Enlivening dance, enticing choreography

BANGALORE: The delineation of ‘varattum varattum’ in the varna stunned the packed rasikas at the Indian Institute of World Culture. Young and a gifted Bharatanatyam performer Shruthi Srinvasan was in her top form while revisiting and representing the subtleties of the dance with ease and skill. The dancer is trained by veteran and versatile Guru Vasundhara Sampathkumar. The very selection of the varna seemed to be simple but when its was saddled with intricate jathis juxtaposed with aduvus and limb movements, it turned out to virtual nritta, nrithya and abhinaya treat. Though the stage space available for her seemed to be inadequate, but still she managed the show with useful movements which made an impact. Guru Vasundhara’s craft was conspicuous by its presence. The unfold of Ashtapadi, lot of concentration, understanding the scope and limitations of the mode and medium chosen are necessary for a successful exposition. Shruthi’s line by line exploration left nothing to be desired. One of the of the most familiar Ashtapadis ‘Pashyathi dishi’ set to a pleasing Darbari Kaanada raaga, was a classical essay on abhinaya. Shruthi’s histrionic talent and skills were perfectly in tune with the various levels of abhinaya. Radha’s search for love was commendably visualised. A Tamil poem by the famed poet Gopalakrishna Bharati on Lord Chidambaranatha of Chidambaram ‘Aadum chidambaram’(Behag) vouched for an effective communicative artistry. The tandava aspect of Lord Shiva’s dance was sketched with a powerful palette of body movements. The interspersed nritta marked by demanding jathis and topped by some interesting karanas was a visual grandeur. Her polished abhinaya for Kanakadasa’s ‘Baaro Krishnaia’ established an intimate rapport with the audience. She concluded with a tillana in Sindhubhairavi raga. The neck movements and rechikas in particular offered a special delight. Shruthi was admirable accompanied by Guru VasundharaSampathkumar(nattuvanga), Balasubramanya Sharma(vocal),Dr.Natarajamurthy  (violin), Jayaram(flute) and Prasanna(rhythm pad). BR Purushottam’s mridanga was enriching.Enticing choreographyThe seasoned and scholarly dancer-couple Sridhar and Anuradha Sridhar excelled in the group choreography and their students from Khechara Dance Academy shone brightly with their sincere and succinct performances. The variedly prized Sridhars were celebrating the 18th anniversary of the Academy at the ADA Rangamandira. The Marga presentation was well explored in projecting the students of various levels right from the sub juniors to senior most ones. ‘Sri Chennakeshava’ the most popular song drawn from DVG’s famous Antahapura Geethegalu was profound. Eight female dancers with one male dancer drew attractive pictures of the Lord’s Shringara bhaava. The trishra jathi alarippu brought the beauty and possibilities of trishra. The jathiswara was followed by a ragamalika shabda. It was in Shankarabharana varna that Sridhars excelled. ‘Manavi chaikonna’ — different group formations delineated the different avartanas of the varna alternatively. The taking over of the avartana and its conclusion by the alternative groups created a visual delight. Charana and ettukadai was rendered in same pattern. The presentation of pillari Geethe with swara sahithya evoked artistic satisfaction. The entire presentation was ornamented by Anuradha Sridhar(nattuvanga), Bharathi Venugopal(vocl), Narasimhamurthy (flute) and Dayakar (violin).