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Yamini Muthanna’s Nrithya Vaibhava - Satish Suri e-mail: satishism@yahoo.co.in Photos courtesy:  Radhika October 28, 2014 Yamini Muthanna , a Bharatanatyam dancer and a yoga practitioner presented ‘Nrithya Vaibhava’ along with her troupe as part of the Horizon Series of the ICCR at Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan, Bangalore, on 11th October. Trained under Dr. Vasundhara Doreswamy and a disciple of BKS Iyengar in Astanga Yoga, Yamini Muthanna has explored many dimensions in the field of dance and yoga. She started with a traditional pushpanjali which was followed by a Ganesha Vandana. The  story of Ganesha and his vahana Mushika being derided by the moon and the subsequent curse to the moon are well known. Following this Sankaracharya’s sloka “Mudakaratha Modakam” was performed. The members of her troupe Sindhuja, Sai Sindhura, Hamsavardhani, Nidhi Reddy, Keertika and Nanda Gopika had the daunting task of matching the grace and intensity of their guru.   The Shivastuthi “Mahadeva Shiva Shambo” and the Natesa Kautvam gave ample scope for the artist to explore the sancharis –Ravana lifting the Kailasa Mountain and the harnessing of Ganga in the matted locks of Shiva. The central piece of the program was the daruvarnam “Mathe malayadwaja” of Muthiah Bhagavathar in raga Khamas. The various aspects of the Devi was delineated with crisp nritta and the abhinaya matched the several aspects as a divine mother of Ganesha and Subrahmanya, the giver of boons, the vanquisher of evil and the presiding deity of power. The tall and stately stage presence of Yamini added a visual dimension to the presentation as line, geometry and movements synergised. The next piece was a Tulsidas bhajan “Sri Ramachandra Kripalu” where several episodes from the Ramayana were presented.   Yamini came into her elements in the classic of yesteryears “Aadu Pambe.” The acumen and seasoned artistry of yoga and dance came into play in the delineation of this piece. Her dexterity was reflected through body and limbs, the movement of the snake as it curled, swayed, slithered leaving the audience spellbound. The program concluded with a scintillating Sumanesharanjini Tillana, a composition of Dr. Shatavadhani Ganesh which featured excellent execution of the complex rhythms which was followed by Vande Mataram as the finale. The music ensemble was led by Vasudha Balakrishna on vocals, Prasanna on nattuvangam, Balakrishna on mridangam, Raghunandan on flute and Ganesh Kumar on violin. An engineer by profession, Satish Suri is a life member of the International Music and Arts Society, an alternative healer and therapist through energy management and a spiritual guide for meditators.