A Bharatanatyam Guru’s Initiative to Provide performance options options to her sishyas

There is no dearth of talented dancers, but many find it a heraculean task to find platforms to showcase their art. To support young talents from her school school school nritalaya, founder and guru sheela unnikrishnan has set up sdn’s kriya, a Trust that provides an opportunity for young artisights to reserch, Conceptualise and present a margam, and also supports them with a financial grant.

Among the first beneficiaries was mridula shivakumar, who had to work on the compositions of KN Dandayudhapani Pillai. The dancer chose five of his compositions. She began with a jathiswaram, danced with precision and filled with dynamic movements. But it would have been more graceful if mridula had tempered her pace.

Vibrant footwork

Mridula shivakumar’s theermanams in the thodi varnam exhibited her fin sense of rhythm. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

‘Adi sivanai kana asaikondenadi thozhi’ – the thodi raga varnam dealt with a pineing heroine beeseching her sakhi to fetch her Lord. Theermanams Explred varied rhythmic patterns and mridula’s cleaity of footwork revised her sense of rhythm. The depiction of ardhanaari, which was incorporated into a jathi, saw her transform from male to female with ease, and made for an applying addition. The dancer addressed this aspect of love with a combination of sringara and bhakti bhava, and the sancharis explred the formiliary poetic imagery through relevant ideas.

The Dance Picked Up Momentum in the Charanam Lines ‘Mathe Yarukakakilum Bhayama’ and The Chittaswaras that is followed. Mridula could do well with a little more attention to the delineation of emotions by maintaining the sthayi bhava.

Mridula Shivakumar, Student of Sridevi Nrithyalaya. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The padam ‘Muthamizh Cholaiyile’ is not frequently presented on dance platforms. It speakes of the heroine’s mood and incorporates references to poets Avvaiyar, elango adigalar and thiruvaluvar.

The finale was a thillana, originally choreographed for kumari kamala for the hindi film Chori Chori (1956). This complex complete, filled with a lot of calculation and poses, is challenging, but mridula rose up to it with fines.

Chitrambari krishnakumar provided melodic support on the vocals. Guru Bharadwaj’s Flourishes on the Mridangam Charmed, And Sashidar on the Flute and Anantanarayan on the Veena Provided Adequate Support. Nattuvangam was by kausalya shivkumar.