Classical meets contemporary

Be it any form, Shobhana is one artiste who performs with utmost grace and perfection.

In a dance recital held at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall recently, Shobhana and her students raised funds for a trust that helps orphans and senior citizens.
Making it a complete and balanced performance, the recital was enjoyed by lovers of both classical and contemporary dance.

The evening first began with a Bharatanatyam performance for which she chose classical poems from Tamil and Kannada. Each of the recital depicted episodes from the Indian mythology.

Laced with grace and backed by well co-ordinated movements, Shobhana took the audience through the stories of Lord Ganesha, the three-breasted Goddess Meenakshi who fell in love with Lord Shiva, the love saga between Krishna and Radha, the strength of Sita, the playfulness of the gopikas and the darkness of Kali.
At times, this danseuse was sheer poetry in motion which only added to the viewers’ delight.

Her introduction to each of the stories were so descriptive which made the younger generation in the audience understand the dance better. Her favourite, she said, was the dark Kali. “She is one woman who has forest as her hair, fire as her eyes and with a garland of skulls sets out to conquer evil,” she said. She then concluded the first half with a thillana which left the audience wanting for more
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In the second half of the programme, Shobhana picked out gems from world music and coupled it with contemporary fusion steps. With delicate gestures inter-woven with facial expressions interpreting the music, she and her team presented a collage of A R Rehman’s compositions. She then concluded the evening’s programme with a Western classical and an Indo-fusion jazz ensemble.