In sync with art, higher self

William Butler Yeats once famously raised the question “How can we know the dancer from the dance?” and it made people wonder.

All the pondering on this query, however, was put to rest when the feet of Sharanya Chandran decided to do the talking with a rapturous and evocative display of Bharatanatyam on the stage at the Andhra Bhavan that brought together her life’s learning in a graceful performance on 23 February. Chandran’s solo Bharatanatyam performance was presented by Sree Shanmukhananda Sangeetha Sabha.

Having been a student of the art form since the tender age of four, Chandran’s dance recital evoked the strength, vigour and grace of the Thanvjavoor style that she has managed to pick up from her Guru and mother (Padma Shri) Geeta Chandran. 

Sharanya, who also happens to be a senior dancer and choreographer of the Natya Vriksha, an organisation aimed at the preservation and promotion of Indian culture and dance, showed Metrolife just how good she can be with her steps, body language and timing, which were complimented beautifully by her expressions. 

Through her dance, Chandran made the audience feel connected not just with the art but with the sense of a higher existence itself with every move. So much so, that her performance; alluring and majestic, reinforced Martha Graham’s belief that, “Dancers are the messengers of the gods.”