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 Naada Nrityotsava 2016 - Satish Suri e-mail: satishism@yahoo.co.in Photos:Shandilya Srivatsa February 7, 2016 Ananga Manjari Malatesta Gonzalez: Serene and sedate From Peru to Bangalore, a distance that was bridged by the call of the classical dance form Bharatanatyam, Ananga Manjari stepped on to the stage at Nayana Auditorium, Bangalore, on 10th January with serenity and supreme confidence. Ananga was trained and mentored by her guru Shankar Kandaswamy in whose presence she performed showing her grasp of the technique and interpretation of the dance form. Clear lines and extensions, footwork coordinated to the jathis and percussion heralded her opening item the Allaripu in Tisragati with "Mudakarathamodhakam" in the background choreographed by Shankar Kandaswamy. The varnam "Velanidam poi solladi Sahkiye," a composition of Madurai Sethuraman wherein the nayika feeling the pangs of separation (viraha) from her Lord Muruga requests her friend to go to his house and tell him about her agony. Ananga's stage presence added grace and delicate style to her presentation of the simple and enjoyable choreography of Shankar Kandaswamy. The subtle overtones as she describes the glory of Lord Muruga who comes on a colourful peacock and is an expert in indulging in artful dalliance was sensitively expressed. She concluded with a Muthutandavar padam "Theruvil varano" in Khamas describing the nayika's yearning for a glance of the lord in procession. Time hangs heavy as the nayika absorbed in her nostalgia eagerly awaits her lord turning around to shower the grace of a look in her direction. Choreography by Kandaswamy provided the abhinaya opportunity to the artist, who with an expanded vocabulary could go a long way with the promise of a bright future. Excellent support from the wings with Nanda Kumar Unnikrishnan on the vocals, Ananya (nattuvangam), H.S.Venugopal (flute) and V.R. Chandrasekhar (mridangam) enlivened the proceedings.
Deepa Raghavan: Exhilarating exuberance The consummate artist Deepa Raghavan began her program with a Thillang, Pushpanjali composed by Sudha Raghuraman followed by "Kripa Sundaram" shlokam in praise of Lord Shiva. She set the tone with a brisk pace amplifying the performance space with a dynamic vocabulary of movement and descriptive expressions. The varnam in ragam Khambodi "Sarojakshiro vibhuni" of the Tanjore Quartet had the artist in full flow. Her movements decisive and clear as she brought out the bashfulness and yearning of the nayika for Lord Brihadeeswara and her pain of separation with meticulous nritta and her eloquent eyes as they danced with as much vitality as her limbs marking the rhythm. The piece choreographed by the artist had interesting patterns of nritta segments and vivid abhinaya. In "Rusali Radha,Rusala Madhav, Rusale Gokul sare" in Misra Yaman, Deepa's portrayal came alive describing the tiff between Radha and Krishna.The entire Gokul and surrounding nature is in gloom on account of the two lovers being apart. Krishna tries to pacify Radha and finally succeeds.The entire Gokul reacts in a burst of colour and joy on hearing this. The vatsalya bhava explored through the well-known Purandaradasa kriti "Jagadodharana" in Hindustani Kapi had a measure of evocative finesse and internalised abhinaya about the divine play of Krishna who is treated as a mere child by his mother. The thillana, a composition of Dandayudhapani Pillai in Hindolam, bristled with energy and dazzling artistry, the mellifluous notes of the soundscape adding flourish to the presentation with Debur Srivatsa (vocals), Prasanna Kumar (nattuvangam), Lingaraju (mridangam) and H.S.Venugopal (flute) providing the inspiration. Bangalore based Satish Suri is an avid dance rasika besides being a life member of the Music and Arts Society. |
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