JOIN USSankranthi festival
The WDA conducted NRI Dance Festival last week and two dance recitals were given at Seva Sadana - Bharathanatya and Odissi dances.
Sigma Satabdhi Pradhan who gave the inaugural dance recital is a disciple of Madhulita Mohapatra of Nrityantar Academy of Performing Arts, Bengaluru. She is now based in Chicago and is also a part of UIC Dancing Flames of the University of Illinois and has represented it at the NDA Dance Championship held in Florida. She has performed at several events both in India and USA.
Sigma opened her Odissi programme with “Jaya Mahesha” in Ragamalika set to thalamalika. She paid obeisance to Shiva, who is adorned by a half moon, river Ganga and holds a Trishul in one hand and damaru in the other. She chose ‘Bajuchi Sahi Bajare’ for Abhinaya, in which Sakhi tells Radha that “the scandalous love affair of Radha and Krishna is being trumpeted in the bazaar of Braja!” It was in the raga Suddha desi and in Thala Malika. Sigma’s Abhinaya was good and the pallavi was performed with practised ease and it was compact both in traditional glory and freshness of approach. Sigma has a bright future in the years to come.
Yoga and dance
Yoga and dance were exploited with telling effect to arrive at enjoyable compositions in the dance programme presented by Yamini Muthanna for the World Dance Alliance on Wednesday. Simple, almost single idea of the theme, based on different verses drawn from the Veda, Upanishad and Puranas, she exploited different themes like - Sristi, Stithi, Laya, Panchabhutha, mother and more. Different ‘Aasanas’ were presented – Vajrasana, Parshva Konasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, Chakrasana, Shirasana – and concluding with Sama Kona Aasana. Her precise and breath taking Aasanas - were impactful and proof of Yamini’s in-depth study of Yoga and Bharathanatya. Kartheek Hebbar (vocal), Prasanna Kumar (Natuvanga), Sri Hari (Mridanga), Jayaram (Flute) and Jananee (Narration) gave support from the wings.
Kanakadasa’scompositions
Chitra Aravind, a senior dancer, is known in the field not only as a performer but also as a teacher and choreographer. She is a student of Dr Lalitha Srinivasan, Dr Maya Rao and Chitra Venugopal in Kathak and studied contemporary dance in the UK. She is training young aspirants in her dane school ‘Rhythm Motion’ and conducts ‘Chalana’ dance festival every year. She has performed in places both in India and abroad.
Chitra Aravind presented a dance drama “Rakshisu Anavaratha”, based on Kanakadasa’s compositions. In the first half, well known Pada “Bagilanu Theradu Seveyanu Kodu Hariye” was presented with popular sequences like Gajendra Moksha, Draupadi Vastrapaharana. They opened with Nammamma Sharade, continued with Deena Nanu, Yadavaraya Brindavanadolu and a few others. Nine of her students performed with ease and assurance and of course Chitra’s histrionics was in full focus. With some more editing the dance drama can be more impactful. Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma’s music was another added attraction and melodious vocal of Suchetan Rangaswamy, Shivu and Kanchana Sri Ranjani contributed to the success of the programme.