A prelude in the form of a verse from Vishnu Sahasranamam as a prayer to Lord Vishnu was the introductory number of the Bharatnatyam performance by Madhumathi Ravi for Brahma Gana Sabha. This was followed by the Annamacharya kriti, ‘Sriman Narayana,’ in Bowli where the dancer portrayed a beautiful picture of Lord Vishnu’s bejewelled look and his attributes.
The next composition of Balamuralikrishna, ‘Omkara Karini,’ gave the dancer the scope to depict the power of Mother Goddess and Madhumathi’s portrayal of the battle between the goddess and the demon was concise and communicative. The Thanjavur Quartet varnam, ‘Mohamana' in Bhairavi was the centrepiece. The dancer, after some initial self-consciousness, settled down to sensitive abhinaya when she spoke of how the moonlight burnt her body and the cool breeze stung her like a serpent. The descriptions of Siva, who wears tiger skin, has snake ornaments and Ganga flowing out of his hair, were well portrayed; her sancharis for ‘Maveli Kuyilgal Koovude’ were the highlight of her abhinaya.
It is the nritta segments that Madhumathi needs to focus on. Her footwork for the theermanams needs to be infused with more punch and clarity. Some fine tuning of the postures and movements would make her dance more lively.
Her ‘Soodukara Penne,’ where the nayika describes the wily ways of the other woman, was delightful, especially while communicating effectively the line ‘Soodukara Kalli.’ A Kadanakuduhalam thillana was offered with vigour as the finale.
Guru Meenakshi Chitharanjan conducted the programme with vocal support by Shashidharan, Kalaiarasan on the violin, K.P. Sunil on the flute and Shakthivel Muruganandam on the mridangam.
