Up-and-coming artiste Vibha Selvaratnam gave a sprightly Bharatanatyam performance at Vyloppilly Samskriti Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. Based in the United Kingdom, this talented artiste has been trained by her mother, Kiran Ratna, who is the founder and artistic director of India Wales.
Vibha started her recital with a traditional Pushpanjali set to raga Natta, Adi tala. She moved on to a 11-beat Alarippu composed by Adyar K. Lakshman.
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This was followed by a varnam portraying a devotee's unparalleled love for Lord Vishnu. The presentation was striking as Vibha executed the adavus and the emotions of the devotee with a great deal of involvement.
The danseuse navigated through ‘Devaranama,' depicting the story of a devotee who was refused entry to the Udupi temple. His plea to Lord Krishna to permit him to have darshan of the Lord was narrated by interweaving some of the miracles performed by the Lord. Finally he asks the Lord why such a miracle cannot be performed again so that he could get a glimpse of the beautiful form. Vibha's expressions impressively conveyed the devotee's emotions.
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Next came a keerthana ‘ Iru paadam miditalam Natarajane,'composed by Sreedharan Mundanghat. Set to raga Keeravani and Adi tala, the piece was in praise of the divine dance of Lord Nataraja in the presence of saints and Gods. Her precise poses and footwork were executed with grace and dignity.
‘Padabhnaya,' another abhinaya piece, was the portrayal of Khandita Nayika. The item showcased the fury of a woman who tells her husband to leave the house when he returns home after spending time with another woman. The anger of the woman came alive in Vibhas's refined abhinaya.
She concluded the recital with a thillana composed by Swati Tirunal in raga Dhanashri and Adi Tala. The item exemplified the danseuse's agility.