Vignettes of Shivaratri festival at Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur
9 years ago

Vignettes of Shivaratri festival at Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur

The Hindu  

For eight days in succession the precincts of Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur, reverberated with devotion as eclectic performances of dance and music were staged as part of the annual Shivaratri festival. The varnam ‘Modama intha velayil,’ a popular composition of K. N. Dhandayuthapani in Kharaharapriya and Adi, was well balanced in nritta and nrithya. The main raga Mohanam was explored in full and the composition was ‘Kapali’ in two kala, Adi. Beginning with an extensive puja to Shiva, she interpreted the Abhogi composition of Gopalakrishna Bharati, ‘Sabhapathikku.’ She concluded with ‘Tandavamadum paadane’ in Hamsanandi. ‘Harihara Sankara’, a duet, brought forth the unity of Vishnu and Shiva in rag Bahaar, teen Taal.

Audience Bharatanatyam Krishna Thrissur Taal Shiva Adi Raga Composition Kathakali Parvathy Sujatha Shivaratri Kattalan Hamsadwani Nritta  taal  adi  audience  composition  krishna  shiva  festival  vadakkunnathan  presented  thrissur  raga  shivaratri  temple  nritta  vignettes  recital

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Chandan Kumar and Vishwas Hari presented ragas with artistic finesse at the Suswaraa Trust’s annual music festival 2025
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Chandan Kumar and Vishwas Hari presented ragas with artistic finesse at the Suswaraa Trust’s annual music festival 2025

The Hindu  

Lyrical appreciation is as integral to enjoying Carnatic music as its musical aesthetics. As a result, back-to-back concerts by Vishwas Hari and Mysore A. Chandan Kumar on the opening day of Suswaraa Trust’s 36th Sangeetha Utsavam at Bharaitya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall proved to be a double delight. The Sahana varnam ‘Karunimpa’ by Tiruvotriyur Tyagayyar provided a lively start before …

The joy of dancing as a duo
2 weeks, 2 days ago

The joy of dancing as a duo

The Hindu  

There is always a joy in dancing as a duo, and this was evident in the Bharatanatyam recital of Nandhini Jeeva and Rangasri Raghunathan. The recital began with Pushpanjali, followed by Purandaradasar’s ‘Saranam siddi vinayaka’ in Nattai raga and Misra Chapu tala. The performance built up to the pivotal moment of Parvati’s encounter with Shiva, with Nandhini portraying Parvati and …

Young Bharatanatyam dancer Sivashree Kumar showcases her training and technique
1 month ago

Young Bharatanatyam dancer Sivashree Kumar showcases her training and technique

The Hindu  

Sivashree Kumar, a disciple of R. Vijay Madhavan, began her solo recital at Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha’s Bharat Nritya Utsav 2025, Chennai, with ‘Sadashiva Kumara’, a composition by Papanasam Sivan, in raga Suddha Saveri and Adi tala. The next piece, ‘Maasil veenaiyum’, a Thevaram in Poorvikalyani and Adi tala, depicted the bliss of surrendering to Shiva. The concluding piece, ‘Chinnanjiru …

Reviving the desi Mohiniyattam repertoire
1 month, 1 week ago

Reviving the desi Mohiniyattam repertoire

The Hindu  

Among the choreographers of Mohiniyattam, Nirmala Panicker of Natanakaisiki, Irinjalakuda, stands out for her contribution in reviving certain aspects of the desi repertoire of the dance form. For example, the forms of Polikali, Esal, Chandam and Kurathy were excluded when Mohiniyattam was revived in Kerala Kalamandalam in 1932, because of the degeneration of the dance form due to certain abominable …

Young Bharatanatyam artiste Manasa Sriram impresses with her sincere approach
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Young Bharatanatyam artiste Manasa Sriram impresses with her sincere approach

The Hindu  

Manasa Sriram, a disciple of Mahalakshmi Ashwin, began her recital at the Pongal Dance Festival 2025 with the invocatory hymn from the Thirumanthiram, ‘Ainthu karathanai’, in praise of Ganesha. She then moved to a Ganesha Alarippu set to Tisra Nadai Adi tala, showcasing the essence of Bharatanatyam’s rhythmic foundation. For the varnam, Manasa chose ‘Swamiyai azhaithu vadi’ by the Thanjavur …

Shruthi Vidhyashankar’s varnam ‘Samiyai Vara Cholladi’ was impressive
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Shruthi Vidhyashankar’s varnam ‘Samiyai Vara Cholladi’ was impressive

The Hindu  

Right moves Shruthi Vidhyashankar’s recital peaked during the varnam Srividya Shruthi Vidhyashankar’s Bharatanatyam recital proved her mettle from the start. This was followed by the evening’s highlight — the varnam ‘Samiyai vara cholladi’, a composition by K.N. By way of elaborating lines such as ‘Bhumi pugazhum sivakami magizhum balan’, Shruthi made fleeting references to the story of the birth of …

Jaikishore Mosalikanti’s thematic presentation was marked by well-choreographed sequences
2 months ago

Jaikishore Mosalikanti’s thematic presentation was marked by well-choreographed sequences

The Hindu  

The time and effort rasikas devote to watch a performance become worth it when the performance lives up to their expectation. One experienced that aesthetic delight while watching the group presentation ‘Triyambaam’ by Jaikishore Mosalikanti and his Shivamohanam school of Kuchipudi. ‘Ya kundendu tushara hara davala’, a traditional obeisance to the goddess of knowledge was followed by the popular Muthuswami …

Pavitra Bhat’s nuanced portrayal
2 months ago

Pavitra Bhat’s nuanced portrayal

The Hindu  

An aesthetic space, a soulful orchestral team and a receptive audience — young male dancer Pavitra Krishna Bhat was fortunate to have all these for his performance as a part of Kalakshetra’s 71st annual art festival. The Nattakurinji varnam ‘Swami naan undhan adimai’, where the devotee seeks the blessings of lord Shiva, was an apt choice for a male dancer. …

Jaikishore Mosalikanti presents a lively tapestry of music and movement
2 months ago

Jaikishore Mosalikanti presents a lively tapestry of music and movement

The Hindu  

The time and effort rasikas devote to watch a performance become worth it when the performance lives up to their expectation. It was one such experience of aesthetic delight that one got, while watching the group presentation ‘ Triyambaam ‘ by Jai Kishore Mosalikanti and his Shivamohanam school of Kuchipudi at The Music Academy’s dance festival. ‘’Ya kundendu tusharahara davala’, …

With a soul-stirring concert by Kunnakudi Balamurali Krishna, it is curtains for music festival in Madurai
2 months, 2 weeks ago

With a soul-stirring concert by Kunnakudi Balamurali Krishna, it is curtains for music festival in Madurai

The Hindu  

The final day of the 73rd Music and Arts Festival at Sri Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam in Madurai witnessed a soul-stirring concert of Kunnakudi Balamurali Krishna with Bhakthi and Bava, which left audience spellbound. Balamurali commenced with Swati Tirunal’s Varnam ‘Sarasijanabha in Kambhoji,’ offering obeisance to ‘Saraji janabhan.’ He then worshipped Vedaraneswarar through Sri ParvathI Paramesvarau vande in bauli by Dikshidar. …

With a focus on Shiva
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2 months, 2 weeks ago

With a focus on Shiva

The Hindu  

Anwesha Das, a disciple of Urmila Satyanarayanan, presented a traditional margam for her performance for Kartik Fine Arts. The alarippu in Sankirna Chaapu featured elements representative of his iconic image — the Damaru, the Ganga flowing from his locks, the tiger skin and snake — through interesting poses and simple movements. Anwesha explored the ideas convincingly with familiar sancharis such …

Sivasri’s ‘naama yatra’ connects audience well at music festival in Madurai
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Sivasri’s ‘naama yatra’ connects audience well at music festival in Madurai

The Hindu  

Sivasri Skandaprasad took the rasikas for a “Nama Yatra” on the fifth day’s concert of the 73rd annual music and arts festival at Sri Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam in Madurai. Her next rendition was “muruga muruga enral” by Periyasami Tooran in raga saaveri and in quick succession she rendered Tirupugazh “Kondru tharu.” Skandaprasad’s composition “Pathi pasupathi” and “Maathangi maragathangi” on Lord …

Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon took the route less travelled to explore ‘Chidananda Margam’
3 months ago

Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon took the route less travelled to explore ‘Chidananda Margam’

