A presentation was given by the students of Rasika Kala Foundation. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In connection with the 40th anniversary of Noopura Academy of Indian Dance, Mangaluru, Sulochana V Bhat organized a Bharatanatyam performance by the students of Rasika Arts Foundation, Bengaluru. Nimble footwork, fleeting facial expressions, graceful gestures and graceful coordination between the artistes spoke volumes about the training they received from gurus Kiran Subramaniam and Sandhya Kiran.
From ‘Pushpanjali’ to the concluding Thillana, there was not a minute’s lull in the performance, much of which was dedicated to Muruga. ‘Subramanya Kavuthuvam’ in Shanmukhapriya, composed by Madurai R Muraleedharan, brought forth the heroism of the Lord. The dancers brought alive the rich lyrical beauty of Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s ‘Sadachaleswaram’. The ‘Sainpathe Palayam’ in Pantuvarali was powerful, with six syllables ‘sha ra va na bha va’ accompanied by sharp chords. Sanchari is dominated by humor for the episode of Muruga’s courtship with Valli, where he is in the disguise of an old man. The mischief displayed by Sivaranjani was enjoyable while Rasika’s (Valli) angry reaction was amusing.
The popular padam ‘Kanda Naal Mudayi’ composed by NS Chidambaram in Madhuvanti is noted for its unique choreography and excellent emotional skills of the dancers. Two friends separately open their hearts to their common friend without knowing that both love the same Muruga. Unfortunately, Sakhi has also fallen in love with Muruga, but is unable to share her secret with her friends. Sivranjani excels as Sakhi, taking out the initial shock, disappointment and sadness and successfully hiding them while listening to her friends.
‘Gummannannu Karayadhira’ was composed by Purandaradasa to depict the delightful antics of little Krishna. Although he had killed many asuras as an infant, he begged Yashoda not to summon Gumma (an imaginary bugbear that mothers summon to make their children behave) and promised to stop being mischievous.
Thillana in Rasikpriya, composed and choreographed by Kiran Subramaniam, was a visual and audio delight with interesting jathis and picturesque patterns.
Sivaranjani and Rasika along with Archana HR, Shraddha Srinivas and Harshini Chandrasekhar dazzle with their performances.
The orchestra gave rock-solid support to the dancers. Guru Kiran Subramaniam’s Nattuvangam was majestic. He recited the Jathis at break-neck speed with characteristic clarity. To this was added Raghuram’s soulful vocal support. Flutist Vivek Krishna and violinist Pradesh Achar set the mood while Bhavani Shankar monitored the tempo on the mridangam.
The Mangaluru-based critic writes on the classical arts.