odissi by Prachi Hota

Odissi by Prachi Hota

Prachi’s enactment of the tales brought forth her histrionic competence. That Prachi could maintain the vatsalya bhava throughout, which was the message of the composition, was noteworthy. Composed in Misra Kaafi, the piece was well-received by the audience.

In sync

Synchronised movements and structural beauty of adavus were discernible in a Bharatanatyam duet by Krishnan and Preetha Prabhu from Puducherry. After the Pushpanjali in Valachi, the couple moved on to a rarely-staged Dharu varnam. The composition was Maathe malayadwaja in Kamas and Adi, a composition of Harikesanallur Muthayya Bhagavathar. Incidentally, Bhagavathar is believed to have composed the varnam in Mysore Palace, in praise of the mother of the king and it compares her to godess Parvathy. The composition is specially noted for its sahithya that is rich in bhava. The dancers succeeded in portraying the literary beauty of the piece, especially in the line ‘Sathodari Sankari Chamundeswari chadra kaladhari thaye’.

Bharatanatyam duet by Krishnan and Preetha Prabhu

Bharatanatyam duet by Krishnan and Preetha Prabhu

‘Urdhva Tandavam’, the legendary dance of Siva in Chidambaram, was enthrallingly presented. Krishnan’s Siva and Preetha’s Kali demonstrated the quintessence of masculine and feminine traits of Bharatanatyam. The ascending tempo of the jatis, executed independently and jointly and finally reaching a crescendo, was noteworthy.

Praiseworthy was the single piece of Kuchipudi by Swetha Nayak from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. She chose the famous Dikshitar composition ‘Sarasijanabha sodari’ in Nagagadhari and Roopakam. An invocation to Sankari, Swetha’s adavus were varied and chiselled and her sense of rhythm was keen. As a result, the nritta was exhilarating.

Kuchipudi by Swetha Nayak

Kuchipudi by Swetha Nayak

Interestingly, jatis in different combinations were interspersed between the repeated lines of ‘Sarasijanabha sodari’. The slaying of Mahishasura was taken for sanchari. Although it was too long, it showcased her skill for abhinaya.

Rhythm rules

The vitality of Kathak was demonstrated through two dance pieces by Bengaluru-based Shweta Venkatesh. In raag-taal-maal, a pure dance, Shweta exhibited her mastery over rhythms, which included four varieties of teen taal. Tisra jaati had raga Bhinna Shadj, khanta had Yaman, misra for Chandrakauns and chaturasra and tisra for Desh. The conclusion to the piece highlighted a dialogue between the footwork and the bols of the pakhawaj and the tabla.

‘Matha Kalika’ delineated the valour of goddess Kali. The number showcased the efficacy of the dance form in communicating the vibrant form of Kali for which innumerable chakkars coupled with intense footwork were executed by Shweta.

A sole item, Swati’s ‘Chaliye Kunjanamo’ in Brindavana Saranga proved Priya Babu’s aptitude to expatiate on the verses. The garden where flowers bloomed, cuckoos cooed and the river Yamuna flowed were explored with nuances in Mohiniyattam by Priya. Another Mohiniyattam piece was by Kalamandalam Sreeja Krishnan. She staged the travails of a khantita nayika, anchoring it on the 17th Ashtapadi, ‘Yaahi Madhava, Yaahi Kesava’ . Both performances were mainly abhinaya oriented.

Mohiniyattam by Priya Babu

Mohiniyattam by Priya Babu

Other dancers included Uthara Unni (Bharatanatyam), Mamatha Muralidharan and Parvathy Udayan (Kuchipudi), Saranya Jaseline (Kathak), Sanoop Shyam and Devi Krishna (Bharatanatyam), to mention a few.

It was the seventh edition of the festival organised by Satyanjali Academy of Kuchipudi.

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