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 Anantah and Atharvotsava - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com June 3, 2024 ANANTAH - VIBRANT MOVEMENTS AND DRAMATIC EXCELLENCE Abhibhava Art Academy presented dance drama 'Anantah' (without any end) portraying the varied facets, magnificence and glory of Lord Shiva though dramatic exposition, blending well with shlokas, powerful music and vivacious movements in the Bharatanatyam style. This power packed performance was held at the new Veda Kumba theatre auditorium in Andheri, Mumbai on May 12.  Anantah Lord Shiva is the divine being whose presence transcends time and space, who is the eternal essence of Srishti (creation), Sththi (preservation) and Samhara (dissolution). He is the destroyer of illusion and the ultimate source of cosmic energy. He is known as Parameshwara - Supreme being of wisdom and enlightenment to seekers of truth, also known as Nataraja - the cosmic dancer, and Ardhanarishwara - the unique combination of both Purusha and Prakriti. It was interesting to watch how Dr G Ratheesh Babu and his talented team of dancers presented a scintillating exposition which won applause from the audience.  Ratheesh Babu The one and half hour duration presentation commenced with Shiva Stuthi and Shiva Astakam (eight stanzas), commencing with the sound of creation with the damaru, forming a fine cosmic symphony of life and death, describing the power and the glory of the lord of Lords, performed extremely well by Rupesh with appropriate expressions and technical excellence that involved karanas and some akash charis performed precisely, making a fine start to 'Shiva Lokam'. The 'Sapta Tandavam' incorporated the Vijaya Tandavam when Lord Shiva kills Tripura asura with his trishoolam, restoring peace and happiness, Ananda Tandavam featuring the marital bliss of Shiva and Parvati, hence the dance of joy and happiness, the Samhara Tandavam when Shiva is angry due to the self-immolation by Sati and destroys everything, the Sandhya Tandavam of love and redemption.  Anantah In "Kanchadalayadakshi," the dancers portray that both Shiva and Parvati are incomplete without each other, they recognise the inherent qualities of both Purusha and Prakriti, hence Ardhanarishwara, signifying the masculine and feminine spirit which is important for the completion of the cosmic energy. The presentation concluded with "Theruvil Varano" when the village becomes a sacred heaven of spiritual celebration, resonating with the divine energy of Shiva's presence. Led by Dr Ratheesh Babu, the dancers were Rupesh KC, Rajshree Das, Ruchi Krishnan, Jisha Jalgoankar and Nisha Mangalampalli. Choreography and concept were by Guru Ratheesh Babu. Undoubtedly it was a brilliant performance with vivacious dancers. ATHARVOTSAVA - ENCOURAGING YOUNG TALENT Photos courtesy: Shamal Pawar Atharva School of Fine Arts (Mumbai) presented the two day Atharvotsava dance festival at the Mysore Association auditorium on 19th and 20th April, attracting the attention of young and talented dancers from New Delhi, Chennai, Mysore, Bangalore, Nagpur, Cochin etc. This annual festival is organised by accomplished Bharatanatyam exponent and mentor Guru Shamal Pawar with the intention to promote classical arts and artistes. Shamal says, "During the start of my career, it was not easy for me to get platforms to showcase my talent. Hence I decided that I should organise festivals but it's not easy as there is hardly any corporate support. After working consistently for a year, I gather some finance, I provide accommodation facilities to outstation artists and certificates of appreciation, besides the titles like Nritya Samvardhini, Nritya Samvardhak, Nritya Nipuna and Nritya Sadhaka". Atharva School of Fine Arts has been functioning fruitfully for the last twenty one years. Regular classes are conducted in Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music and folk dances. Last year, forty one Gurus were felicitated and over 200 dancers participated. This year there are more than a hundred performers, inclusive of thirty one solo presentations and thirteen groups for classical and folk dances. Like most festivals, Bharatanatyam and Kathak dominated the scenario but it was refreshing to watch other styles like Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Kerala Natanam too. There were some handful of male dancers. While most of the dancers performed quite well, some of the dancers were really brilliant, creating a lasting impression on the audience. The dancers featured on the first day were Rakshita Raghunathan, Chetan Sariya, Gayatri and Suhani Bhat, Pallavi Lele Nipanage, Guru Kumar Kariappa, Tanjavur Nrityalaya,Tejashree Vaidya, Pracheeti Dange, Anushree Krishnan, Shila Mehta, Divya Balachandran, Somangka Bhattacharya, Pavitra Arts Visual Institute, Sailakshmi Nair, Meenakshi Nrityalaya, Kalpita Rane and Nupur School of dance. Dancers featured on the second day of the festival were Ragini Iyer, Mukta Joshi, Eklavya Art Foundation, Debashreeta Swain, Srisha Sarkar, Nrityadhar Kathak Research Centre, Shomita Mondal, Lehja Art Foundation, Raja Dutta, Dr Sampreeta Kesavan, Kalashree Kathak Institute, Akansha Odissi Nrityalaya, Pooja Hirwade, Kshitija Kasaravalli, Sanjay Shaw and Anisha Mondal, Swarnali Kundu, Gauresh Shetkar, Aparna Sarma, Mayura and Hamsa Balagurunathan, Manas Ranjan Sahoo, Geetika Tiwari and Manas Cultural Centre.  