The Hindu  

Moving away from a linear depiction, how does one infuse vigour to a popular Varnam like ‘Swami naan undhan adimai’ in raga Nattakurinji, in a manner that would befit a dancing duo? Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon did just that in ‘Chidananda Margam’ for the inaugural day of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha festival. Diagonal lighting was used effectively as a …

Mahati Kannan and Ramya Venkataraman explored the concept of Shakti through well-researched pieces
3 months, 1 week ago

Mahati Kannan and Ramya Venkataraman explored the concept of Shakti through well-researched pieces

The Hindu  

‘Prakrti to Para, An Exploration of Sakthi’, conceptualised and visualised by Bharatanrithyam dancers Mahati Kannan and Ramya Venkatraman of Nrithyodaya, was an exploration of the Divine Mother from the physical and the metaphysical plane, as described in the Vedas. ‘Devi as Prakrti is everywhere — as the Earth Goddess, as the dense forest, the fruits and flowers, as the sacred …

Nandhini Enthrals Audience with Excellent Renditions
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Nandhini Enthrals Audience with Excellent Renditions

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The fifth concert of Kalasagaram’s 57th annual festival of music, dance and drama featured an excellent vocal concert by Vidhushi Dr. N. J. Nandhini from Thiruvananthapuram. A beautiful rendition of ‘Begada raga’ alapana enhanced the expectation of a wonderful concert to follow. Nandhini took the line ‘Karuna jesimunukarirajunibrovaledha’ for neraval and kalpana swara pregnant with bhava and mathematical calculation …

Aishwarya enthrals music lovers
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Aishwarya enthrals music lovers

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad:Aishwarya Vidya Raghunath enthralled music lovers with her mellifluous rendition at the 57th annual festival of music, dance and drama of Kalasagaram. She started with Swathi Thirnal’s ‘Sumasayaka’ in Karnataka Kapi with ragamalika swaras followed by the Thyagaraja krithi ‘Tulasi Dalamulache’ in Mayamalavagowla raga with crisp kalpana swaras. Before a beautiful Varali raga alapana, she sang the ‘Sanatana Parama Pavana’ …

Classical music enthralls audience
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Classical music enthralls audience

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad:The third day of Kalasagaram’s 57th annual festival of music, dance and drama featured an electrifying concert by Vidhushis Ranjani and Gayatri. After a wonderful rendition of Ranjani raaga, they presented Thyagaraja’s famous krithi Durmargachara to a jam-packed audience where they chose dharm Atmakadhana dhanya daivamuni. The next came a beautiful Saveri raga alapana with a melodious Muruga Muruga of …

A musical ode to Oothukadu Venkatakavi
4 months, 3 weeks ago

A musical ode to Oothukadu Venkatakavi

The Hindu  

An exclusive Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi concert could well be a dare for the artistes as much as it is a divine treat for the rasikas, thanks to the lyrical profundity, melodic richness and rhythmic wizardry that his compositions are steeped in. The brothers explored that and much more in their vocal concert as Narada Gana Sabha and the International Foundation …

Manipuri dancer appeals to the audience to pray for peace in the strife-torn State
7 months, 1 week ago

Manipuri dancer appeals to the audience to pray for peace in the strife-torn State

The Hindu  

Moving away from the world of Bharatnatyam to watch a Manipuri dance performance felt like a breath of fresh air. Sinam Singh Basu, a Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar awardee, and his wife Monica presented short compositions at Kathak Darpan’s Smriti Festival at Kalakshetra in Chennai recently. So I urge you all to pray for peace to return to the beautiful …

Rishabh Kaushik’s vocal concert was a showcase of talent
8 months ago

Rishabh Kaushik’s vocal concert was a showcase of talent

The Hindu  

What stood out in Rishabh Kaushik’s Nadhasangam concert for Narada Gana Sabha held at its Mini Hall recently was his diligence. After a crisp raga alapana of Vachaspathi, Rishabh presented Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Paraathpara Parameswara’. Oothukadu Venkata Kavi’s poignant Ritigowla song ‘Enna punniyam seidaeno’ in Misra Chapu was followed by the main kriti ‘Kaligiyuntegada’ by Tyagaraja. While the concert underlined Rishabh’s …

