Legends of Shiva, Parvathi and Ganesha retold through Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi

dancer

Pooja Aakanksha Reddy

returned to the stage after a brief sabbatical with a masterful recital at

Ravindra Bharathi

on Ganesh Chaturthi. Titled ‘Bhajami Ganapatim’, the performance, comprising a series of five acts, showcased intricate nuances of the classical dance form dipped in devotional fervour. Striking the right balance between nritta, abhinaya and nritya, the disciple of Deepika Reddy, brought mythological legends alive on stage and mesmerised the audience with complex mudras based on composite rhythms.

The show kicked off with Mudakkaratta Modakam, the popular Ganesh Pancharatna penned by saint Adi Shankaracharya. The piece describes different aspects of Ganesha — his lineage, appearance, quirks and features — so the stress is more on abhinaya than nritya. And Pooja lived up to the expectations and cruised through the demanding piece with élan.

After setting the tone for the evening with a piece on Lord Ganesha, Pooja shifted her focus to his mother, Goddess Durga in the second act of the show. The danseuse brought to life the different facets of the Goddess — the doting mother, a dutiful wife and ferocious warrior — as she danced to the Gowri Sukumari composition set in Vasantha ragam. Her acute of sense of tala gnanam made this piece a delightful watch.

It was time for the central piece for the evening, Shiva Shiva Bhava Bhava Sharanam. It’s difficult to lend a personal touch to the popular dance piece, especially when trying to improvise on choreography. And this is where the mettle of Pooja’s guru Deepika Reddy who choreographed the performance, shone through. Narrating the tale of Shiva and Ganga, Deepika employed metaphorical gestures to symbolise the flow of water and how Shiva tries to control its ferocity, which Pooja executed with acute precision.

Pooja’s dexterity while performing the tarangam — a popular technique where the performer dances on a brass plate — encapsulated the complexity of the Shiva-Ganga equation beautifully.
The final piece of the evening was based on a

tillana

composed by Carnatic maestro Balamuralikrishna in Kadanakutuhala ragam. Pooja’s skillful footwork lent momentum to the piece and garnered cheers from the audience. The talented dancer brought the curtains down to the recital with Ganesha mangala harathi. The music for the entire recital was composed by DSV Sastry with Sai Kumar and Jayakumar Acharya on the violin and the mridangam, respectively.