Adept footwork on display

Classical rendition

The first day of the festival got a scintillating start with celebrated dancer Shobhana’s bharatanatyam recital. Characterised by expert choreography and skillful execution, her performance kept the audience glued to the chair till the end. She started off her recital with a composition dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was a solo rendition by Shobhana and consisted of vibrant movements and intricate expressions. After this, she was joined by four of her students for a varnam presentation set in Raag Malika. The lyrics of the composition were translated from Telugu to Malayalam by Shobhana herself and narrated the story of Shiva who quells the pride of Rishis who were of the opinion that Karma was supreme. The narration also slightly touched upon the story of Sati who sacrifices herself to the fire in her father’s court.

Shobhana along with her very young students who were trained in Mohiniattam
infused life into the story through the skilled execution of movements and extraordinary abhinaya tactics. The composition culminated with a power-packed presentation of Thandava nritya by the ace dancer. It was a thrilling experience for the audience to watch Shobhana visualising the Dasavatara, the ten incarnation of  Lord Vishnu in her original eclectic style. Shobhana won the hearts of the audience through this ballet and garnered a huge appreciation.

The second day had performances by the students of Monisha Arts who did a small piece which showcased their professionalism in the field. There was a dance lecture demonstration by Nirmala Paniker. She delved into the importance of abhinaya and expression in dance.

The last day also saw a bharatanatyam performance by Rajashree Warriar who performed a rather lengthy piece titled, Ashtaishwariyam meaning the eight qualities required for penance. “The performance captures the life of Lord Krishna and his qualities. The dance explores each quality in detail,” said Rajashree and added, “it is performed in abhinaya format. It depicts a lot of energy and passion.” Age hasn’t dimmed Padmashri Bharathi Shivaji’s verve to perform. She was quick with her footwork.  
The even also witnessed a release of souvenir called Expressions edited by Surendra Unni and it was followed by an AV presentation on Monisha Arts.