Bharatanatyam dancer Janani Ramachandran burst onto the stage in the Hamsadwani pushpanjali and struck an Anjali-mudra pose with one knee raised to the side, showing grace and confidence.
She was joined by an equally proficient Ananya Rajgopalan and together, they presented a picture of neat and well-practised dancing.
Janani and Ananya are students of Priya Karthikeyan, a disciple of the Vazhuvoor bani stalwart, guru K.J. Sarasa. One had glimpses of Sarasa’s style in Priya’s choreography such as the descriptive stories that highlighted the meaning of every line in the varnam, the sudden changes of speed and using the off-beat usi in the tattu-mettu sequences.
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They maintained the flow of thought through their story-telling. The nritta was graceful, unhurried and performed with perfect timing, but also needed more energy. More vigour in the adavus and better footwork- especially in the one-legged ‘dhi dhi thais’ and the araimandi, would have also enhanced the performance.
The visualisation for the pair was not a mere duplication of moves. For example, in the invocatory Madhurashtakam sloka, one emoted as the devotee or gopi while the other played Krishna alternately. They made smooth switches, complimenting each other seamlessly.
In the varnam (‘Sakhiye indha jhalam,’ Sankarabaranam, Adi, Dhandayuthapani Pillai), there was exclusive space for each, with alternating segments comprising a jathi and sahitya, during the pallavi and anupallavi.
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For the anupallavi line, ‘Thigiri shankendum thiru malai vaasanadi..’, the heroine (Janani) spots Vishnu’s procession. Frenzied drumming (Guru Bharadwaj) highlighted the dancer's excitement, and in a departure, violinist Srilakshmi Venkataramani followed the same rhythm in her playing to enhance the effect, while the flautist (Ramesh) piped in to contribute to the heroine’s emotional pleading. Mesmerised by his looks, the heroine began to day dream about him reciprocating her love, in a sensitive portrayal. This team effort was the highlight.
Staggered mandi adavus in the Mukthayi swara sequence was an interesting idea as was adding expressions to the charanam arudis. The charanam section was most enjoyable as it combined artistry with energy.
The padams (‘Baro Krishnayya’ by Ananya and ‘Vishamakara Kannan’ by Janani) presented a delightful picture of Krishna as a beautiful infant with the mother and devotees doting on him, then as a teasing youth playing pranks on others.
The lively orchestra was led by Priya, who showed her mastery over rhythm. Toning down the volume and aggression in a rendition of jathis would make her an ideal accompanist.
Senior vocalist Girija Ramaswamy took time to settle down, but once she did, she was melody personified.