A wondrous Bharatnatyam performance delighted the Bhopal art lovers. The performance was held under an event ‘Arangetram’ here on Tuesday at Shaheed Bhavan auditorium that left the audience totally mesmerised.
Choreographed and directed by classical dancer Shweta Devendra, the performance marked the tribute to Guru Siddharam Swami Korvar, the eminent classical dancers including Bindu Juneja, Bharati Hombal and Alpana Vajpayi. The performances were given by the disciples of Shweta Devendra Pupul Bhatnagar and Aishwarya Mutliyar.
The audience had a wonderful experience witnessing a marvelous Bharatnatyam performance live on stage. The dancers started off with Pushpanjali. "Pushpanjali" literally means 'an offering of flowers'. This item is traditionally peformed at the start of a Bharathanatyam show, where the artists salute the gods, their gurus and the audience.
Then the dancers performed Natesha Kauthuvam. The 'Natesha Kauthuvam' is a dance in praise of Lord Shiva. He is the god of destruction as well as the god of dance in his 'Nataraj' form. This is a fast paced piece that has beautiful poses of Natesha i.e. Shiva, the one who is worshipped by all the sages and demons; and who dances with a drum in one hand. In a Kauthuvam, rhythmic syllables are intertwined with the lyrics of the song. Thus it has both footwork and abhinaya i.e the expressions components in its choreography.
Next the artists performed Alarippu. It is a piece with simple poses and movements in a particular tune and rhythm, representing the pure dance aspect of Bharathanatyam.
The artists then performed Jathiswaram. It is a pure dance presentation, devoid of any abhinaya, in which, intricate sequences are fused with repetitive musical notes. The dance deals with the execution of basic steps and mudras, combined in definite groups.
After this, the artists gave spellbinding performances of Shabdam, Varnam, Kirtinam, Ashtpadi and wrapped up the performance with Tillana. The entire performance was a treat for the audience as they were rapturously watching the show.