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Revealing Refinement
The Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts, headed by the able guru, Chitra Visweswaran, remains the one-stop place where the Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam is preserved and propagated in all its pristine glory and unalloyed purity. Leema Angel, a product of this school was recently staged at the Rani Seethai Hall, Chennai. The Tisra Alarippu remained the warming up item for the dancer to present R Visweswaran’s Jatiswaram in Ranjani. This item proved her maturity in handling the complex rhythmic patterns set to different jaatis involving intricate mathematical calculations. ‘Vellai Tamarai’ in ragamalika depicting the beauty of the Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati was unique. Papanasam Sivan’s Natakurinji Varnam remained the anchor piece in which one could perceive that Leema’s involvement has helped her to confer the touch of class on the total nritta and abhinaya aspects of Bharatanatyam. Guru Chitra Visweswaran needs special appreciation for moulding Leema in such a way that she had complete control of the rhythmic intricacies. ‘Harihara Sutane’ (Abhogi) in praise of Ayyappa and 'Chinna Chinna Padam' (Kapi) in praise of Krishna revealed refinement in abhinaya. Guru Chitra’s nattuvangam and Visweswaran’s vocal support were the other strong points of the show. The Chandrakouns Tillana of Sundaram Iyer was a fitting finale to the recital. Leema’s orchestral ensemble also included Seetharama Sharma (vocal support), Sudhaman (mridangam), Saravanan (flute), Veeramani (violin) and Muniaswamy (tambura).
Refined performance
Vandana Vedanarayanan recently gave a Bharatanatyam recital at the Music Academy Mini Hall, Chennai. The auspicious commencement with Vijayaraghavan’s Panchanadai Pushpanjali prepared the stage for the grand show. After a bright start, Vandana instantly proceeded to the rare Andal Kavuttuvam in Atana. The song ‘Mahadeva Siva Sambho’ in Revati was colourful, particularly with the special effects on the mridangam by Dhananjayan. Varnam is a composite item that brings afore the dancer’s ability to handle brisk jatis and fine facial expressions. The dancer’s level of understanding of the two basic aspects of dance, namely, nritta and abhinaya can be well judged in this number. Vandana chose to perform the composition of the violin maestro Lalgudi G Jayaraman ‘Innum En Manam’ in raga Charukesi, which was a demonstration of her perfect understanding of the abovesaid concepts. The gripping nattuvangam of Aravindakshan and Vidhya Vedanarayanan (Vandana’s mother and Guru), well supported by the young, multi-faceted percussionist Dhananjayan was a bonus to the audience. The interlude ragas played at the initiation level of every number, sancharis, filler and following of the song supporting the vocalists were done by Shashidhar (violin) and Sankaranarayanan (flute) with a level head, each playing their part without any overlap was noteworthy. In the second half of the show, the kriti ‘Balagopala’ and the Ranjanimala were handled with refinement. The vocalist Jayanthi Mohan extended solid vocal support. The programme reached its momentum in the Kadanakutoohalam Tillana of Dr. M Balamuralikrishna. Vandana was energetic throughout the performance, which is now-a-days a rare attribute found in young dancers.
Exquisitely planned
Vidhya Vedanarayanan of USA was initiated into Bharatanatyam by her mother-in-law, Janaki Venkatraman. Her quest for learning the intricacies of this art made her organize workshops of eminent dancers from Chennai. The choice of the young gurus Narendra and Mahalakshmi was very apt. Vidhya’s recent performance at the Music Academy Mini Hall was a visual treat. The usual Ganeshanjali ‘Ananda Nartana Ganapatim’ of Oottukkadu Venkatasubbayyar was a fine prelude to the array of exquisitely planned numbers. In the item ‘Nee Uraippai Hanuman’, the episode of Seeta Apaharanam was enjoyable. Matured expressions and fine nritta - that is Vidhya. It is not an easy task to learn this art when the artiste does not reside in India. And the choice of the right guru is even more a difficult task. Vidhya was right in her choice. Learning the items in a workshop and perfecting the same without a guru’s assistance is definitely a difficult task. Vidhya’s dedication has made her overcome all these hurdles and present herself amidst the knowledgeable Indian audience. Ponniah Pillai’s Varnam, ‘Manavi’ in Sankarabharanam was handled with consummate care. The post-Varnam session also included interesting pieces that gave enough room to display her mastery over abhinaya. Padams ‘Srichakraraja’ (Ragamalika) of Agastyar and ‘Adinayae Kanna’ (Mohanakalyani) of Ambujam Krishna were neatly presented. The orchestral ensemble comprised experienced artistes from Chennai. Excellent nattuvangam by Radhika Shurajit, the mellifluous vocal support extended by Jayanthi Mohan, mridangam accompaniment by the mridangam wizard Dhananjayan, Padmanabhan’s fine following on the violin and Narayanan’s fillers on the flute formed a well-balanced team. Noted Guru K J Sarasa was the chief invitee to bless the artiste.
Lakshmi V N
Posted on 20th August 2001
