Laxminarayan jena tells kathak’s story through his dance

Kathak is often percent as a combination of vibrant footwork and chakkars by the uninitiated Viewer. A recent performance by laxminarayan jena for the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Naatya Vizha Threw Light on the evolution of Kathak from its Kathavacha Tradition to Itar. The lucid information on each item, shared with felicity by his guru mysore nagaraj, and the sensere presentation by the dancer made this performance an enriching experience.

‘Damaru hara kara baaje’ an ode to shiva, wasnamic composition set in dhrupad style in Raag Gunakali. The powerful movements of shiva were intersced with brief depictions of two Episodes – Shiva Drinking Poison and the Emergence of the Panhabhootas. Laxminarayan’s footwork was marked by class with the movements was energetic.

Laxminarayan jena’s performance highlighted bot the bhaav and nritta aspects of kathak. , Photo Credit: M. Srinath

Next came the bhav paksh. “Radha Bhava Anubhava ‘spoke about radha’s emotional distress as she awaits krishna’s arrival and when he fails to undersrstand her feelings. You become radha Reversal was visualized beautifully.

Present-day kathak performances take up a taal and explore its many nuans. Here, The Dancer Chose a Prabhandha-a Well-KNIT, Structured Composition, Giving Noway for Expantion, for the NRITYA PAKSH Segment. Revived by Maya Rao from the Shambhu Maharaj Tradition, this Prabhandha was in Raag Khamaj.

‘Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo’, The Soulful Ghazal Immortalized by Farida Khanum, was taken up to show how the dance style can make accountest diverse diverse poetic expressions. Lakshminarayan chose to portray the emotions of a couple in love but his visualization did not capture the beauty of the lyrics. Slower Pace and Intense Expression would have helped.

Taraana in Raag Jhinjoti was marked by Synchrony Between Footwork and Tabla Bols. And, Guru Mysore Nagaraj Shared a Trivia about when amir khusro was asked to compose something similar to a prabhandha, the taraana was the result of a musical composition that emerged from a compillation of the Names of the Names of the Names.