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 9th Girnar Festival of Music and Dance - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com December 7, 2022 The 9th Girnar Festival (Nov 9 - 13) was organised by Patel Cultural Foundation (Mumbai), as part of Azadi ka Amrit Utsav with support from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India at Junagadh (near Rajkot in Gujarat) at Shamal Das Gandhi Town Hall from 9th to 13th November. Talented musicians, instrumentalists, vocalists and classical dancers from various parts of the country, of different classical dance styles performed for this annual five day festival of classical music and dance. It was not easy for MK Patel to get the required permission to organize the festival in the Municipal Town Hall. After the inauguration by distinguished dignitaries, the festival commenced with the sparkling and graceful Odissi performance by Debamita Sahoo from Bhubaneswar. Blessed with large expressive eyes, it was a delight to watch Debamita dancing with her disciples with effortless ease and expressional quality. In the invocatory Mangalacharan, the dancer interpreted the pancha bhootas and concluded her performance with Shankaracharya's Pancha Akshara sloka "Nagendra Haraya." Debamita is a fine dancer and deserves to be seen more often on stage.  Debamita Sahoo  Neha Muthiyan The Gujarati version of Bharatanatyam was presented by Binal Wala and Dipali from Ahmedabad, based on the compositions rendered by eminent Gujarati poet Narshi Mehta. "Chalo rang le" and "Akhand saubhagyo maro" interpreted the various shades of love between Radha and Krishna. The duo concluded with the popular Swati Tirunal Dhanasri Thillana "Geetha Dhwani" which unfortunately was not sung properly and the dance execution left much to be desired. Accomplished Kathak exponent from Pune, Neha Muthiyan performed with six disciples. While the disciples appeared in red costume, Neha was in green, creating a fine spectacle. Neha interpreted "Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum" with effortless ease. The dancers precisely executed Taal Raas in 13 matras and concluded with a fine Kavit Mala (poetic garland) incorporating Ganapati, Shiva and Krishna. It was a pleasure to watch Neha dancing with her disciples, with uniformity and professional expertise.  Atanu Das  Debjit Ghosh Dynamic male Bharatanatyam dancers from Kolkata, Atanu Das and Debjit Ghosh thrilled the audience with their sparkling performance. The duo performed the Alarippu together; it was a pleasure to observe the clarity of movements with meticulous concern for technique with proper execution of every sequence. Both Debjit and Atanu presented two different versions of the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. After "Natanam seiyum" with choreography by Leela Samson, Atanu performed the beautiful "Shankara Srigiri Nadaprabho" with complete involvement and joie-de-vivre interpreting the power and glory of the Lord. Atanu is a mature performer and dances with confidence and poise. With more involvement, Debjit can enhance the vitality of his performance. New Delhi based Rupa Rani Das Borah commenced the performance with Durga Stuti. In taal Dhamar, Roopa excited the audience with rhythmic and intricate footwork in the Kathak dance style, revealing her tayyari and layakari. Guwahati based dancer Priya Bhorthakur Goswami performed the graceful Sattriya dance interpreting varied stories of Ramayana with Ram Katha. Some of the most dramatic depictions incorporated were the Sita Haran scene, Setu Bandhan and Agni Pariksha. Priya was the only dancer to perform Sattriya in this festival.  Bhavna Pani and Dipali Tikam  Shanti Mohanty Dave On the third day, the festival started with the elegant Odissi recital by accomplished dancers from Smitalay dance academy, Mumbai, headed by renowned Odissi exponent Jhelum Paranjape. Bhavna Pani and Dipali Tikam, both were complementary to each other with fine juxtapositions of different movements, which was particularly evident in the Arabhi Pallavi in which the tempo gradually reaches the climax of intricate rhythmic movements, blending well with melody. The duo concluded with the joyous dance of Lord Krishna with the gopis in the Odia composition "Nachente Range Shri Hari." The vivacious Bharatanatyam recital by Shanti Mohanty Dave from Raipur, created a lasting impression on the audience. Tall and elegant, Shanti commenced with the traditional Alarippu, Nataraja Kautvam and then proceeded to the Athana Varnam, a composition by Tanjavur Sivanandam, describing a virahotkantita nayika as she anxiously waits to meet her beloved and is unable to bear the pangs of separation. With her large expressive eyes, it was amazing to watch how Shanti would change her expressions in fleeting seconds. Shanti concluded her powerful performance with the exuberant number "Bho Shambho" in raag Revati in praise of Lord Shiva. Shanti is the disciple of Dr. Sandhya Purecha, who is presently the chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi.  Sehazpreet Singh  Rohit Parihar Amritsar based Sehazpreet Singh thrilled the audience with his rhythmic footwork and tatkaar in Kathak style. Although a little nervous, Sehaz's performance was noteworthy for its sincerity and involvement, He is among the few Sardars who took up classical dancing quite seriously. Kathak duet by the dynamic Rohit Parihar and Nandini Jani from Ahmedabad, created a strong impression for its technical quality. Rohit is the disciple of Guru Rajendra Gangani of the Jaipur Gharana. Rohit was particularly brilliant for his incredible spins. Rohit could be better attired and look more presentable. Hyderabad based Dr. Surabhi Lakshmi Sarada presented a vibrant and graceful Kuchipudi performance with numbers like the Tarangam and Mahakali. The Tarangam was noteworthy for its rhythmic and accurate movements on the rim of the brass plate and the interpretation of the goddess in raag Shivaranjani sung soulfully by singer Shweta Prasad with the dramatisation of the killing of the demon Mahisa was enacted with powerful abhinaya. Surabhi is also a dance therapist and teaches dance to underprivileged children.  Surabhi Lakshmi Sarada  Ritika Banarjee Bharatanatyam duet performed by the talented Sayali Deodhar and Atharva Chaudhary from Pune was pleasing. They are the disciples of Dr Parimal Phadke, creating a fine impression with their duet performance, followed with Kathak by Dr. Nipa Thakkar and group from Bhavnagar. Nipa performed the Meera bhajan "Draupadi ki laaj rakhiyo" with lot of involvement and sincerity winning appreciation from the audience. Odissi was performed by Ritika Banarjee and Diksha Rath from Rourkela and Sarangarh respectively. They are the talented disciples of Guru Gajendra Panda of Tridhara dance company and have performed extensively with their mentor. After the Mangalacharan, the duo performed Sabda Swara similar to the Pallavi, a composition by Guru Debaprasad Das, exploring the varied movements and forming a fine synthesis of both music and melody. The Odia composition "Kedi chanda" incorporated the varied episodes of Lord Krishna including the killing of the demon Poothana. Rithika and Diksha are bright dancers and it was a pleasure to watch them.  Gururaju  Marami Medhi The only male Kuchipudi dancer of the festival, disciple of Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi, Gururaju enchanted the audience with his vivacious performance; his jumps and vibrant movements revealed the masculine vigour and vitality. He performed "Neelamegha sareera" Tarangam with professional ease and expertise. Kathak dancer Marami Medhi from Guwahati rendered a flawless performance, revealing her command over technique and footwork. Elegantly attired, Marami's performance was well applauded. Marami has her own dance academy and has trained several students. Her book on Kathak is a must read for all Kathak students. On the whole it was a fine mix of young talent and mature performers. The articulate compere of the festival was Anand Singh of AIR.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
