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 Brilliant performances at NMACC - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com June 13, 2025 New Delhi based two accomplished classical dancers performed at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai last month. T Reddi Lakshmi performed Kuchipudi in the programme titled 'Sanchari - A journey through emotions' on 16th May and accomplished Mohiniattam dancer Jayaprabha Menon and her disciples performed 'Sopanam Nrityam' on 18th May. Both the performances were held at the Cube auditorium. The seasoned dancers performed with professional proficiency and effortless ease.  T Reddi Lakshmi T Reddi Lakshmi is undoubtedly among the best Kuchipudi exponents of the country. Lakshmi scores well in expressional dancing and reveals her mastery over the technical format of Kuchipudi with stylistic elegance and aesthetic quality, hence it is always a pleasure to watch her dance with complete involvement and sincerity. Lakshmi is the disciple of veteran Kuchipudi mentor Jayarama Rao. Sanchari bhavas, the fleeting emotional overtones were the heartbeat between the lines of the performance. They are the ripples that intensify the rasa. Emotion flows unannounced and unrestrained, yet is intimately human that weaves around the lyrics and sahitya that is portrayed through suitable expressions and angika abhinaya. The performance commenced with a powerful invocation to the goddess Durga as the destroyer of the demon Mahishasura. This number also incorporated a composition of Adi Shankaracharya. The hymn venerates Durga not only as the destroyer of evil but also as the compassionate mother who, after vanquishing darkness, restores balance and peace to the world. Durga Stuti was in ragam Revathi and adi talam. Jayadeva's popular ashtapadi "Sakhi he keshi madhana mudaram" in which the heroine confides to her Sakhi as she longs to meet Lord Krishna, was choreographed by Guru Vanashree Rao. We see two different situations in love. In the latter Madana Daruvu, as the name suggests, Madana strikes Satyabhama as she is suffering from the separation with her husband and she longs to meet him. Both Radha and Satyabhama have to go through various shades of emotion like joy, suffering, restlessness caught in contrasting situations of love. Satyabhama unlike Radha is 'roop garvita' and is proud of her beauty, hence repents her fight with Krishna at a later stage. Lakshmi's control over abhinaya was commendable, taking a dramatic turn in the concluding number featuring the devoted Prahlada and King Hiranyakashipu who is vanquished by Lord Vishnu in the Narasimha Avatara. Lakshmi also performed Shiva Tarangam dancing to complex rhythmic patterns on the rim of the brass plate. Lakshmi received a standing ovation for her elevating and scintillating performance.  Jayaprabha Menon Among the few Mohiniattam exponents from the cultural capital of India, Jayaprabha Menon has several performances to her credit and is also the director of International Academy of Mohiniattam, where she trains several dance aspirants. Her performance explored the varied nuances pertaining to the musical melody and tala patterns based on the Sopanam Sangeetam with the guidance from the veteran composer late Kavalam Narayana Panikker. The performance commenced with Ganapati Stuti, incorporating Bhu Vandana, a composition of ONV Kurup with salutations to mother earth which was performed by Jayaprabha Menon and her disciples with elegance and devotion. In the ashtapadi "Sakhi he keshi" the heroine reveals to her sakhi about her separation and her longing to meet Lord Krishna, the intimacy between Radha and Krishna and the moments of togetherness, which seemed little overdrawn. The concluding number was Tatvam based on 'tantra' and 'mantra' and the significance of the cobra worship in specific temples in Kerala, also the dance of the cobras with gliding and swaying movements with the song "Adu Pambe" formed the piece-de-resistance of the performance. The dancers who performed were Radhika Menon, Rohini Satish, Vishnumaya and Keerthana Ambarish. Recorded music featured vocal by Kottakkal Jayan, mridangam by Tanjavur Krishnan, Arun Kumar and Swati Das, flute by G Raghuraman and edakka by Satish Poduval. It is quite refreshing to watch dancers from different disciplines performing at the NMACC quite regularly.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
