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 'Anuranan' by Uttara Dance Academy - Dr. Nita Vidyarthi e-mail: nitavidyarthi@gmail.com Photos courtesy Kakali Bose August 23, 2023 'Anuranan' at the Rabindra Okakura Bhawan, Kolkata, was a handpicked assortment of classical Odissi dance items by the students of Uttara Dance Academy under the guidance of its director Kakali Bose, a well-known Odissi dancer, a devoted teacher and a senior disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Except the items Vigneshwaraya and Desh Pallavi, Kakali brought together the best of poetry, lyricism, music, philosophy, pure dance and abhinaya - some of the timeless compositions by her legendary Guru, set to music by none other than another legend, Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra with direction and choreography by Kakali. These were performed by her senior disciples, whom she has trained over years.  Uttara Dance Academy The evening commenced with the ritualistic Mangalacharan after the prayer to "Jagannatha Swami". The invocation set to the sweet melody of raga Madhuvanti in tala Ardhajhampa, was the Shiva Vandana, "Shirshey jata ghanabharam" . It was a neat presentation infused with insightful interpretation of the spirit of the stotram by Sutanuka Das and ended with Trikhandi Pranam (three-part salutation) in which the dancer pays salutation to the gods, gurus and the audience. This was followed by a delightfully choreographed group number "Vigneshwaraya" by Kakali Bose, sung and set to music by the renowned singer Suresh Wadkar. Using a blend of movements, the skilled dancers offered a fine imagery of the item, especially in the depiction of the line "Om Mukunda Mouli". The evening's presentation comprised of performances by senior female dancers excepting for a couple of comparatively younger ones trained under Kakali. And they projected their talents at par with the others as serious, well-trained performers. It was encouraging to find two enthusiastic male dancers; one of them, the younger one, drew attention with his presence amongst a large number of girls in the next item 'Batu'. Batu Nrutya performed in honour and praise of Lord Shiva depicting Batuka Bhairav was a pure dance piece, set to raga Mohana, ektali. The 12 dancers exhibited confidence in harmoniously representing the sculpturesque poses of the imagery of playing a variety of musical instruments (the motifs inspired by the temple carvings) with graceful hand and body movements, negotiating the variations in tala and the tihais of the pure dance item with ease without any cluttering in the rather restricted performance space. A larger performance space would have made the item more striking. Set to the popular song "Nachanti rangey Srihari" in raga Arabhi, ektali the fast paced group item "Nachanti - a sabhinaya" displayed Krishna Tandava ending in a Raas sequence. The ripple and the lasya of the female dancers together with the song and rhythm and the final Raas sequence, where the mood was joy and awe, added a festive flavour to the presentation. Equally enjoyable was the interestingly choreographed Desh Pallavi presented by a number of female dancers with only one male participant. Kakali's intelligent choreography phased out the entry and performance of the number of dancers in series in a continuous flow that added to a visual pleasure of the piece without crowding on the stage. Mention must be made for the good team work and commitment of the dancers. The music for this piece was by Himangshu Swain.  Arkopala Bose Pallavi is a pure dance item replete with the beauty of the intricacy of the rhythm, with the visual interpretation of the unfolding of the phrases of the raga and retains a special place in the Odissi recital for its dazzling property. And the next dancer to present a scintillating Pallavi in raga Bilahari with her highly impressive rendition was petite Arkopala Bose, senior Ph.D. research scholar of Anthropology, with a fine stage presence. Trained by her mother Kakali Bose, Arkopala has a rare distinction of quality and style. Her wizardry on virile footwork and graceful body inflections offered the visual interpretation of the raga with expanded notes, developed on rhythm with intricate movements. The item impressed the audience with her depth of knowledge and a glimpse of the dancer's forte - strong, clear and skilful footwork. There was no instance to even imagine that such a confident, dedicated dancer was not frequently seen on the stage. Out of the three striking solos Bilahari Pallavi appealed most. The Odiya abhinaya "Bibhushana pushpey" (bedecked in flowers) presented by Chirasri Roy was set as a Chhanda Geet, from one of the poems of the famous kavya "Baidehisha Bilasa", a masterpiece by Kavi Samrat Upendra Bhanja and is about Lord Sriram Lila. Written on the occasion of Sita's wedding, the poem describes the beauty, the feelings and emotions of the "bride in waiting" for Lord Rama, who is surrounded by maids and being dressed with finery for the great occasion. The final sequence was the wedding. Chirasri is a fine dancer and shows sensitivity in portraying the thematic and expressional character of Sita in the beautiful poem, till the wedding scene with dignity. A serious senior dancer, she should go a long way as her performance did not indicate at all that she was a bit unwell. The piece set in taal triputa had appeal.  Ratha Yatra No Odissi performance is complete without the presentation of Jayadeva's ashtapadi. Generally seen as a solo where the dancer can bring out the bhava of a Nayaka-Nayika, Kakali presented the second prabandha "Sritakamala kuchamandala" from the first Canto as a group item set to raga Mishra Khamaj, taal Jyoti, with imagination and included sequences of Krishna vanquishing the serpent Kaliya, Vishnu killing demons Madhu and Mura and Ravanavadh (Rama slaying Ravana).The well-trained dancers made an impact on the spectators and won their appreciation. Especially interesting was the final Ratha Yatra.  Kakali Bose The crowning glory of the evening's presentation was Jayadeva's timeless ashtapadi "Sakhi hey keshi mathanam udaram" by Kakali Bose, a consummate dancer who generally keeps a low profile and produces quality productions and does not cater to quantity. Kakali's expression of the lovelorn Radha, desirous of Krishna's love, had flexibility with a range of expressions, shifting moods, soft movements to convey clearly the richness and depth behind this number. Her glances were delicate yet captivating with a style and classicism that made her rendition a vehicle of beauty. Sangita Gosain's singing was an asset for this gratifying number. What was noteworthy of the dancers of Uttara Dance Academy was their uniformity in execution and training, so necessary in group items. This quality made every group item impressive. All performances were set to recorded music. In all her presentations, Kakali showed a warm regard for her Guru's structural logic of both words and dance vocabulary. The evening closed with the ritualistic Moksha in raga Bhairav, ektali.  Dr. Nita Vidyarthi is a veteran critic of performing arts and writes on dance, music and theatre in leading publications. |
