A visual treat by US based danseuse & teacher, Shoba Narayan
Learning through seeing... what better way could there be to inspire the students of Nritya Geethanjali and other dance institutions? On Saturday, 14th July, Guru Rajee and Shoba Narayan presented a Lecture - Demonstration of select items from the Bharatanatyam margam, assisted by Bibna Tarakan. Shobha, nee Parvathi Dandapani, needs no introduction... whilst teaching, Guru Rajee would often speak to her disciples about Parvathi's mastery over the dance form. Currently holidaying in India, Parvathi conducts the Nritya Geethanjali classes in Cleveland and has her student, Arathi's arangetram coming soon.
To say that Parvathi is 'an accomplished dancer' would be an understatement, if one has had the good fortune to watch her dance on Saturday. Her ease in abhinaya and sanchari bhava-s is evident, that comes from years of practice and divine blessings... she never faltered, not a movement or even a flicker of a facial muscle that was out of place. All the students joined in singing the invocation, Mata Saraswathi.
A few pieces of pure nritta were executed by Bibna, like the invocatory Todaya Mangalam. Parvathi performed parts of Ainkarane, Guru Rajee's lovely invocation to the elephant God, followed by a verse from her Ramayana Sabdam, depicting Rama giving the Paduka-s to Bharata and the abduction of Sita by Ravana.
This was followed by Maharaja Swati Tirunal's great composition, Kamalajaasya, which some students have been taught to render as a Varnam. Parvathi rendered the fourth Avataar of the Dasavataram, i.e. Narasimha. Her transformation from one character to the other, the demon king Hiranyakasipu, his son Prahlad, the half-animal, half-man God - Narasimha, was subtle... and striking.
She performed to one verse from Krishna Karnamrutam, followed by a verse from Madhura Madhura. The last stanza describing the Geetopadesam from the Marathi Varnam, Ka dharila, was the next item. In Vahati Malaya from Jayadeva's Gita Govind, Parvathi described the loneliness felt by Sri Krishna, in the absence of Radha. In Uttukaadu Mahakavi's nayika padam, Anname idu yenna maayam, she depicted the pangs of sorrow of a Virahotkantitha Nayika.
The recital ended with Bharatiyaar's ever popular Chinnan chiru kiliye. Parvathi's vatsalya bhava brought tears to one's eye. It would have been better if she had done the entire dance, instead of the ending only... As always, the students sang the Mangalam in unison.
The recital left everybody wanting to see more... It was indeed heartening to see Guru Rajee, back where she belongs, after a prolonged illness.
- Jaishree Rao
