A commendable launch

The newly-formed ‘Praveenya Arts Academy’ organised an impressive dance and music event.

An impressive group dance performance

Noted Nattuvanar and mridangam maestro I.V. Renuka Prasad and his wife, a Carnatic vocalist launched a new dance and music academy called ‘Praveenya Arts Academy’, by presenting a dance and music show at a gala function held at Ravindra Bharati, last week, in collaboration with ‘Abhinetri Arts Academy’ founded by dancer Pramod Kumar Reddy. On the occasion these academies featured Achala Sankarnath in a veena recital, Bharatanatyam by Shruti Jain and another Bharatanatyam recital by the disciples of Sundari Ravichandra, with active participation of Renuka Prasad on mridangam, Swetha giving vocal support and Pramod conducting dances.

The evening was opened with Achala’s veena concert accompanied by Kolanka Saikumar n violin, I.V. Renuka Prasad on mridangam and R.Srikanth on ghatam. She opened the concert with Vallabha Nayaka in Mohana Kalyani of Lalgudi and followed it with Thyagaraja’s Srirama Padama in Amritavarshini. She then took up Poorvikalyani for essaying for another composition of Thyagaraja Gnanamosagarada in which she presented neraval and swarakalpana too. After playing a breezy number Manaviyalakicharadate in Nalinakanthi, she played the main number of the concert Yenati Nomu Phalamo in Bhairavi. She treated ragam, neraval and swarakalpana in great detail. The final number she played was Purandaradasa’s Yadava Neebaa in Revati. The accompanists lent good support understanding the import of the string instrument veena.

The second programme was Shruti Jain’s Bharatanatyam, conducted by Renuka Prasad as nattuvanar and Swetha Prasad providing vocal support, accompanied by Srikanth on mridangam and Kolanka Saikumar on violin.

Shruti opened with

Thodaya Mangalam as initial prayers to gods and gurus, in Ragamalika and Talamalika. She then went for main number of Bharatanatyam varnam Mahatripura Sundari , a composition of Madurai R. Muralidharan. Shruti’s body movements were quite vivacious and fluid felicitating her to strike right mudras and movements to rhythm. Swetha’s vocal verve and excellence in expression made the number quite engrossing.

Siva Panchakshari It was the turn of students of Sundari Ravichandra to take stage to present a Bharatanatyam recital. It was Parmod Kumar who conducted the show of young children with Swetha Prasad providing vocal support to Renuka Pasad’s mridangam, Saikumar’s violin and Srikanth on kanjira. Of the two numbers the children presented – the mandatory ‘Pushapanjali’ and ‘Kalinaga Nartana tillana’ of Oothukadu Venkata subbaiyer — the later number proved bench mark for the learning of students as it was a replay of how Srikrishna subdued multi-hooded snake Kaliya.