A feast of enchanting performances

The eight-day festival has a variety of performances in bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, odissi, mohiniyattam and Hindustani vocals, tabla and veena concerts.

The first day witnessed a breathtaking kathak performance by Nandini Mehta and Murali Mohan.

A bharatanatyam recital presented by Priyadarshini was also impressive.

The second day began with kathak performances by the ‘Nadam Ensemble’.

Their first piece was a Ganesha Stuthi after which they presented a kathak recital called Varsha, created exclusively for the event.

This piece depicted the grandeur of the rainy season.

Elegantly dressed dancers brought alive the rainy season by portraying dark clouds gathering in the sky, lightning flashing across the horizon, raindrops falling on the earth, the aroma of wet mud filling the air and the graceful dancing of peacocks.

The third and final piece by the ‘Ensemble’ was a teen-taal, a composition in
a 16-beat-time cycle.

The composition showcased pranks of Krishna and the Draupadi Vastrapaharan.
An odissi duet by Uday Kumar Shetty and Soumya Uday Kumar was sensual and stole the hearts of the audience.

They started their performance with Vasantha Pallavi in Raag Vasantha set to Ek Tal. The Vasantha Pallavi was all about the arrival of vasantha ruthu in Brindavan.

The couple depicted through their abhinaya how Krishna used to enjoy the arrival of vasantha and the way Rathi Manmatha elebrated the occasion.

In their second item, Rase Hari Riha, an ashtapadi in abhinaya written by Jayadeva, the couple narrated the love saga of Radha and Krishna.

 Their next piece Shankaravaranam Pallavi was an elaboration of Raag Shankaravaranam. Their final act, Moksh in Raag Bhairavi, depicted how a dancer can reach the point of union with the higher spirit and can surrender himself to god.

“We are elated to perform at this festival. We appreciate Nandini and Murali for
conducting this festival for the last 12 years. Being artistes themselves, they have been giving opportunities to other artistes through this initiative,” said Uday Kumar Shetty.

The festival will be held till November 19, 6.30 pm at ADA Rangamandira. Entry is free.