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 Mulam 2022: Performances - Gayathri Iyer e-mail: gayathriiyerofficial@gmail.com Photos courtesy: Padmanabhan and Shilpa Joseph August 7, 2022 "It is the guru's job to strengthen the wings of their student, not to limit the expanse of sky that is flown. If the student comes back, they were meant to be with the guru, if not, the guru must take pleasure in watching the flight of the student to greater heights." - Aruna Mohanty, Mulam 2022  Sridevi & Amrita Thirumalai The performances that concluded Mulam truly demonstrated how the embodied traditions of dance are translated from the body of the guru to the body of the student. Representing the form of Bharatanatyam, Sridevi Thirumalai and Amrita Thirumalai captured the grace associated with the teaching style of Guru Padmini Ramachandran. The highlight of their presentation was the famous Purandara Dasa composition "Chandrachuda Shivashankara", with expressive interludes (sancharis) communicating the different episodes of Saivite mythology. The episode of 'Amrutha Manthana' or the 'churning of the ocean' was especially memorable with both dancers representing the devas and asuras on opposite sides of the stage. A young Amritha was lithe, expressive and poised on stage as she danced alongside her mother. It was heartening to see a young dancer of this standard in the NRI community.  Madhusmita Mohanty & Aruna Mohanty The Odissi tradition was represented by Aruna Mohanty and her student Madhusmita Mohanty. Mohanty's concept for the evening was deeply philosophical, drawing from the teachings of the Bhagavata Purana. To watch the lyricism of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan's legacy unfold on stage was a delight. The slow sinuousness of the Odissi tradition was accentuated by Mohanty's emerald green costume, with English language interludes that served as a helpful guide for the audience. Madhusmita's meditative grace and measured torso control was testament to her training. The highlight of this performance was titled "Samsara", which traced the journey through the life cycle into its ultimate end at death. In many ways, this piece served as a reinterpretation of the last piece of the Odissi repertoire titled 'Moksha'. The idea of death should be embraced, the dancer argues. It was touching to hear senior guru Aruna Mohanty discuss the dualities of divinity and devilishness within us all, offering gratitude to the audience and the stage as the ultimate realities.  Vyjayanthi Kashi & Prateeksha Kashi Representing the form of Kuchipudi was award winning dancer-curator Vyjayanthi Kashi and her daughter and disciple Prateeksha Kashi. The duo presented a very novel interpretation of the colour Red, as it serves in several textual sources as a superlative for several divinities. While the piece was conceived as a demonstration of the navarasa (nine reactive emotions), the time constraint allowed seven episodes to be presented. It was particularly scintillating to watch senior Guru Vyjayanthi as the arrogant Hiranyakashipu who meets an untimely demise at the hands of Lord Vishnu himself as Narasimha. Her body language and use of theatre was a masterclass in the mimetic tradition of abhinaya. Prateeksha's grace and fluid movements particularly suited the episode where she plays Krishna with lilt and playfulness. The future of her guru's teachings is in safe hands.  Shama Bhate & Ameera Patankar Finally, the Kathak tradition was represented by eminent Guru Shama Bhate and her student Ameera Patankar of the Jaipur and Lucknow Gharanas. Swathed in a crisply pleated yellow sari, 71 year-old Shama Bhate opened the performance with an emotive grace that would put most of her younger counterparts to shame. The elegance of her gestures was reflected in the different descriptors for Shiva, and although she was joined by the exuberant and talented Ameera in the first piece itself, it was difficult for this critic to keep eyes off of her. Ameera performed alongside the rest of the pieces for the evening, reflecting the rigorous training methodology of Shama tai, with crisp footwork, blitzing rotations and infinite grace captured in the simplest flick of a wrist. It was stunning to watch Shama Bhate construct complex bols with razor sharp execution - yet again, proving that age is just a number. Mulam was conducted at ADA Rangamandira under the aegis of the ICCR and the Ministry of Culture. Several prominent dancers and guests were in attendance including the iconic guru Radha Shridhar who is a household name amongst Bangaloreans. Congratulations are in order for the entire team at the Shambhavi School of Dance, especially curator Vyjayanthi Kashi for her initiative towards bridging the knowledge gaps in the Indian classical arts. Mulam 2022 - Addressing various concerns that surface between a Guru and Shishya - Ashwini Naik  Gayathri Iyer is an art historian, dance historian and Bharatanatyam dancer currently completing a PhD in Temple Sculpture at JNU. She is an India Foundation of the Arts grantee for her project on the dance history of Bangalore. Gayathri is an established dance journalist who currently writes for The Hindu's Friday Review, Chennai. |
