|     |
|
| |
 TriAmbam: Storytelling at its finest - Anita Vallabh e-mail: anitavallabhofficial@gmail.com Photos: Yoshita January 28, 2025 Occasionally, while observing a performance, long-learned verses from our sacred texts emerge from the depths of our unconscious minds. As the performance is unfolding, in the homogenous blend of nṛtta, natya and abhinaya, we realize we are not just witnessing a beautiful performance but one that is transcending mere visual representation of the written text to becoming its living embodiment. Jaikishore, Padmavani Mosalikanti, and their disciples performed a captivating piece at Music Academy, Chennai, on January 7, 2025. The verse that came to mind was: "natyaṃ sattve pratiṣṭhitam." Infused with the qualities of sattva and sattvika abhinaya, the performance titled TriAmba was simply breathtaking. As the title implied, it was an ode to the three Shaktis of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga.  The program commenced with a stuti to Goddess Saraswati. The four dancers moved in perfect synchrony, traversing the stage with remarkable clarity and geometric precision. It was a beautiful beginning with the promise of more to come. Following the Stuti, Kishore Mosalikanti made his entrance, to the enthusiastic applause of the audience, as the sutradhara of the story - Sri Udbhavam. As he narrated the birth of Lakshmi, commencing from Samudra Manthana and the numerous "gifts" the churning bestowed, the dancers simultaneously performed. The narrator was both the director of the story as well as its participant. A special mention must be made of the intensity of emotions in the dancers as they lifted the serpent Vasuki and churned the ocean. The physical demands of churning were evident in their movements. Throughout the song composed by the late Pappu Venugopala Rao, the dancers effectively conveyed the timeless narrative with clarity, precise movements, and harmonious synchronization. The next significant performance was Durga Tarangam, an ode to the mother. The oft-told story of Mahishasura Vadham was enacted with an intriguing selection of movements and music. An evocative moment occurred when the gods bestowed their formidable weapons upon the Goddess to vanquish the demon. The movements were exquisitely choreographed, and the formation of Durga with eight arms, coupled with the lighting, created an appropriately divine ambiance. At the conclusion, after the demon's defeat, Kishore deliberately refrained from the customary stotram, Ayi Giri Nandini, and instead presented the Durga Apaduddharaka Stotram - Namaste Sharanye Shive Sanukampe. The entire performance was in ekaharya with all the dancers embodying different characters in one costume. This was followed by a Tillana in Brindavani, a composition by Ramesh and Jaikishore.  All the dancers of Shivamohanam school of Kuchipudi, Jaikishore and Padmavani Mosalikanti, Ala Venugopal, Vedya Spurti Konda, Sathwika Reddy, Lekshmi Reghunath, Srisammohana Mosalikanti and Abhinav Ashok and the accompanying musicians: nattuvangam by Aadith Narayan, Shweta Prasad on the vocal, Haribabu on the mridangam, Eashwar Ramakrishnan on the violin and Muthukumar on the flute contributed equally in this brilliant performance. Lights were handled by Venkatesh. What lingered in the mind long after the performance was a joyful feeling of being part of something that is pure, luminous and eternal. This was truly Kuchipudi at its finest.  Anita Vallabh is an Adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii, author, Yoga instructor and dance critic. She lives in Boston, USA. |
