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The freshness of pure dance - Aniruddha Kanjarpane e-mail: coorgani@gmail.com  March 27, 2017 It was an evening filled with eagerness to see a dance performance at Khincha Auditorium, Bangalore, on 11th March 2017,  organized by Indian Council of Cultural Relations in collaboration with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Tyagaraja Music Festival Trust.   Guru A. Lakshmanaswamy entered the stage with passionate energy and bhakti with his first piece Pushpanjali in raga Malayamarutham followed by virutham on lord Nataraja set in adi talam. Adding to the charm was his excellent aura of energy filled with expressions and nritta that was unique and original. Padavarnam “Varanamukha va” composed by T.V. Gopalakrishnan was an hour of bliss set in raga Nattakurunji. Episodes relating to Ganapathi like how he got his elephant head and how bhaktas break a coconut before they start on anything auspicious was a masterpiece along with swara and jathi that blended fluently with his footwork that looked like it was flowing out of his soul. Bhaktha in the devaranama “Baro Krishnayya” in ragamalika composed by Kanakadasa was like a dream. Krishna from Jayadeva ashtapadi “Kshananadhuna” set in Dwajavanthi and mishra chapu talam was charming, and filled with intimate shades of Krishna in his flirtatious self. Thillana composed by Patnam Subramanya Iyer in raga Kamas concluded the show with a feeling of wanting to see the items all over again. Lakshmanaswamy is an epitome of clarity in Bharatanatyam. His command on thalam was mesmerizing and he did complete justice to the bhakti margam. His ability to carry himself on stage with confidence and super stamina made it even more vibrant. The kind of students he has given to the world from his dance school Nrithyalakshana shows his dedication towards purity in the art of Bharatanatyam. He made it clear that there is no need for gimmicks to communicate to the audience if the dance is pure and intellect is strong. Bangalore was showered with the freshness and purity of his performance, indeed an evening to remember. The program was decorated by a team of excellent musicians. Karthik Hebbar was amazingly melodious as he sang with much command. Nattuvangam was by Deepa Raghavan accompanied by Vivek Krishna playing the enthralling notes on flute and Janardan Rao on mridangam which reverberated in the auditorium with the excellent footwork of the dancer. All the artists who accompanied blended amazingly into every note of music and dance. The evening was a definite treat for Bharatanatyam lovers.