A blend of meaningful expressions

The event began with a dance piece invoking the blessings of Ganapati. The piece was a medley of kathak and bharatanatyam and was choreographed by Chitra Arvind.

Then came the Varna, a traditional bharatanatyam number comprising techniques and facial expressions, set to the composition Neela Megha Shyama. This was also performed by Chitra Arvind.

A contemporary fusion number called The Maker came next. The piece used multimedia light and sound to effectively explore the evolution of man and his tryst with nature. The background score for this particular dance was composed by Hindi fusion band Ek.

Ras Barse, a traditional kathak number portraying the emotions of a girl who is awaiting the arrival of her beloved, won accolades from the audience for its neat and appealing choreography. “This is the most beautiful performance of today. As two ragas Hamsadhwani and Yaman have been used, the emotions have come out effectively,” said Komala Mohan, who had come to watch the performance.

The piece, Yatra – The River of Life, explored the events in the lives of two friends who goes on an adventure trip on a river. The theme of the dance questioned the aspects of identity and existence through the two performers. Aarti Mohan gave a live narration on the theme of the dance, which was supported by Subha Mukund’s vocals.

Flirting with Edges, a youthful and fun piece, showed how today’s generation perceives dance while another recital, called Dream Catcher, elaborated the fantasy of a dreamer.
“Despite some technical flaws, the performance was really amazing. It was a perfect blend of ancient and modern art and an effort to analyse the current issues through artistic lens,” said Smitha Ravindra, who had also come to watch the performance.