The trinity of goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Durga and portrayal of their varied facets, ranging from sensual to sublime, benign to ferociousness, ignorance to light, came alive in the invocation, an ode to the devis, in Alarmel Valli’s performance.
In a compilation of verses ranging from Mahalakshmi Ashtotharam, Aiyigirinandhini shloka and Bharati’s poems set to music by Prema Ramamoorthy, Valli captured the nuances with poetic imagery.
In the Varnam ‘Samikku samanam evaradi’ a Tamil translation of the Telugu composition in Sankarabharanam addressed to lord Rajagopalaswamy of Mannargudi that unfolded next, the sacred and the sensual planes co-existed in the depiction of the nayika. Valli’s nritta segments almost always have an ethereal feel, in the manner with which she moves, with grace, clarity and light-footedness. Though the first jathi was too long, her firm foundation and years of experience made it seem effortless.
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Her sancharis, which were woven around the idea of using Nature as a metaphor to depict the lovelorn state of the nayika, were replete with images of breeze caressing the leaves, flowers and bees, birds intoxicated by the melody of the flute. The abhinaya was vivid for the lines, ‘Mane viraham thalene’.
Vasudha Ravi’s caressing notes gliding effortlessly, evoked the mood of these lines so beautifully that the dancers response too was evocative — a true example of the lines that Valli often quotes,’ see the music and hear the dance’.
Valli’s programme is never complete without a rendition of a Sangam poetry narrative.
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In the desolate battlefield which forms the landscape of this poem, a woman comes in search of her son who has lost his life in the battlefield.
Valli with the help of Prema Ramamoorthy’s musical composition, captured the pathos of the song with a nuanced exposition. Her choreographic structure wherein she moved into a flashback mode of the woman reliving her past, remembering the fond moments spent with her son as a child and youth, somehow seemed to reduce the impact of the poignancy of the situation.
The lighting designer also could have looked at the mood of the song and soaked the artist in tones of red, instead of just a spotlight.
A vibrant Nrityalahiri in Vasantha brought the programme to a joyous finale.
Vasudha Ravi enhanced the impact of the show with her excellent singing. Nattuvangam by Vasudevan, mridangam by Shaktivel Muruganandam, violin by K.P.Nandini and fute by Sruti Sagar complemented the performance with their inspired playing.
Alarmel Valli’s performances known for their joie-de-vivre, appeals not because of the newness of her dance but the way in which she dances.