The sizeable audience present at the Bharatanatyam performance of Anjali Narayanan was indicative of the young dancer’s talent. The orchestral support led by guru Jayanthi Subramaniam on nattuvangam, Murali Parthasarathi on vocal, Vijayaraghavan on mridangam, and Kalaiarasan on violin contributed immensely in making the presentation enjoyable. Kalaiarasan’s imaginative playing needs special mention. The dancer chose Vishnu Kauthuvam, which describes the main avatar that Vishnu took to re-establish dharma. The Nattai raga ‘Hari Hari Narayana’ was a prelude to the evening’s main piece, a Lalgudi Jayaraman ragamalika varnam, ‘Angayarkanni anandam kondaley’, which describes devi’s valour and her triumph over evil.
There was enough scope for the dancer to showcase her abhinaya prowess for the lines ‘Nangai kayilai nathanai kandal, manam kondal, ila nagai purinthu nindral’. ‘Pittukku mann sumantha’ in raga Saranga was accompanied by precise sancharis without over-dramatisation. Daksha Yagnam and the disrespect Daksha shows Siva was conveyed through the line ‘Pathiyai Mathiyaatha’, with the violin bringing out beautifully the essence of the lyrics. The swara interludes were pleasant, but Anjali should give more attention to her stances in nritta passages.
Anjali’s next choice was not a padam but a popular Subramanya Bharati poem, ‘Chinnanchiru kiliye’, a dancer’s delight. This ragamalika piece is a favourite of audiences too. The dancer signed off with a Telugu thillana in Sankarabharanam.
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