 |
|
 Jai Jyotsna
and Naman to Jagannath! September 7, 2010 Dr. Jyotsna
Jagannathan's dance of delight: It means each adavu, each hasta is well-etched and finished properly and neatly. There is no hurry-burry, no rushing to beat deadlines. It also means sahitya and laya; music and song mesh well with dance or dancer's ability to depict with depth while maintaining clarity. For many of us Bangaloreans, who try and beat traffic woes and reach venues in time, her dance calmed our frayed nerves and accelerated heartbeats. In her dance, the basic purpose of centering is served and in that, she is a rare dancer. Generally, dancers leave one disturbed! Either they are slip-shod or egoistic enough to think what they do on stage is even passable. Some even have the gumption of singularly lacking in every department of the art form and yet inflict torture on unsuspecting audiences and friends who come to support.
Tayye Yashoda took one down memory lane and the varnam was detailed. All through the program, there was this feeling of a desire to see more. Shaktivel, the excellent mridangist, was sometimes in a hurry to catch the night train back to Madras and often ran off with the beat but was brought to rhythm by able conductor Guru A Lakshman, while the singer Sharanya Krishnan made the evening delectable with her singing that was deep and fulsome. The violinist added his own flourishes, here and there! Jyotsna stands complimented as a dancer of depth and as a complete artiste. She is total in each aspect of her art. She is graceful and grown-up in abhinaya and meaningful in selection of items that sit well on her frame. She claimed this was her return to stage, after a hiatus of the stork having left a gift at the couple's door but with her excellent form and delivery, one wondered if she had ever left the stage or scene. And by the way, where she was all these days? Such dancers are rare; this is a dancer worth watching! Naman 2010: Some years ago, another acolyte of Kelu-ji, one Sharmila Mukherjee from Kolkata, settled in Bangalore and started teaching Orissi and performing too. She has a committed group. Kelu babu style also has abundant lokadharmi aspects. On dramatic dancers like Sanjukta and Protima, the style sits well but not on all and Sharmila's dance depiction showed that. Two years ago or less, one petite budding Oriya dancer, Madhulita Mohapatra, made Bangalore home and today she has over 50 students! It shows how keen was Bangalore for Orissi as a dance form and how Madhulita has worked hard to reach out. Madhulita is here to stay.
Madhulita celebrated her settling down in this IT hub by putting up the first NAMAN festival two weeks back. The invitation card looked like a Sholay film multi-cast, full of names and guests, one too many and some failed to turn up. The fest brought gurus from Orissa, chief among whom was Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, who has made a whole new Konark! And he is Orissa's senior residing Orissi dance and music talent. She also presented Bangalore's senior most Orissi dancer, Uday Shetty, the first student of Nrityagram. His wife Soumya's dance is a delight with a beatific smiling countenance, genuine and warm, beautifully etched hastas, even if her girth matches her abundance of talent. Starting the evening half hour late the next day, after over 65 students had been presented the first day, Naman ensured quality in the very first talent, a sweet, shy, smiling Oriya boy Pankaj Pradhan. He is a son of the soil and his lasya and tandava mesh well even if he has a tendency to run off with laya, tempo. Youngsters suffer from this as they wish to prove themselves! Or sometimes, organizers are so limited they cannot put back-speakers for dancers to hear recorded music well. His three items were one too many, although all were very well executed. Occasionally, the choreography bespoke of unnecessary decorations but as Pankaj has many well-wishers and teachers, he is drawing from many sources.
Amulya Balabantaray was a heavily set dancer but very graceful. His items chosen did not do justice to his overall dance personality and the power and forceful nature of Durga failed to manifest. It was left to Uday-Soumya Shetty to conclude the evening on a high note. The sharpness of their footwork and hastas registered each movement with clarity and both looked a fetching dance couple. Delayed start, one dancer too many and one item too many, made the evening cluttered. That Guru Gangadhar Pradhan was present and came all the way from Orissa made it meaningful for Madhulita and Bangaloreans. She is a smart girl who did not dance herself that evening, a pitfall most dancers who organize their own festivals, suffer from! Of the two comperes, one was simply atrocious, mis-pronouncing basic Indian words (America returned no doubt, with matching accent) and the other, a belle-dancer learning Orissi under Madhulita, was sensible and audible! By honouring all gurus and teachers, Madhulita diluted the impact of Orissi but she was trying to be inclusive in a city she has made home. May her art flourish. Her quiet and
devoted husband Imran helped immensely in the background with his smiling
countenance and dedicated work. Madhulita's Naman will only grow with years
and experience. A full and over flowing Seva Sadan hall meant people came
from far and near for Orissi. Jai Jagannath! Ashish Mohan Khokar travels all over India and brings to note dancers of merit, through his writings, columns and yearbook, attendance. India's reputed and widely-read dance critic, his words help dancers and audiences understand and appreciate the art of dance and the actual performance, better. For detailed bio see www.attendance-india.com and www.dancearchivesofindia.com |
 |
 |
