Sheer poetry in motion

Dance enthusiasts were in for a treat recently at Kavya Bhagini, a show which presented poetry through dance.

The programme was held on the occasion of ‘Rajyotsava Day’ at Alliance Francaise.
Although the programme had a limited audience, the attendees sat in rapt attention as the artistes enthralled them during the one-hour performance. 

The ballet covered over 20 well-known poets like Pampa, Kuvempu, D R Bendre and Girish Karnad. Some of the tunes included ballads like Balegara Chennaya from KS Narasimhaswamy’s Mysore Mallige, Tharavalla Thagee Ninna from Shariffa’s tatva padas among others. The singers featured were C Ashwath, B Jayashree and Venkatesh Kumar to name a few.

Explaining the nuances of the performance, Sneha Kapanna, choreographer and artistic director, said, “Our style is a combination of folk, contemporary and classical. A concept of this sort which includes Kannada poetry is rare. We are overwhelmed at the response we have received in other places and are hoping it will be similar here.” She added, “Since it is an eclectic mix, we are hoping that the expatriates in the audience get the essence of the poems.”

Shwetha Arvind, who has been performing for the last seven years with the troupe, too shared a similar viewpoint. “We want our audience to understand the concept. Along with it, we also want them to enjoy our performance,” she said. “Although I am a trained bharatanatyam dancer, after joining the troupe, my style has changed to contemporary. It’s been a rigorous week-long performance.” 

With the troupe having performed extensively all across the world, some of the dancers felt that there are hardly any challenges in performing. “I have been with the troupe for 12 years now. For every show that is put up, there is a lot of hard work that goes in. But honestly, after having performed numerous times, I don’t find it challenging,” said dancer Praveen SP. For every show that they perform, it is ensured that the steps and sequences are changed. “There’s always something new in each of our performances. And we make it a point to see that there is some change in the choreography each time,” said dancer Pragathi Badrinath.   

And the audience was left craving for more. “Since I have already attended one of their previous performances, my expectations are high. What I like about the shows is their synchronisation. It’s an unusual concept,” said Latha, a member of the audience adding, “I’ve always been interested in dance. Whenever possible, I make it a point to attend shows of this kind.”