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 Delightful presentation with aesthetic adaptations- Chandra Anande-mail: chandra6267@yahoo.co.in Photos: Sanjeev Rane May 18, 2026 'Nrithya Sangam' (a confluence of traditional and cinematic dance items), a Bharatanatyam style dance show was premiered by the dance school, Kalasadan, Mumbai, on 22nd March 2026, at Kalidas Natyamandir, Mumbai. In this presentation, Bharatanatyam had dual portrayals. The classical art form was showcased in its traditional version and in an adapted version, which is by applying the idiom to cinema songs.  Matsya Avataram from Jayadeva's Dashavataram  Rama Avataram from Jayadeva's Dashavataram A traditional Ganesh Stuti, followed by Pushpanjali, that offered prayers to various gods, was artistically performed. This item was interspersed with shloka, syllabic lyrics of Pushpanjali and short crisp jatis. This was followed by Dasha Avataram using Jayadeva's Ashtapadi, in which swarams that interspersed between enacting of avatar were tuned by PNS Mani. Guru Sharada's choreography had freshness and the grandeur of the dance presentation was in conformity with traditions of the art form. The presentation, with right histrionics, neat movements and crisp korvais, uplifted the audience to an immersive devotional experience. The adapted version was performance of Bharatanatyam on popular classical songs from Hindi and Tamil films. A lively devout group performance "Jai Raghunandan Jai Siyaram" by Sarita, Sujata, Gauri, Nandini and Harshita, took us through the episodes of Bharat milap and Ahalya moksham from the epic Ramayana.  Nandini Ganesan  Madhuban mey Radhika "Marainthirundhu paarkum marumam yenna" performed successfully by Nandini Ganesan using traditional nritta and nritya of the 'Vichitra Bani of Bharatanatyam' and right aesthetics enraptured the audience. Performance of "Madhuban mey Radhika" gave the feel of having arrived at Mathura to view dance of Radha and Krishna in Bharatanatyam format, represented by Harshita and Aishwarya respectively. "Neel gagan ki chav mey" was performed like a padam expressing emotions of virohatkandita nayika by Nandini Ganesan, thus, bringing in the idea that the ashtanayikas too are portrayed, through the film medium. The audience felt privileged to hear the instrumental music played by eminent and senior artistes of Mumbai, who gave accompaniment in the live orchestra, for film segment of Bharatanatyam presentation. "Sayonara" was presented by Vijay Tambe on the flute, Sandeep Mayekar on tabla, Mahendra Rao on keyboard, Vinod Deore on octopad, and on sitar was Ustad Zuber Shaikh.  Hoton me aisi baat "Hoton me aisi baat", the grand composition filmed on Bharatanatyam artiste Vyjayantimala was presented in group format, with good formations and apt hastas by Nandini, Gauri, Harshita, Aishwarya, Greeva and Anusri. "Sapne Suhane", portrayed three friends sing and sway as they reminisced about their childhood. The dance was lively emphasizing on their comradeship, as they joyfully expressed their happiness and truths of life, which generally all young girls believe in. This item was presented by Sarita, Sujata, and Gauri.  Sapne Suhane Snake dance, originally performed by the legendary dancer Kumari Kamala, was performed very gracefully, exhibiting great mobility and flexibility in moving like snakes by Harshita, Greeva and Rakshi. "Mere dholna sun" was presented very well by Nandini. In fact, Vidya Balan was a student of Kalasadan. But, sadly, adaption of the kinetics of Bharatanatyam to this item could have been better.  Vande Mataram The programme concluded with "Vande Mataram" from Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's 'Anand Math'. Here India is visualised as Motherland and in the last verse she is hailed as that Stree Shakti who manifests herself in the form of Durga - Destroyer of Evil, Lakshmi - the sustainer and Saraswati - as the creator. Thus, the patriotic song was a very good finale expressing the greatness of our land, culture and religion personifying India as a living being having great courage and strength, but more importantly, exhibited an attitude of having benign divine nature. This program was led by siblings, Guru Natarajgopal Mani and Guru Sharada Ganesan, who now lead the institute towards propagating the Indian traditional classical dance, continuing the legacy of their father Guru Mani. Kalasadan, Mumbai founded by Guru Mani, has been engaged in the teaching and preservation of Bharatanatyam for the last 72 years and the family continues to carry forward with the support of all its students, parents and well-wishers.  Musicians L to R: Sandeep Mayekar, Sujesh Menon, NR Ganesan, Sharada Ganesan, Pooja Gopalan, Mukund Ramaswamy The presentation conceptualized by Guru Natarajgopal Mani was presented with live music ensemble for both segments. The artistes of the fine-tuned ensemble were Guru Natarajgopal Mani on mridangam, Guru Sharada Ganesan on nattuvangam, Sujesh Menon along with Pooja Gopalan were on vocals, Mukund Ramaswamy on violin, NR Ganesan on morsing, Sandeep Mayekar on tabla, Vijay Tambe on flute, Vinod Deore on octopad, Zuber Shaikh on sitar and Mahender Rao on keyboard. Sujesh and Pooja also gave voice to the cinematic songs. The enchanting dance artistes were Saritha Bala, Gauri Shankar, Sujata Chawda, Greeva Shah, Harshitha Polampalli, Aishwarya Venkatesh, Anusri Venkatesh, Advvita Kotian (performed in Pushpanjali and Vande Mataram), and Rakshi Ramasubramanian, led by Nandini Ganesan who also worked on the choreography. Compering for the event was done remarkably by Dr. Saraswati Anand. Apt lighting was given by Chandrashekar Menon and Mahesh, perfect levelling of the sound was done by Rajesh. Finally, the breathtaking make-up was done by Anand Parmar and team. The programme collaboration was supported by Ramanathan of PVR Event Masters and the backstage team full of students and well-wishers were Kalpana Polampalli, Komal Somaiya, Avisha Shah, Rashmi Poojary, and Manju Rajiv who did tremendous organisational work for the successful completion of this premier presentation of 'Nritya Sangam'. Nandini Ganesan, Guru Mani's granddaughter, validates the show saying, "Nrithya Sangam was conceptualized with the aim of bringing in two varied types of rasikas together, typically those who enjoy classical dance and those who enjoy yesteryears cinematic music. While Bharatanatyam is known to have its core foundations in spirituality, 'Nrithya Sangam' offers to showcase its fundamentals through a traditional presentation, and portray its dynamism in adapting to different kinds of music. It celebrates the coming together of those who enjoy classical dance along with a visual of relatable popular music, making aware of the contributions of some legendary dancers, who acted in movies, and through this medium introduced classical dance styles to common people - such as Kamala Laxman, Vyjayantimala Bali, Padmini, Waheeda Rahman, and Kumkum to name a few." It was a joyful presentation. Adaptation of Bharatanatyam format for film songs for stage was a worthy effort where lighter adavus of the Bharatanatyam format were used in perfect sync to the music and the whole presentation gave a graceful aesthetical feel. It was attended by a good crowd of about 500, which is rare for a three hour dance show these days on a Sunday morning.  Chandra Anand is a Bharatanatyam artiste and teacher. She has an MA in Bharatanatyam from Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, and her series on 'Education in spiritual values through Bharatanatyam' is featured in narthaki.com. |
