Aishwarya Nityananda was excellent in her repertoire with delicate gestures and crisp footwork. By Anushka Bansal
Aishwarya Nityananda proved to be a vivacious dancer and emanated vigour in every nerve, making for a dynamic presentation. Nityananda chose a garland of namas from Krishna Ashtottara, for presenting it as a varna. She possessed all the required features for an ideal dancer. The dancer took to fragile gestures and crisp footwork while she dwelt considerably on extolling the Krishna aspect with much more gestural imagery. A disciple of Radha Sridhar presented a Bharatnatyam recital ,leela Mohana Krishna at India Habitat Centre.
But this svelte dancer scored high compliments for her wonderful portrayal. Nityananda’s abhinaya as Radha lent the character finesse. Her metamorphosis from vasakasajjika to khandita (a woman eagerly awaiting her lover's return to one who rebukes him) in Yahi Madhava by Aishwarya was restrained. To make the Jatis showy, different gatis were appended to them. Alternating movements by artistes embodying Krishna thegopikas added to the repertoire’s aesthetic appeal.
The dancing met with all the requirements of worthy repertoire, presenting symmetrical skill, stamina and dramatic flair. More because of the manner of envisaging the theme, the presentation came across as a sober canvas with a few light moments to relieve the monotone effect.
The effortless ease with which she executed the difficult adavus and her natural expression of even the subtlest emotions through her face and eyes were remarkable. They were coupled with hand gestures and body movements, marked her out as a complete artiste. Excellently backed up by Pulikeshi (nattuvangam), Balasubramanya Sharma (vocal), Jayaram (flute) and VR Chandrasekhar (mridangam), her artistry climaxed in the elaboration of the famous krithi Mahadeva Shiva Shambho (Revathi) with a shloka prelude. In this she interpreted the tale of Ravana. The effortless araimandi, the light skip in her gait as she turned round gave unique touch to her artistry as much as the subtle colour combination of her costume. She danced like an excellent dancer executing the role and gestures in an amazing way. Her exemplary grip over the medium was visible in the brief spell of her performance. She is currently working on loka Bandhavya, a production on human being and his relationship with the world. Also, a feature on the rare compositions by the Maharaja of Mysore, Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar.