There is a paradox about Odissi dancer Arushi Mudgal — she is young, yet she carries the confidence and maturity of someone much older. Her style is meticulous and effortless. She has mastered every aspect of music and dance, and yet she gives the impression of indifference.
It must boil down to inborn skill and continued exposure. She comes from a family of celebrated musicians and dancers, well-known musician Madhup Mudgal being her father and distinguished Odissi dancer Madhavi Mudgal being her aunt and guru.
Arushi’s repertoire opened with the thematic piece, ‘Murta-Amurta - A Journey from Form to Formless.’ It included guru Kelucharan Mohapatra’s choreography of the Ardhanareeswara sthothra, abhinaya on Krishna, swara passages, bols, and excerpts from a Tulsidas bhajan, ‘Sri Ramachandra kripalu bhajamana’ and a Surdas padh, ‘Vari tere mukha’.
The music (Madhup Mudgal) and the visualisation were a beautiful blend of the mystical and the comfortingly familiar, and tried to speak of the divinity within each of us.
It was a repertoire that started with philosophy, went on to abhinaya and ended with a stunning Bhairavi pallavi. The order didn’t seem to quite work since an early pallavi sets the pace for the programme, which can otherwise get heavy with back-to-back abhinaya pieces at the start.
The nritta finale was certainly the best of the evening. With its haunting music (Bhairavi, ektali, Madhup, dance composition by Madhavi), and beautiful steps, Arushi's clear footwork, and energy shone through.
Her entry in rhythm became a poetic visual with Murugan’s inspired floor lighting emerging from the wings. The smoke-filled stage gave it a surreal twist.
Arushi’s style is understated and sophisticated. Her most uninhibited piece was the ‘Kharap Tu Helu Re,’ a traditional Oriya song (dance composition by guru Mohapatra) which starts with the ‘Kha’ champu.
Radha has seen Krishna for the first time and has fallen in love with him. The song is her sakhi mocking her about being infatuated like ‘a snake with a snake charmer’ and having the audacity to ‘reach for the heavens.’
The excellent musical support was provided by Sawani Mudgal and Khushal Sharma (vocal), Kharak Singh (mardal), Shambhunath Bhattacharya (padhant and manjira), Ravinder (flute) and Yar Mohammad ( sitar).
Arushi is a must-see.
