The vidaiyatri festival of Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple was marked by two thematic dance recitals by the students of Sheela Unnikrishnan and Radhika Shurajit.
‘Vande Shambum’, was in margam format presented by 10 dancers of Sri Devi Nrithyalaya on Tamil New Year Day. Three dancers with perfect anga suddam and in veera nadai performed a Vignaraja Mallari. This was followed by Natesa Kauvuthuvam in which the dancers visualised Siva as one, who bore Ganga in his locks. The Sabdam was a descriptive piece about the dance of Thillai Nataraja that had the dancers executing various adavus in total harmony.
‘Swami Naan Undhan Adimai Enru,’ brought out the essence of the dancers’ talent. In the background of melodious Nattakurinji, seven girls expressed that they were slave to Lord Nataraja. Whether it was the sancharis or theermanams or the jatis, the girls showed a lot of involvement in the crisp 20-minute item.
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The highlight of the evening was the Nataraja stotram. Sheela Unnikrishnan had wonderfully combined the karnas of Natya Sastra and yogasanas in kanda nadai in ragam Lavangi. In the piece that spanned more than 10 minutes, the girls performed several asanas _ Padmasanam, Kakasanam, etc.
Tamizh all the way
“Muthamizh Malai’, was a performance by about 20 students of Radhika Shurajit on April 15. The presentation featured bhakti Tamizh, Varnanai Thamizh, Kadal Tamizh, Kadhai Tamizh and so on.
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Children danced to a number of film songs during the recital. There was a touch of class in the Papanasam Sivan’s composition _ ‘Devi neeyae thunai’ (Keeravani). It reperesented Kadhai Tamizh, where the dancers narrated the story of goddess Meenakshi right from her birth to her wedding with Lord Sundareswarar. Krithika Shurajit’s bhavas in the ragamalika ‘Sri Chakra Raja Simhasaneswari’ revealed involvement. The Kavadi dance (sandha Tamizh) stood out in the entire recital. The team swayed and maintained perfect rhythm with their feet to melodious Kavadi Sindhu.