Ingenuity on display

Nila Dance and Music Festival 2018, a four-day fete, featured classical, folk and fusion performances by reputed artistes and up-and-coming talents.

The festival witnessed many Mohiniyattam recitals. On the first day, the performances were dedicated to Kalamandalam Leelamma. Kalamandalam Rajalakshmi, present head of the Department of Dance at Kalamandalam and a disciple of Leelamma, presented Srununee mama hridaya ragam..., a popular choreography of her guru. Rajalakshmi was able to do justice to the dance form though she has specialised in Kuchipudi.

Kalamandalam Rajalakshmi, Prasheeja and Nikila performing at Nila Dance and Music Festival   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Prasheeja and Nikila, also her disciples, exhibited ingenuity while presenting the Ashtapadi Yaahi madhava... and the padam Chenthar sayaka... respectively. Kalamandalam Saraswathy proved her mettle by presenting Manassi me parithapam... of Irayimman Thampi.

Confluence of dance

Conceptualised and directed by Bharati Shivaji, Sita sambhashanam showcased three female characters, blending Mohiniyattam, Kathakali and Koodiyattam. A well-knit production of one-hour duration, it was based on a script by Mohan Maharishi, former director of the National School of Drama.

Bharati herself appeared as Sita in the Mohiniyattam segment. A distraught Sita reminisces about her life and the circumstances that landed her in Lanka. Soon Mandodari, a Kathakali sthree vesham donned by Kalamandalam Anilkumar, enters and tries to console Sita, but to no avail. Then comes Kalamandalam Girija as Surpanakha, a Koodiyattam sthree vesham, exhibiting her arrogance and vengeance, thus frightening Sita.

The leitmotif of the show was a dialogue between Sita and Surpanakha. Surpanakha makes it clear that she is not impressed by Sita’s lament. But gradually Sita succeeds in winning her over by telling her that the power of a woman lies in her self-respect and dignity. Violence is no solution. Many kings have come and gone but what is eternal is only Nature. Mandodari on her re-entry is surprised to see Surpanakha’s transformation. The production stood out for bringing three art forms on the same platform and presenting a reinterpretation of the Ramayana. While Malayalam verses were used for Kathakali and Sanskrit for Koodiyattam characters, Avadhi, a language of Ayodhya, was used for Mohiniyattam.

Fine blend

The one-hour-and-a-half performance by Leela Samson and her troupe was an exposition of her choreographic virtuosity. The seven pieces were multilingual too. Kaalabhairav Ashtakam... of Adi Sankara was an invocation to the deity of Kashi performed as a solo by the danseuse. Three male and two female dancers joined her in ‘Atishaya’, which depicted defeat of Kalinga by Krishna. The wives of the serpent and their request to Krishna not to kill him were beautifully portrayed. The concluding segment that depicted Krishna running to his mother to sleep like a child was captivating. The composition was by Rajkumar Bharati and Purandaradasa.

Leela Samson and group performing at Nila Dance and Music Festival   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Ogo Nodi..., Vaighai... and Sthay Sanchar... were on the river. The first by Tagore was about a champal tree on the banks of a river watching in wonder the meandering flow of the river. It muses on how its own movements such as the growth of leaves and blooming of flowers are invisible. In Vaighai..., rhythmic flourishes coupled with movements using pieces of cloth in their hands captured the turbulence of the river Vaighai that flows through Madurai. The verses were taken from Paripaadal. Sthayi Sanchar... narrated the story of the Ganga. Vignettes on its banks were presented in sancharis and ‘Ganga Aarti’ provided a scintillating finale. The number was based on a Dikshitar composition in Janjuti and Adi tala.

Leela’s abhinaya soared to great heights in Parinati..., the fifth Ashtapadi, the longest piece of the lot, composed in ragas Sindhura, Paras and Savani. The last one Charishnu... was an amalgam of myriad movements performed in group to the jathi, ‘thi the thei/tha ka dhi mi thom’ in Adi, expressing joy.

Melody reigns

Pantula Rama had to race against time owing to tight schedules but her quest for melody was evident. Venugana loluni..., a Tyagaraja composition in Kedaragoula and Roopakam, brought out alluring phrases in the niraval at Vikasitha pankaja.... The alap of Amruthavarshani was eloquent but it appeared too long.

Pantula Rama   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Dikshitar composition Anandamruthakarshini... entailed plethora of swaras contained in varied numbers. The main raga was Kharaharapriya and the composition, Ramanee samana.... Niraval at ‘Paluku’ was embellished with swara packets. While M.S.N. Murthy gave a faithful reproduction of the alap on the violin, tani by Guruvayur Sanoj (mridangam) and Vellattanjur Srijith (ghatam) was short due to time constraints. Swati’s Ramachandra prabhu... in Sindhubhairavi was sweet.

Notable among other classical performances were a Hindustani recital by Jayatheertha Memundi, Bharatanatyam by Aparna Sarma and Kuchipudi by Lakshmi Reddy. The annual festival was organised by Kerala Kalamandalam.