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 'Simhanandini' at St Helens - Shantha Rao e-mail: shantha@annapurnadance.com Photos: Shantha Rao June 19, 2023 It was an impressive performance in Kuchipudi style by student dancer Kavya Krishnamoorthy at Dalton Theatre, Carmel College, St Helens. Kuchipudi style classical Indian dance perhaps has a slightly slower growth in the UK in comparison to other dance forms such as Kathak and Bharatanatyam styles. It is mainly because there are only a handful of fully trained dancers in this style. It is always a herculean task for teachers often to commit their time for regular teaching schedules. But this article is on a rare and committed artist, Abhinandana Kodanda who is based in Preston, Lancashire. She has been training young people in this classical Indian dance form for over twenty years. Abhinandana Kodanda had the privilege of learning Kuchipudi dance from great stalwarts like Pasumarthi Venkateshwara Sarma, Vedantam Raghava and Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam. Working silently and consistently over the years she has so far conducted five full length debut Kuchipudi dance performances. I personally have seen each one of them and have watched Abhinandana grow as a teacher and go from strength to strength. For more reasons than one I am keen to share my personal thoughts on the most recent one where she presented her student Kavya Krishnamoorthy. It is a real story of a committed and passionate artist who has positively influenced the community with a clear vision and sheer hard work.  Kavya Krishnamoorthy The auditorium of Dalton Theatre was full and not a seat vacant! The audience was a mix of friends, families, teachers and a few dancers who had come to support the event whole heartedly. There was excitement as traditionally dressed Indian musicians walked on to the stage in style - definitely a rare sight in this part of UK. Young dancer Kavya performed many beautiful dance choreographies from Kuchipudi repertoire, some old, some new with ease (Brahmanjali, Krishna Tandavam, Tarangam, Varanam Ayiram and Meera Bhajan). The perfect rendering of verses in Sanskrit by vocalist Vamshikrishna Vishnudas was a real treat to the discerning ears. Mridangist Prathap Ramachandran stole everyone's hearts and Vijay Venkat's flute music was mesmerising.  Simhanandini  Orchestra The highlight of the programme was the Simhanandini dance. This is a unique feature of Kuchipudi dance. It involves the dancer drawing the figure of a lion with the pressure applied by feet using intrinsic footwork on a piece of cloth stretched on a frame. The coloured powder beneath the cloth imprints at the places where the dancer's steps applies pressure on the cloth. At the end of the dance, the frame is lifted for all the audience to see and appreciate the printed figure of a lion - which is the mount of Goddess Kali. This traditional dance has been painstakingly taught by Abhinandana to her student. This is for the very first time it has happened to a new generation young dancer like Kavya Krishnamoorthy in the UK. What a transforming experience it must be for her! It is up to her now to take this rich legacy forward. That is why I felt this performance is very special as it is a landmark moment in the history of Kuchipudi dance in the UK. The event was carefully observed by the chief guest, Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam dancer Rashmi Sudhir, who was appreciative of the young dancer's natural ability to evoke emotions and her control on rhythms. The joy of the event for me was not just watching Kavya's dance to live music but also watching the enjoyment and the involvement by the appreciative audience gathered. Towards the end when Kavya's grandmother spoke and said that she had recently underwent an eye operation with a 30 percent risk of losing the sight and that watching the dance was all worth it, there was not anyone in the audience who was not touched by her words. It is any society's dream to empower their youth and to prepare them to become strong individuals. It was heartening to see that happening in Preston because of the contribution of inspirational dance leaders like Abhinandana Kodanda. She is creating amazing waves of creativity and positivity in the community by providing these opportunities which helps to celebrate its values and heritage with pride and thus bringing integration and cohesion.  Shantha Rao is the Artistic Director, Annapurna Indian dance, Halifax, UK. She has produced a highly individual style of accessible and enjoyable education work in schools and colleges which is now an inspiration for many young dancers. |
