A mixed fare at Bengaluru Festival

Music and dance reviews

A mixed fare at Bengaluru Festival

The International Arts and Cultural Foundation of Sri Srivatsa Shandilya conducted a dance festival called “Bengaluru Festival” last week, with three dance recitals.

Padmini Upadhya, is not a new person to Bengaluru audience. She was popular here as a child prodigy and was a pet student of Guru Narmada. After a gap of few years connoisseurs got an opportunity to witness her dance performance. In the meantime, she is continuing her training under Indira Kadambi also, and has performed in few organisations both in and outside India.

Padmini opened her programme with a Pushpanjali (Arabhi) and moved to a Daru – the familiar “Maathe.” She proved her good training and talent and her Abhinaya was also pleasant in the astapadi “Sakhi He.” She concluded with a patriotic song “Shanthi Nilaya Vendum.”

From the wings, Padmini was well supported by Vasudha Balakrishna on vocal, Prasanna Kumar on natuvanga, S V Balakrishna on mridanga and Niteesh on flute.
Deepa Shashidharan and Rekha Sateesh gave a Kuchipudi recital. Deepa is a disciple of Manju Bhargavi and Vempati Ravi Shankar and founder of Kuchipudi Parampara Foundation. Rekha is a student of Lakshmi Rajamani and now continuing under Vempati Ravi Shankar.

A composition of Swati Tirunal, in the raga Saveri was the opening piece of the Deepa and Rekha’s Kuchipudi recital. “Rukmini Pravesha Daru” was the choice of Deepa, selected from the dance drama “Rukmini Kalyana.” Annamacharya’s “Vande Vasudevam” was the choice of Rekha, in the raga Sree. Both performed the taranga (Narayana Teertha’s Krishna Leela) with different types of steps – foot work and concluded with a piece on the national integration. They performed with practiced ease and was proof of their experience.

Last programme of the evening was again a Bharathanatya recital by Dr Raksha Karthik. Raksha is a student of Nritya Kalamandalam and a dental surgeon by profession. She commenced her programme with the “Purvaranga Vidhi” customarily. Popular devaranama of Purandara Dasa “Jagadoddarana,” selected usually as a Abhinaya piece, was taken as the main item.

Raksha brought her potential in the right perspective in the “Natanam Aadina” also.

Nitya Nritya

Connoisseurs of Bengaluru eagerly look forward for the “Nitya Nritya” Dance Festival, every year. This year’s programme included lecture and demonstrations apart from dance recitals and special theme of this year’s conference was Asta Dikpalakas.

Students of Bharathanjali presented “Ramacharita Geetham” based on the compositions of Papanasam Shivam. Familiar episodes from Ramayana like Seetha Swayamvara, Shurpanakhi, Maya Mriga and concluding with the Pattabhisheka – were lively and performed with conviction, all the attractive aspects of the art getting the due emphasis.

With some editing the dance drama can be compact and much more impactful. Few parts like Kaike were slightly overly dramatising but few other scenes like crossing the sea on bridge – were attractive and proof of the choreography skill of Anita Guha. Every charana ending with chitteswara added to the punch and sparkle of the
fare.