Young and upcoming classical dancers learning different forms and styles were brought together recently at Nrutya Rangoli also known as ‘Samanvay Arts Festival’ at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru. It is organised annually by Sri Rajarajeshwari Kalaniketan in association with Academy of Music under the direction of Bangalore-based Kuchipudi exponent, Veena Murthy Vijay. The third and fourth edition of Creative Labs had young dancers learning under different gurus, presenting various nayika bhavas before eminent panel of experts comprising senior dancers, critics, musicians and scholars.
Six female Bharatantyam danseuses from around the city -- Deepa Bhagwat, Y.G. Srilatha, Pavithra Krishnamoorthy, Janaki Raghunath, Aditi Shreedhar and Mayuri Karanth -- presented original choreographies that depicted the various avasthas of ashta nayika. At the end of their individual presentations, the dancers together performed a thillana choreographed by Bharatanatyam artiste, Kiran Subramanyam. Danseuse Shama Krishna was on the nattuvagam for Nayika Vilasa, the presentations by female dancers.
The panel of experts that examined the choreographic works of the above female dancers comprised dance historian Sunil Kothari, Bharatantya exponent Lalitha Sreenivasan, dance researcher Vidya Rao and musicologist Mysore V. Subramanya.
Commenting on the way the production had been conceived, Sunil Kothari observed: “the seamless weaving of individual presentations into the larger production was fascinating as it showcased group effort.” While the dancers were best in their angika abhinaya, in Vidya Rao’s observation, they still needed to explore subtler ways of expression.
Reflecting on some of the Antahpura Geete renditions, Lalitha Sreenivasan, the doyen of Mysore bani of Bharatanatya said, “as these compositions by D.V.Gundappa were written in praise of the sculptures at Beluru and Halebidu, they provide great opportunity for dancers to bring in those Shilabalike poses. It would have appealed to the audience if relevant poses of sculptures such as Shuka Bhashini were incorporated in the choreography.” Lalitha also had problems with some dancers not understanding the original bhava of the compositions they had chosen.
She however added: “As this exercise was to look at the thought processes of young dancers, the experiment is indeed a success to that extent.”
“Above all, the dancers’ openness of being examined is appreciable,” felt the renowned musician Mysore V. Subramanya.
Man as woman
On the final day of the festival, five male dancers belonging to five different classic styles presented various nayika bhavas, feelings of their female counterpart. Gururaju, Nidhaga Karunad, Somashekhar Chudanath, Prabal Gupta and Sinam Basu Singh presented Kuchipudi, Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Manipuri respectively . All of them, except Sinam Basu, presented choreographies by their respective gurus.
“To get into the character of the female without making it look overly feminine is challenging for male dancers and to hold on to it throughout the performance requires certain level of mastery,” said the panellists unequivocally. Sunil Kothari, dance compère Shadakshari, journalist Sudhir Kumar, danseuse Sandhya Kiran and musicologist T.S. Satyavathi formed the panel of experts for Nayaka Vilasa.
Kathak dancer Nidhaga Karnad’s depiction of how Krishna feels becoming Radha for a while (choreographed by his guru Suparna Venkatesh) was apt for the theme, felt Sunil Kothari. “What is captivating about this piece is its storytelling technique,” observed Sandhya Kiran.
Commenting on the Kuchipudi performance, Sandhya said: “as Gururaj’s nayika was ‘svadhinabhartruka’ (a woman whose man is pleased by her strong character), a more energetic and assertive portrayal of the nayika would have been welcoming.”
Prabal Gupta’s Kathakali performance that depicted the story of Kacha and Devyani, in Satyavathi’s opinion, was unique as he chose to showcase a lesser-told story.
Radhika Tava Virahe...., a Jayadeva ashtapadi performed by Somashekhar was poetic, felt Sunil Kothari. At this juncture, the panellists also discussed whether or not to retain the signature line if it disrupts the intensity of the rasa developed by the dancer in the last part of his performance. “Instead of doing away with the ankita nama, it is advisable to look at various ways to retain it without disrupting the mood. One way is to slowly lower the intensity of the rasa after the sanchari without letting go of it completely and offer the performance as a tribute to the poet,” suggested Shadakshari.
The panellists were enchanted by Manipuri dancer Sinam Basu as he tackled two challenges successfully. One -- in presenting his own choreography, and second - to etch out sringara rasa as madura bhakti. This is from the Manipuri dance that is predominantly steeped in bhakti rasa. “It is an example of a dancer who not just reads between the lines but goes beyond them for experiencing the vast expanse of possibilities,” praised musician, Satyavathi.
The Creative Lab sessions during the festival provided a chance for young dancers to choreograph on their own without any assistance from their gurus and to reflect critically upon their presentations in the presence of eminent scholars. As scholarly dance deliberations are scarce within classical circles, they need to be carried out more often for a healthy growth of the arts. Neither dance exams nor competitions would compensate for these, as they fail to provide scope for serious reflection and substantial learning.