Purvadhanasree (vilasini natyam) acting at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, T. Nagar, in Chennai..
| Photograph Credit score: RAVINDRAN R
Backed by a strong physique of analysis and underneath the steering of scholar Arudra, Swapna Sundari revived within the Nineties an historic dance model of the hereditary Kalavantulu artistes of Telugu-origin, who danced in temples, royal courts and public areas. The artwork kind, impartial of the all-male bhakti-predominant Bhagavatams corresponding to Bhama Kalapam, was named Vilasini Natyam. Swapna Sundari discovered that the model adopted the Natya Shastra and the more moderen native textual content, Jayasena’s ‘Nrittaratnavali’.
The reconstructed Vilasini Natyam, with the assistance of former artistes corresponding to Maddula Laxminarayana and others, makes use of the physique in another way. The arms are looser in construction whereas the oft used nritta hastas are Ardhachandra, Shikara, Mrigasheersha, inverted soochi amongst others, with the pointed toe used prominently and a U-shaped Natyarambam and a flat ardhachandra. The music is Carnatic-based.
Purvadhanashree, a senior scholar of Swapna Sundari, introduced the Northern model of Vilasini Natyam, at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. The Northern model is alleged to be softer and extra rounded. The dips, the Samapada with the pointed toe, entrance bent-knee stance, the motion of the ft whereas positioned flat, torso bends have been seen within the opening Naandi shlokas and Vinayaka Prarthana (Mohanakalyani, Adi), the latter being an historic piece carried out by Maddula Laxminarayana and lots of earlier than her in entrance of the dwajasthambam within the Visweshwara Agraharam, Perur.
One other temple ritual carried out throughout the providing of naivedyam — the Bala Bhogam, is the Pallavi. Purvadhanashree introduced the Shabdha Pallavi, in Manirangu, talamalika, preceeded by a shloka in ragamalika, expressing gratitude to the panchabhoothas. The nritta in nadai bheda consisted of quick jathis carried out again to again; the entire physique is concerned. Purvadhanashree’s execution was somewhat athletic. The flute (J.B. Sruthi Sagar) was particularly hanging.
The Shiva Salaam daruvu (Kashinatha Kavi), surprisingly named with out the salaam, had a folks tune sung with a lilt. The steps mirrored this light-hearted tone. A ‘nakha shikha’ toes to tresses description of Shiva was adopted by a heat story of Shiva as a householder. Parvathi complains about being within the kitchen all day, so takes a break day to be bejewelled and at leisure like Lakshmi and Saraswathi. Ganesha runs out of modaks, Subramania complains about Shiva’s snakes chasing his peacock, and Shiva just isn’t capable of meditate in peace. He will get exhausted; the devotee feels sorry for him and requests him to relaxation. There was just one line, ‘Pranamatha pasupathi akhila patim’ within the track.
Purvadhanashree has absorbed a few of guru Swapna Sundari’s simple expressions. She is a mature dancer, who’s fluent within the model and its quaintness. One other expressional piece was the Pravesha daruvu of Sathyabhama within the conventional Mishra Chapu. Sathyabhama’s detailed description, her confidence melted into the shringara section with Madana (cupid), ending a brief dialogue between the heroine and her good friend, who asks her to disclose her secret love curiosity. It was a dramatic staging, by way of its excessive musicality and dance. One nevertheless missed the seated abhinaya, meyzuvani model, that Swapna Sundari specialises in.
Mumbai Shilpa’s music made an enormous distinction to the recital. Guru Bharadwaj (mridangam) and Ok.P. Rakesh (nattuvangam) stayed true to the rhythm with out tampering with the texture of the items. The workforce completed with a tisra nadai Adi thillana in Kapi (M.D. Ramanathan) with some nritta that’s totally different from how it’s achieved at the moment.