Atharva ensemble The festival commenced with the Bharatanatyam performance by the dancers from Atharva School of Fine Arts, disciples of Guru Shamal Pawar, who performed the traditional Kali Stuti Alarippu and Paras Thillana with precise execution of varied movements, with lot of enthusiasm and sincerity. Their brief performance made an interesting start to the festival.  Guru Kumar Kariappa One of the senior most performers of the festival was Guru Kumar Kariappa from Mysore. He is a veteran mentor, musician, scholar and organiser too, whose contribution spans over four decades. He regularly organises festivals inviting several artistes to perform in Mysore. He was felicitated and honoured with the 'Nritya Samvardhak' title for his contribution by Prince Pratap Sinh and Guru Shamal Pawar. He performed Jaya Janaki Ramana Thodaya Mangalam, an Annamacharya composition in praise of the glory and valour of Lord Rama, followed with another composition by Papanasam Sivan, a Pada Varnam in raag Dhanyasi incorporating the pangs of separation and the viraha of the heroine for Lord Krishna. The sattvika abhinaya predominated his performance with his natural expressions and devotion for the Lord, creating an indelible impression. Bangalore based Kshitija Kasaravalli was among the few who performed Bharata Nrityam with a composition of Dr Balamuralikrishna, "Sakala Ganadipa" in praise of Lord Ganesha and another Kanaka dasa composition "Bagilanu Terudu" in which the heroine asks the Lord, "Open the door, let me serve you, O Hari, can't you hear me? You have protected Draupadi and Prahlada, have mercy on me." This number was interpreted with subtle and pleasing mukhaja abhianaya. Kshitija is an accomplished dancer and the director of Nrityakshithi.  Hamsa and Mayura Balagurunathan  Sanjay Shaw and Anisha Mondal Among the duet performances, the most impressive was Hamsa and Mayura, daughters and disciples of Guru Balagurunathan. The duo presented "Dharmave Katum" that interpreted the vidhura neeti and the relationship with Dhritarastra, based on the concept of dharmam, karmam and nyayam. It was a thought provoking portrayal with innovative and theatrical dance that captured the attention of the audience. An Odissi duo that created a fine impression with their elegance and structured movements were Sanjay Shaw and Anisha Mondal. What was most striking was their chemistry and uniformity of movements. Whether it was the pure dance number or the expressions, it was a spectacle to behold. Among the male dancers, Odissi dancer Manas Ranjan Sahoo's performance was a fine combination of both grace and expression. He is the disciple of Guru Sunita Pattnaik of Triveni Kala Sangam, Rourkela and is also part of Guru Bichitrananda's Rudrakshya Foundation. His interpretation of Badrakali was powerful and captivating.  Manas Ranjan Sahoo  Gayatri and Suhani Bhat Unlike male Kathak dancers who do not give much importance to abhinaya, Gauresh Shetkar from Pune, impressed the spectators with Ravana's attempt in the lifting of Mt Kailasa and the killing of Jatayu. His dramatic interpretation was praiseworthy. The mother daughter duo Gayatri and Suhani Bhat performed Kathak with Kali Dhrupad and went on to present the two different versions of proshitabhatruka nayika, both mugdha and pragalba. They make a fine duo and performed quite well. Gayatri is the disciple of Guru Ranjana Phadke. Mukta Joshi is the disciple of Guru Roshan Kumari of the Jaipur Gharana. Her brief but bright performance had the display of intricate rhythmic footwork, revealing her fine teyyari and layakari. Pooja Hirwade was among the few Kuchipudi dancers of the festival. She was pleasing for her striking movements and powerful rhythmic command while dancing on the rim of the brass plate in Tarangam. Sailakshmi R, disciple of Mohiniattam Guru Geetha V Shankar, performed a varnam based on Silappadikaram and was pleasing for her expressions, stylistic and graceful movements.  Mukta Joshi Aparna Sarma performed Kerala Natanam and is the disciple of Guru Padmakumar of Viswa Kalakendra from Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala Natanam combines elements of Mohiniattam, Kathakali and Bharatanatyam. Her performance was noteworthy for elegance of movements and natural expressions. It was also a pleasure to watch the lively performance of Divya Bhalachandran, sparkling performance of Swarnali Kundu from Kolkata and elegant Odissi by Prachiti Dange.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
