Sanjana Arun's performance at the Aadi Naatya Vizha organised by Brahma Gana Sabha at the Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium was a precise display of Bharatanatyam where eloquent eye movements and poise made a flattering impression on the rasikas.
A disciple of V. Mydhili from Thiruvananthapuram with quite a few performances to her credit the evening's performance was a methodical affair as revealed by Sanjana's deportment as well as the evening's schedule.
Perfect start
Ganesha Stuti, the opening number, was a song which typically evoked the deity as the remover of obstacles and his benevolent nature. This composition of Tulasivanam in Bahudari ragam and the add-on Sankeerna Nadai Alarippu gave the dancer scope to gain composure and to warm up.
Sanjana's depiction of the varnam, which followed next, was a rather brief affair. This delightful varnam, which was billed as a composition of Trichur Janardhanan in Hamsanandi ragam, was the heroine's entreaty to her friend to unite her with lord Muruga.
The theermanams' configuration steered clear of being excessively lengthy or frenzied, and harmonised well with the sahitya. The swaras were stand alones without the sahitya and could have been another reason for the shorter duration. Guru Mydhili's nattuvangam and Bhuvaneswari's singing were low key, and underlined the dancing.
While Sanjana's abhinaya was articulate and had clarity of thought and gesture, there were times her footwork beat a different story -- as when adavus such as the ‘dhith thith thais' skimmed over the second strike in the performance.
Tipping the scales in Sanjana's favour was briskness in covering the performing space and fluent depiction of the heroine. The descriptions of the lotuses in the pond and the similes of the heroine with the light starved blossoms were done gracefully.
Gopalakrishna Bharati's ‘Aadum Chidambaram' in Behag gave a lively lift to the evening. The dancer conveyed a deep admiration of Siva's cosmic dance and the devotee's awe struck response robustly.
In the lyric which followed, ‘Yaarukkagilum Bhayama' in Begada, the nayika was vested with a dignity and as one who rises to the occasion with refinement. Many dancers customarily interpret this with a good dose of humour and wit: while Sanjana's depiction had none of this flamboyance, its intensity stayed true to life.
The Lalgudi thillana in Ragesri was another concise affair which conveyed the highpoints of the thillana with the Panchanadai, but would have benefited with a longer treatment.
