29-04-2025
When a dance performance highlighted the beauty of songs
The third edition of 'Vaggeyakara Bharatham', presented by Nrithyopasana Trust and Natyarangam, featured a collaborative attempt between Urmila Satyanarayana and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi. The well-known dancer and violinist selected some compositions, including a few rare ones, suited for dance, which were performed by Urmila and her students.
The auspicious sounds of the nagaswaram by Pazhayaseevaram G Kalidas and thavil by Adyar G Silambarasan were majestic in tone and tenor, and the mallari in panchagana ragamaliga composed by Kuzhitalai Pichaiyapillai and Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram Pillai, set to Sankeerna Ata Taalam, was danced by a group of young girls. After initial hiccups, they presented it with coordination and clarity, but their entry and exit needed to be streamlined better.
Next was the prayer, a small kriti composed by Vijayalakshmi in praise of Narthana Ganapathy in raga Nattaikurinchi.
A Varnam 'En manam niraindavar ' composed by Lalgudi G Jayaraman in Keeravani, for the production 'Jayanthi Jaya Devi' in the 90s, was danced as a group with four characters — Uma, sakhi, Shiva and Shiva in disguise as an old man. This varnam is about Uma speaking to her sakhi about her love for Thillai Nataraja, when Shiva appears to thwart her penance and dissuade her from marrying.
The strength of a varnam in a traditional margam lies in the immense possibility it offers in detailing and expressing the emotions of a besotted nayika. By adapting it to a group presentation, the impact of the emotions of love got diluted, with attention getting divided among each character on stage. The latter half which was visualised as a dialogue between Uma and Shiva in disguise with a peppy line 'Shivana nn manalan' was akin to a natya nadakam (dance drama) — where swaras and sahitya, and rhythm and dramatics combined judiciously .
A Purandardasa devarnama 'Mella mella bandane' in Mohana, dealing with gopikas complaining to Krishna's mother Yashoda about the pranks played by Krishna was portrayed as a costume drama with two Krishnas — the obedient son and a mischievous boy in conversation mode with the complaining gopis.
Urmila's portrayal of the emotions in the song 'Nidhi chaala sukama' by Tyagaraja in raga Kalyani, where he stresses on the importance of devotion over worldly pleasures, was noteworthy for the sensitivity with which she expressed the thoughts.
Identifying and choreographing rare compositions suited for dance is a fine step forward, but it needs to move beyond the level of a routine margam presentation. The varied facets of each discipline could have been woven more seamlessly had there been greater creative engagement between the musician and the dancer.
Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi's concise explanation of the musicality and salient features of each composition, helped the audience understand their intrinsic value. As for the dance aspect, the focus was group choreography.
Sai Kripa Prasanna, besides choreographing the pieces with Urmila, wielded the cymbals. Bhavya Hari and Prithvi Harish's vocal rendition was soulful and melodic. Guru Bharadwaj on the mridangam and Sujith Naik on the flute were the accompanying artistes.
