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 Magnificent Classical Dance Festival in Ahmedabad - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com August 3, 2022 Gujarat State Sangeet Natak Akademi and Nartan Institute of Performing Arts, under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, jointly organized the Classical Dance Festival on 21st June at Chinubhai Chimanlal Sabhagruha, HK College campus, Ahmedabad. Eight classical dance groups performed for this festival. It was amazing to watch the vibrancy and softness in Bharatanatyam, the typical bouncing movements and light footwork in Kuchipudi, the elegance in Mohiniattam, the lyrical and feminine beauty in Odissi, the rhythmic complexity in Kathak and the dramatic quality and mukhaja abhinaya in Kathakali. Incidentally, 21st June also marks the foundation day of Nartan Institute of Performing Arts, which has entered its 51st year of fruitful existence, established by veteran Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi exponent and teacher Smita Shastri. To organize a festival of such a magnitude was not an easy task. Kudos to Smita and her talented team of associates and students. The festival made a fine start with the disciples of Rema Shrikant, M.S. Vishnu and Dhanya Nandkumar performing "Bhairavi" (Om Shrim) in praise of the goddess, interpreting her benevolent and virile aspects. The dynamic duo also performed "Om Namah Shivaya" that incorporated mantra like "Maha Kalishwara Namah", "Shri Rajarajeshwari Namah" combining the concept of both Shiva and Shakti, powerfully sung by Ambika Vishwanath. The teenaged dancers were remarkable with their clarity and sharp movements and dramatic expressions that created a lasting impression and proved the point that quality of the performance is more important than the quantity, as their short but powerful performance lasted only for fifteen minutes. Rema Shrikant, the founder of Ellora Centre for Performing Arts, is a veteran mentor with many decades of valuable contributions to the classical arts.  Kadamb group The second performers of the evening were the dancers from Kadamb Institute, established by the legendary Kathak Guru Kumudini Lakhia. The performance of the eight dancers was noteworthy for the sparkling and precise movements, blending well with rhythmic complexity in the number "Chatur rang" (four colours) pertaining to tarana, bol (rhythmic syllables), sargam (musical melody) and taal (rhythm).  P Sudharani and group P Sudharani, the disciple of Gurus Sanjukta Panigrahi, Gangadhar Pradhan and Bidyutlata Chowdhury, along with her disciples performed the popular Odia composition "Nacheta Range Shri Hari" interpreting the jubilant dance of Lord Krishna along with the gopis in the Odissi style. This number is symbolic of the Maharaas as every gopi feels that Krishna is rejoicing and dancing along with them. Sudharani is a postgraduate in Odissi from Utkal University and is also a member of Orissa Socio Cultural Association.  Ayswaria Wariar and group The only Mohiniattam dancer of the evening was the charming Ayswaria Wariar who danced with elegance and dexterity along with two disciples. After Tripurasundari (Goddess of three worlds), Ayswaria danced the popular traditional dance number 'Panthadi' (ball dance), wherein the dancer describes the joyful ball as she dances and plays with her friends, inclusive of the one who has lotus like eyes. The poet becomes philosophical and says that the bouncing ball is similar to the ups and downs of life.  Pratibha Raghuvanshi and group Ujjain based Kathak dancer Pratibha Raghuvanshi, the daughter and disciple of Guru Padmaja Raghuvanshi, performed Shiv Vandana with her disciples as an invocation and followed it up with the description of the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva in the poetic interpretation "Shankara ati prachand, Nachat kar damru" and concluded with "Savariya Giridhar" in praise of Lord Krishna. The powerful dance of Lord Shiva was well demonstrated, as he danced with the rhythmic beats of the damru. Pratibha follows the Pandit Durgaprasad Jaipur Gharana and has several performances to her credit. For better performances, Pratibha needs to concentrate on the finer aspects of presentation.  SCOPA group Dancers from Surat based Pankaj Kapadia's Sarvajanik College of Performing Arts (SCOPA), affiliated to Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, performed a beautiful Muthuswamy Dikshitar musical composition as the invocatory number, choreographed by Bijoy A Shivaram, Bharatanatyam exponent from Ahmedabad, followed with 'Kamakshi' and concluded with an intricate Balamuralikrishna Thillana performed by eight dancers led by Chaitha Shah. The Thillana was performed with rhythmic accuracy, blending well with intricate footwork and stylized movements.  Ananth and Apara Menon Kathakali was performed by Ananth and Apara Menon, son and daughter of the veteran mentor and Kathakali actor Bhaskar Menon of Mudra Dance Academy. Bhaskar and Radha Menon are among the senior most mentors, whose contribution spans over six decades. Besides Ahmedabad, students from USA, Canada and other countries are seeking online and offline guidance from the veterans. Ananth is also a percussionist and Apara is a Carnatic vocalist. The duo enacted 'Narakaasura vadham' (killing of Narakaasura) with suitable netra and mukhaja abhinaya.  Nartan dancers The last performance of the festival was by the dancers from Nartan School of Classical Dances. The dancers performed "Sarvam Sloka" and "Simhanandini Nrityam" inclusive of the nine incarnations of the goddess along with the recitation of mantras like "Om Namah Shivaya" and "Maha Mrityunjaya mantra". The vivacious dancers also performed 'Kartiyayani Devi' demonstrating various charis and gati bhedas. What was most amazing about their performance was the lively quality, rhythmic precision along with fleeting expressions, making the performance visually appealing. Kudos to Smita Shastri who proved her reverence for other dance teachers, as the Nartan dancers were the finale performers of the evening, allowing others to dance during the early slots. On the whole, it was a colourful and magnificent festival.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. Reponse * Dear Vijay Shankar I went through your review with interest. The pictures of those beautiful dancers do speak of a good standard of the performers. However, permit me to point out that the glaring plastic banner displayed at the backdrop bringing down the aesthetics of the stage seems to be an eyesore. I wish you should have mentioned that to draw the attention of the organizers of the festival. Knowledgeable critics like yourself should vehemently condemn the banner culture from our art arena. The stage should always look serene and dignified for a performance to be aesthetically enjoyable. Regards V.P. Dhananjayan (Aug 7, 2022) |
