Grace and rigour define a captivating Bharatanatyam performance

The Kalasagaram Annual Youth Festival of Dance featured Shreya Kalluri and Nandini Sripathi at Meenakshi Sundaram Hall in Secunderabad recently. Bharatanatyam students of Guru Praveena Vadapalli, they have been meticulously groomed at “Nrityopachara,” her dance school. Precision and rigour marked the recital. The costumes were in sober tones—blue for Nandini and brown for Shreya. The fans and borders, in contrasting red and gold, added elegance. The emphasis was on a simple yet stylish appearance, enhanced by lustrous jewellery elements.

Nandini started the recital with her solo interpretation of “Saraswati Kauthuvam,” composed in Vagadheeswari by Shankar Kandaswamy. Being tall in stature, Nandini stood out on stage with her chiselled depiction and anga shuddhi. Praising the deity in Sanskrit, the Goddess is hailed as “Chaturveda Swaroopini”—she who is the embodiment of the four Vedas. In pure white costume, she rides a swan and holds the veena as her chosen musical instrument, signifying her as the patron of all art forms. Radiating sattva guna, her face is likened to a full moon and her feet to the blooming lotus flower. Nandini’s enchantingly fluid stances and features displayed clean lines in the grammar of dance vocabulary, presenting clarity in silhouetted outline.

The extensive varnam in Reetigowla, “Sri Krishna Kamalanatho,” was a delicate balance between the rhythmic complexity of nritta and the emotional storytelling of abhinaya by Shreya and Nandini. Technical skill and stamina were fully tested in the high-octane jathis, which were performed without compromise. The sanchari portions were exquisitely delineated by both dancers, who were perfectly matched in expressiveness and unflagging vigour. The Lord’s various leelas unfolded like tableaux: the loving son of Vasudeva who is also the destroyer of the demoness Puthana. Nandini was fascinating as she portrayed Puthana’s advent, her overconfidence as she picks up the divine child, and her final, tortured slaying.

The demon Shakatasura, who appeared in the form of a giant whirling cartwheel, was skillfully mimed through angika abhinaya as Krishna shattered him to pieces. The charming transcendental Lord, master of the cowherds and gopis, is described as more effulgent than a million suns. The scion of the Yadu dynasty, consort of Lakshmi and 16,000 queens, dances on the serpent Kaliya, his beautiful feet tinged by the jewels on its hood. As the charioteer of Arjuna, he becomes the oceanic source of the nectarous Bhagavad Gita. He is also the emancipator of the gopis, elevating them to a higher spiritual plane beyond mundane pursuits.

In Ragamalika, Narayana Kavi’s “Paarkadal Alaimele” garnered high appreciation as Lord Ranganatha is extolled as reclining on the serpent Sesha in the ocean of milk. The Dasavatharams were uniquely depicted in a range of vibrant and variegated poses by the duo, who excelled in their statuesque, panoramic imagery. The successive incarnations—the fish saving the Vedas, the turtle supporting Mount Mandara, the boar rescuing the Earth, Narasimha destroying Hiranyakashipu, Vamana seeking boons from Bali, Parashurama slaying unrighteous kings, Rama defeating Ravana, Balarama with the plough, and Krishna in his multifaceted roles—culminated in Kalki, the exterminator of evil. All were splendid in concept and execution, drawing fervent applause.

Nritta and abhinaya were in full splendour. Shreya, in her solo “Adikondar Andha Vedika Kana Kan” in Mayamalavagowla, was exceedingly graceful as Shiva is eulogized performing his cosmic dance at Chidambaram. The devotee is awestruck, witnessing the Lord embodying both creation and destruction. Adorned with serpents, sacred ash, and the crescent moon, he dances with unmatched grace and power. As the devotee surrenders to this magnificent form, a spiritual awakening removes ignorance and grants bliss. Muthu Thandavar’s composition was brought out with radiance by Shreya through scintillating nritta. As she struck her final pose and held it effortlessly until the last chord of music, displaying superb balance, the audience responded with resounding applause.

There was no reduction in stamina from either dancer as the concluding Kadana Kuthuhalam thillana of Balamuralikrishna was performed with intricate footwork. With brisk and lively jathis, the sahityam celebrates Lord Krishna’s joyou