Natya Prasath
15 August 2009
Tan Sri K.R. Soma Auditorium, Wisma Tun Sambanthan,  Kuala Lumpur

Review and Photography by Visithra Manikam

A Mixed Bag

It was the evening of a Bharatanatyam dance performance entitled Natya Prasath by teacher and dancer Sri Ganesan, and three of his senior students Santiago Samathanam, Sheela Raghavan and Sutha Sasi Kumar.

The evening’s performance featured choreographies by Sri Ganesan, his mentor KJ Sarasa and the senior students who are also dance teachers in their own capacity.

The opening piece, Naatai Pushpanjali, was performed by all four dancers.  It was rather disappointing to see the opening dance so ill-rehearsed.  The lack of coordination amongst them was obvious, leaving a sour after-taste at the end of this piece. 

Santiago’s next dance item, Ananda Nadanam, a dance in praise of the dancing Lord Ganesha, came as a pleasant relieve after the earlier piece. While technically sound, it lacked the vibrancy, which he later showed in his final piece for the evening.

Sri Ganesan then performed a virutham piece on Lord Muruga. Sirkonda Dheivam. Virutham is an acapella rendition of lyrics unaccompanied by rhythmic beats. The emotive piece describing the futility of living in a world without Lord Muruga was a lacklustre repertoire. The virutham which is usually reserved for vocal performances could have been replaced with a slower musical number or a rendition with less drag.

Sutha Sasi Kumar lifted the evening with her rendition of the Goddess Kali in Yaarukum Adangadha Nilih. Sutha’s performance seemed effortless and held the audience’s attention. Her expressions were apt and she seemed to glow on stage. She had stood out earlier during the group performances and here, she continued to exude brilliance during her solo rendition.

Sri Ganesan returned with the drama of Ramayana with Bhavayami Raguram. King Dasaratha announces the coronation of Rama as King much to the dissatisfaction of Saguni who poisons Queen Kaikeyi’s mind. She then holds the King ransom with a promise he made to her and banishes Rama and Sita from the kingdom for 14 years. His portrayal of Saguni’s deceit and cunningness fit well with the character.

After a short intermission, the evening proceeded with an interesting rendition of the Sudha Nirtham composed by S. Gopanalur. The purely rhythmic piece or better known as thani avarthanam is usually featured in vocal performances where the percussionists take turns speaking and answering to metrical set of beats. This piece featured percussion instruments such as the konukul (the reciting of rhythmic words), the morsing, the mirdangam and the ganjira. Sheela Ragavan picked a unique choice of song to excite the audience. While the choreography could be improved and spiced up, it got the audience revved up and appreciative with the lively music.

Sri Ganesan was back on stage with Kanjatalayatakshi in praise of the lotus-eyed goddess Kamashi. This was followed by another group performance choreographed by KJ Sarasa, Maragathamani which depicts the mischief and life of Lord Krishna. Performed by Sri Ganesan, Sutha and Sheela, again coordination was not at its best but the choreography was interesting.

The highlight of the evening came from Santiago who danced to the song Thandai Thai Illatha. Describing the perils an orphan would go through in life without parents, Santiago moved the audience with his heartfelt emotions. A father of three children, the performance seemed very personal to him.

The evening ended with a Mohanakalyani Thillana composed by Lagudi Jayaram and choreographed by KJ Sarasa which was performed by Sri Ganesan.

Santiago expressed his wish to see more audience at future performances as he believes a race loses its identity without culture. However, after watching their schools’ performance I believe they need to improve on several areas first.

Music is an essential part of a dance repertoire. A dancers’ message is lost if the audience cannot connect with the music. I am a fan of the legendary stalwarts such as the Bombay Sisters whose music was used by Sri Ganesan. However when today’s generation is less keen on even listening to Carnatic music, why use their music when there are many new music that can also be used, for example music sung by Sudha Ragunathan, Bombay Jayshree and more.

Santiago’s piece Thandai Thai Illatha sung by Sudha Ragunathan is a perfect example. The more contemporary sounding music and softer rendition of carnatic music held the attention of the audience. The same thing goes with the usage of a different kind of music by Sheela, though such performances have been done before, it was a welcome respite to the similar style of music used by Sri Ganesan.

I think Bharatanatyam dancers across the country need to place better emphasis on the kind of music they use for their performances. Odissi is better received by audiences because of the emphasis placed on their music. Language is not a barrier there and neither can they be accused of using contemporary music or cinema tunes. They have stayed pure to the classical styled Odissi music and yet are able to retain the crowd’s interest because each music piece while traditional in notes and lyrics has a contemporary feel to it.

Take for example AR Rahman’s version of Alaypayudhe and the recent introduction of the classical carnatic pieces Kurai Ondrum Illai and Kanda Naal Muthal into mainstream cinema music. The composers stayed true to the essence of those classics yet they captured the minds of the audience with the injection of current music styles. So please continue using the beautiful works of Ootukadu, Dikshitar, Tygaraja and so forth but place great emphasis on the rendition of the music. Keep the music fresh and you will see an increase in audience numbers.

Although Sri Ganesan has done an amazing job as a teacher, which was evident through his dancer’s performance, the same cannot be said of the examples he set on stage.  While the breakage of his dance belt on stage was unfortunate and needed to be removed, it was very disturbing to see him adjust his costume and jewellery every few minutes into his performance, giving the impression that this was acceptable.  It is inevitable that age and deteriorating physicality punishes every dancer.  I’m sure a young Sri Ganesan would have exuded more grace, musicality and lines that are true to Bharatanatyam.

The evening would have been more enjoyable had we been treated to more dances by his students with the usage of livelier music. I hope to see a change and injection of creativity into the music selection and dance pieces in the future.