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A TOUCH OF CLASS

      
Archana Prabhakaran, the proud product of Mayura School of Classical Dances, Chennai recently had her Rangapravesam (stage debut) at The Mylapore Fine Arts Club, Chennai. Blessed with a fine, expressive face, added to which she had the blessings of her guru, Kanchana Janardhanan, who is silent but holds the credit of moulding many young talents, her performance was a touch of class. Pushpanjali in raga Nata followed by the viruttam ‘Mayuranatha priyabalam’ in praise of Lord Ganesha led the show towards complex yet thrilling numbers.

The Sabdam is a traditional number which is presented before the varnam. This number is commonly in praise of Lord Muruga or Krishna. It is in this number that dancers are introduced to the aspect of bhava (emotion). This simple yet gripping number forms a prelude to the varman which is usually the central piece. The rare Siva Sabdam in ragamalika set to Misra chapu tala that Archana presented, was handled with considerable ease. Most of the traditional varnams revolve around Sringara bhava or the theme of love. But Archana invariably chose to highlight a deity who is a brahmachari (bachelor). Hence the question of Sringara bhava never arose. The Ganesha Varnam was yet another unique number which could be termed as a mini-thematic presentation, elaborating on varied events such as the Lord acquiring his elephant head, killing the demon Gajamukhasuran, Valli Kalyanam, and so on. It had excellent lyrical content, which could be readily elaborated in the form of informative sancharis. Archana’s portrayal of this number was nearly perfect.

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Guru Kanchana Janardhanan wielded the nattuvangam with absolute confidence. Her rendition, with apt modulations in reciting the jatis was an aural treat. The post-varnam session was again a treat for the audience. ‘Navarasa Nayaki’ in praise of Goddess Sakti, who is considered the mother of all nine expressions, brought out Archana’s mastery over abhinaya. In addition to it, Padmini Lakshminarayanan brought out all bhavas in her singing. Her voice modulation to suit the dancer’s expressions was simply unmatched. The keyboard artiste P R Venkatasubramanyan did a good job by utilizing the facilities in the instrument to gel with the scenes. He gets bonus credit for writing the lyrics and tuning all the items for the day. This composer is known for his specialized compositions to suit young dancers. He is probably one among those few composers who have written more than 10 margams for dance. Mayura School shares the credit for presenting such unique compositions. Archana ended the day with an enticing Tillana in raga Vaasanti, yet another unique piece with its Charanam describing the importance of a guru and his qualities. This item not only made Archana reach every corner of the stage but also made the mridangist Ramshankar Babu’s fingers roll on both sides of the mridangam.

Lakshmi V N

   

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   Posted on 20th March 2001