Three forms merge into one

Being a dancer and appreciating the art form is something. Understanding dance, as a spectator, is yet another. Linking three different dance forms together into one show, was Tridhara, a performance that was held as a part of the ‘Dance DIScourse’ at the Alliance Francaise recently.

This evening saw dance forms from the North, East and the South. The evening’s performance started with an odissi recital by Vandana Supriya, which began with a piece very similar to managalachar, but in praise of Rama and his consort Sita. The soft sober lighting complimented the performance by the artiste, and the total mood of each piece.

The pieces that followed included Saja Kanchanayana, which was a piece about how Radha laments to her friends that Krishna doesn’t reciprocate her feelings back, and Moksha, the concluding piece, that aims at salvation and talks about spiritual liberation.

The evening progressed with a short kathak recital by B P Sweekruth that included a vachana in praise of Shiva, the supreme lord and the only permanent being. It had rapid movements that included swirls, fast hand movements and highly energetic jumps.

The piece in jhath taal, which had a cycle of 10 beats, comprising delicate hand movements and steps, elucidated Sweekruth’s control over the laya and the taal. The concluding piece taraana, a form of singing without any poetry, showed pure dance technique and reflected instances of Krishna’s life.

Bharatanatyam artiste Aishwarya Nityanand’s recital included pieces like Ambujam Krishna, which showcased abhinaya at its best; followed by a composition that was a descriptive piece portraying the fierce and powerful Shiva and the story of Ganga.

The spotlight of the evening was Tridhara, a beautiful mix of the three dances brought together by the three artistes that showed the different and similar nuances of the three dance forms. The co-ordination seen in each bit of the piece elucidated how the artistes consulted each other to make the piece come together.

Performed in perfect synchronisation, even though differing widely in style, the piece left the audience dumbstruck. The dance performance was followed by a discourse, where the audience could air questions or views that were either answered by the artists or the organisers. “Earlier a performance like this, or of any genre for that matter used to be held once per week, but nowadays there are seven performances per day. Even then, the understanding of dances is minimal, such formats need to be encouraged,” says Ashish Mohan Khokar, the curator of ‘Dance DIScourse’.

“A delightful evening wrapped in three dance styles that took my breath away — that is what I will remember of this evening. The way the three dancers came together to perform one single piece, shows their passion and respect for the art forms itself,” says Krishnapriya, a professional dancer.