S. Vasudevan, a senior Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher in Delhi, is a former disciple of Dr. Vyjayanthimala Bali. He trained under dancer Jayalakshmi Ishwar subsequently, but his roots seem to remain unshaken. His nritta style is reminiscent of Vyjayanthimala's -- forceful, uncompromising, thorough and involving a perfect ‘natyarambam' start every time.
There was a balance of the old and the new in Vasudevan's repertoire at his performance for the Suswaraa festival, held under the auspices of Naada Inbam at Ragasudha Hall. He commenced with a Thanjavur Quartet composition, ‘Sambandar Kavuthuvam' (Arabhi, chatusra ekam), an old choreography from the K.P. Kittappa Pillai school. It touched upon the legend of how a three-year-old Sambandar was given milk by Goddess Parvathi.
Vasudevan's style is vibrant, energetic and rather masculine. There was a certain greyness in the chosen padavarnam, ‘Swami Naan Undan Adimai' (Nattakurinji, Adi) in which Papanasam Sivan addresses Nataraja in the form of a love-struck woman.
The beginning was especially ambiguous, but as the varnam wore on, one realised that Vasudevan was playing the role of a male devotee and any allusions made regarding the nayika and her lovelorn state were to be treated in passing.
Enjoyable jatis
The jatis in the first half were enjoyable for their crispness and rhythmic resonance. It was interesting to see how seamless the arudis were, not as stand-alone dramatic statements. The choreography was another Guru Kittappa Pillai one. The charana swaras told a different story -- Vasudevan had taken the liberty to reset movements in the charana section and raced through them with great energy and vibrancy.
The music was inspired, with K. Venkateshwaran (vocal) heading the group, coming up with a brilliant show. The timekeepers were in perfect sync as Jayashree Ramanathan delivered the sollus with greater energy and volume and Ramamurthy Sri Ganesh (mridangam) played to suit the pure dance sequences and the songs. Thanjavur Muruganandam (violin) acquitted himself well.
Vasudevan is certainly a Bharatanatyam artist to reckon with. He has the talent, zeal, maturity and commitment to carve a niche for himself.
A moving excerpt from the Appar Thevaram, ‘Puzhuvai Pirakkinum,' and Nataraja's cosmic nrityam in ‘Ananda Tandavam' (Simhendramadhyamam, Adi) paid homage to the ‘Sivanjali' theme.
