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 Jyotsna Vaidee: Commitment shows - B. Naveena e-mail: naveena_b_2002@yahoo.co.in December 24, 2019
Jyotsna Vaidee from the USA, featured by the Trinity Fine Arts in the R.R. Sabha Auditorium, Chennai on Dec 9th, proved herself a worthy addition to the list of committed dancers from the diaspora. Commencing the recital with a Mallari in the rather challenging mishra triputa talam, she followed it with the Tevaram, 'Thodudaiya seviyan'. Her dance was marked by clean lines and her usage of space was creditable. Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar's evergreen Daru Varnam 'Maathey Malayadhvaja Pandya Sanjaatey' is a beautiful piece in Kannada (many misconstrue it to be Samskrtam) that is rich in lyrical and musical beauty. This perhaps accounts to its being favoured by generations of dancers. This was tastefully choreographed by Prof. CVC, adumbrating the beautiful form of the goddess, while also incorporating beautiful jatis, each feeling like an organic extension of the actual piece being performed. None were ostentatious or protracted, but were ample proof of the dancer's dexterity at nritta. Special credit to the nattuvanar Balakrishnan who rendered them with just the right amount of rigour, never compromising on the inherent musicality. Perhaps, his being a vocalist himself also helped in this regard. The piece opened with the shloka, 'Udyadbhaanu sahasrakoti'. The next piece was a Kshetrayya composition that has gained popularity, and not without reason. 'Nanne penlaadu sumi', originally written as a three-stanza entreaty by a heroine to Muvvagopala, convincing him of her worthiness to be his bride, has been choreographed by Bragha Bessell with a creative masterstroke. Each of the stanzas are now utilized to show the convincing attempts of three different heroines, each giving a set of reasons as to how she alone is worthy to be his bride. The ragamalika proved apt for each situation, though the song was originally set to Pantuvarali. The next offering was an ashtapadi, 'Kshanam adhunaa' set to lilting Dvijavanti. The program ended with the popular Dhanashri Thillana of Swathi Thirunal. Jyotsna was adequate in the abhinaya sections, but with the slow gait of the pieces, one wished for some joie de vivre, what with the recital being in the late afternoon slot. Also, Jyotsna should remember to not limit her expressions to just the post-Varnam offerings. For instance, one wished she showed awe when portraying the splendiferous form of Devi in the shloka, or when denoting the lofty abode of Lord Shiva in the Tevaram. It is high time dancers and vocalists, despite their hectic schedules, devote time to ensure accuracy of pronunciation. It was a bit bothersome for yours truly to hear the word 'Chumi' several times over, instead of 'Nanne penlaadu Sumi.' Even in the shloka (Udyadbhaanu sahasrakoti), the word pronounced was 'Sadrsham', instead of 'Sadrshaam'. The mispronounced word is used to relate to a male in Samskrtam, while the deity being depicted was the Mother Goddess. One cannot agree with the laity that these are too trivial to impact; the devil is in the details! Mridangist Shivaprasad proved an asset with his variegated cross-rhythms, but one wished violinist Renjit had supported the vocalist a little better. The costuming, lighting, make-up and sound were of a pleasant standard. B. Naveena holds an M.B.A. in Human Resource and an M.A. in Samskrtam. She loves to write and speak on language and fine arts. |
