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 Elegant Odissi and dramatic portrayal of Krishnam Vande Jagat Gurum- Vijay Shankere-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com July 20, 2025 National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) presented two contrasting classical dance styles, Odissi and Bharatanatyam by two accomplished dancers, Arushi Mudgal in the Odissi style and Dr Ratheesh Babu and his team in the Bharatanatyam style at their Experimental theatre on 3rd July in Mumbai. While Arushi impressed the audience with her elegance, poise and innate expressions, Dr Ratheesh Babu and his team of talented dancers created a spell with their brilliant performance pertaining to both technique and dramatic quality in the presentation of 'Krishnam Vande Jagat Gurum'.  Arushi Mudgal New Delhi based Arushi Mudgal commenced her Odissi performance with Parvati Lasya, an excerpt in Sanskrit by Acharya Brihaspati in praise of the exquisite style of dancing by the goddess, glorifying her attributes and her majestic personality with stylized and precise movements, set to music by Madhup Mudgal. "Chhaliya" as the name suggests, depicted the naughty Krishna, his playful exchange with the sakhi Lalita, an extract from Kishore Chandrananda Champu written by Kabisurya Baladeba Ratha. Arushi dances with ease and effortless grace, however the piece-de-resistance of the evening was the poetic number by Tulsidas, "Raam Haun" that incorporated the plight, anguish and restlessness of mother Kaushalya as she is unable to imagine life without Ram, well depicted by Arushi, set to music by Pt Birju Maharaj. Arushi concluded her performance with Bageshri, a beautiful musical number set to music by Pt Kumar Gandharva. The rhythmic complexity had certain flashes of Kathak in it, which enhanced its technical quality and the style of presentation, which seemed little different from the traditional Odissi presentations. Arushi received fine orchestral support from Saveli Mudgal and Kushal Sharma for vocals, Shivshankar Satpathi for pakhawaj and flute by Rajat Prasanna.  Dr Ratheesh Babu & group Bhilai based Dr Ratheesh Babu is an acclaimed Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi exponent, mentor and choreographer of repute with several performances both in India and overseas to his credit. His disciples have won accolades for their immaculate performances in various events. The performance commenced with a beautiful number in praise of Lord Ganesha which was performed by six dancers with lot of vibrancy, while maintaining the technical quality of the performance.  Kurukshetra scene with Krishna & Arjuna The highlight of the evening was the dramatic portrayal of the varied episodes in the life of Lord Krishna, commencing with the birth, the naughty little Krishna, the depiction of "Vishwaroopa darshanam", the demoness Poothana, the dalliance with Gopis and Radha and ultimately the Geetopadesham scene in which Lord Krishna reveals his resplendent form and guides Arjuna to fight against "adharma" (injustice) in order to restore peace and righteousness in life. While depicting the magnificent form, Ratheesh could have stood on the elevated platform on the stage, which would have a greater impact on the audience. Nevertheless, he is a fine performer with complete involvement and dedication. Fine team work, coordination and presentation in 'Krishnam Vande Jagat Gurum' was amazing. The talented dancers who shared the limelight along with their mentor were Nisha Mangalampally, Mrunmayee, Soumya Menon, B Megha, Rajeshri Chakravorti, Purva Swami and Jisha Jalgoankar. The music was provided by Dr Ratheesh Babu for nattuvangam and vocal, Nandkumar Unnikrishnan and Prashant Mangalampally for vocal, mridangam by Karthik, violin by Sree Sivan and flute by Shyam. On the whole, it was a performance of dramatic quality and artistic exuberance.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
