Saraswathi Krishnakumar, senior disciple and niece of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, recently performed a solo ‘Bharata Nrithyam' recital at the YGP Auditorium for Bharat Kalachar.
She commenced the programme with a Pushpanjali composed by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna which was followed by ‘Sabapathiku' - a song in praise of Lord Shiva. The varnam that followed was in ragam Kapi which depicted the Nayika yearning for the union with Lord Muruga.
Single mudra
A unique number using a single mudra, Mayura, to convey the meaning of an entire song came up next for which the music was set in ragam Amrithavarshini by Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam and lyrics by Dr. Arudra. The final number was the enactment of Draupadi in the Kaurava Court. Draupadi's lament on the insults heaped on her was beautifully portrayed by Saraswathi and her angst drew empathy from the audience who stood up to give her a standing ovation.
Good control over rigid footwork
Vidya, at her recital for the Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, at R.K. Swamy Auditorium, held the audience spell bound with her mastery over nritta. It was a delight to watch her graceful and vibrant exposition of the art. Throughout the performance it was evident that the young dancer had practised diligently and also the guru had brought about a complete development of the art in all its divinity.
Vidya began her recital with a thisra alarippu. In the next item ‘Sree Gananatham', which had a lot of gathi bhedas, Vidya proved that a simple geetham (Malahari raga) can be handled with grace and seriousness. Here, she described Lord Ganesha, the crimson coloured one, as a benevolent and compassionate personality. Towards the end she emoted well a series of musical instruments such as the flute, veena and so on.
The following item, the varnam, a composition of Dr. Balamuralikrishna, in raga Gambheeranattai, was pulsating and the dancer kept time to the rhythm of the percussion.
Beginning with the lines “Amma Ananda Dayini,' choroegraphed by L. Narendran, talked about the greatness of Sakti. Vidya visualised the Devi as one who symbolised creation and the essence of Omkara. Her very entry was charged with a lot of energy and she indulged in thrikala jathi. Her adavus were orderly and so were her teernamans which were carefully presented.
Throughout the varnam it was a domination of nritta over the abhinaya. Her flexible body aided to deliver the brahmaris with ease. The jathis executed swiftly in perfect araimandis gave a fillip to the piece, but it could have been more appreciable if she had followed it up with good abhinaya. The varnam as a whole was novel and it had many a quiet moments with poses. Even as the audience were absorbed with Vidya's delineation of the Devi, she brought the item to an abrupt ending with the line ‘Shivae, Shivae'.
The highlight of the recital was Jayadeva's ‘Ashtapadhi'. She definitely focussed well on visualising the composition to the best of her ability. She effectively brought out all the 10 avatars alive on stage. The rasa Roudram was highlighted well during the Narasimha avataram. In the sanchari for Vamana avataram, the audience could clearly comprehend the conversation between King Mahabali and Vamanam. Perfect was her abhinaya when she emoted both these characters. As the scene moved over to the Viswaroopam of the Vamana avatar, it exuded bhakthi and showed how much of hard work had gone into the item.
The concluding piece was a scintillating tillana in Brindavani. It was another jewel among the compositions of Dr. Balamuralikrishna. Spirited was the nattuvangam by guru L. Narendra Kumar. Vocal support given by Giresh Nenon enhanced the colour of performance.
The effect of a resounding ganjeera was made evident by G. Jayakumar. The audience were definitely captivated by the melodious notes produced by flautist G. Devaraj. Layam was maintained by mridangist Sri Sudhaman.