Kapaliswarar temple, Mylapore: Vijay Madhavan presents ‘Chaya’ based on Melattur Bhagavata Mela natakam
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Kapaliswarar temple, Mylapore: Vijay Madhavan presents ‘Chaya’ based on Melattur Bhagavata Mela natakam

The Hindu  

The Bhagavata Mela theatre form is a tradition rooted in Puranas or Hindu epics. Vijay Madhavan who formally learnt Bharatanatyam from Chitra Visweswaran trained to become a Bhagavata Mela artiste from a very young age and has been a part of this hallowed tradition for the last 34 years. Naming his solo production ‘Chaya’, Vijay explored the paatra praveshas or …

Harinie Jeevitha’s ‘Varadarajam Upasmahe’ had all the artistic elements in the right proportion
11 months ago

Harinie Jeevitha’s ‘Varadarajam Upasmahe’ had all the artistic elements in the right proportion

The Hindu  

Gaana Nritya Academy, Mangaluru, presented the Chennai-based Bharatanatyam dancer Harinie Jeevitha’s performance ‘Varadarajam Upasmahe’ to a full house. This presentation included compositions such as ‘Varadaraja ninnu kori vachithi’, Dikshithar’s ‘Varadarajam upasmahe’ in Saranga and many Sanskrit shlokas, Telugu songs and Tamil pasurams. Harinie concluded her presentation with the charama shloka from the Bhagavad Gita, ‘Sarva dharmaan parityaja’ that ends with …

Uma Ramesh put together compositions on Shiva for her thematic performance
1 year ago

Uma Ramesh put together compositions on Shiva for her thematic performance

The Hindu  

It was a thematic margam and the chosen deity for the evening was the lord of dance Shiva. Uma Ramesh, in her performance for Brahma Gana Sabha, chose to make this thematic presentation more meaningful by conceptualising a recital that moved from the physical to a philosophical state. Uma’s choreography of the physical structure of the temple in the Mallari …

Niveditha Sankaranarayanan opts for traditional compositions
1 year ago

Niveditha Sankaranarayanan opts for traditional compositions

The Hindu  

For someone who has been actively dancing from a young age, returning to perform after a hiatus would be a cherished moment. Niveditha Sankaranarayanan, a disciple of Srekala Bharath, performed a solo Bharatanatyam recital after a gap of two and a half years, under the auspices of Karthik Fine Arts at Narada Gana Sabha mini hall in Chennai. Niveditha comes …

Madras Players’ Kamalakshi weaves together music, dance and theatre to narrate the story of a devadasi
1 year, 1 month ago

Madras Players’ Kamalakshi weaves together music, dance and theatre to narrate the story of a devadasi

The Hindu  

The auditorium at Narada Gana Sabha reverberated with applause as the curtains rose to reveal an artistically-crafted temple on stage for the play Kamalakshi. Kamalakshi dances to two full-length songs — ‘Tyagaraja yoga vaibhavam’ and ‘Theruvil varano’. The bond that develops between Kamalakshi and Sivaguru; an infatuated Sugavanam aspiring to be the dancer’s patron and the dancer resisting the pressure …

Visakha Music Academy’s 21st 21st annual music and dance from February 23
1 year, 1 month ago

Visakha Music Academy’s 21st 21st annual music and dance from February 23

The Hindu  

The 21st Annual Music and Dance Festival of the Andhra Music Academy, the cultural wing of Siva Ganga Sangeeta Parishad, will be held in Visakhapatnam from February 23 to 25. Several artistes are invited to perform at the festival and the outstanding artistes will be conferred with the titles of ‘Sangeetha Vidyanidhi’ and ‘Natya Vidyanidhi’. The Academy has conferred ‘Sangeetha …

Top Performers Pay Homage to Tyagaraja
1 year, 1 month ago

Top Performers Pay Homage to Tyagaraja

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: A musical tribute in keeping with the tradition of paying homage to the saint-composer Thyagaraja was conducted by two premier classical music organisations of the city. They render the five Pancharatna Kritis —‘Jagadanandakaraka’ in the raga Nattai, ‘Dudukugala Nanne’ in the raga Goula, ‘Sadinchane’ in the raga Arabhi, ‘Kanakana Ruchira’ in the raga Varali and ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu’ in the …

Dance fest to celebrate ‘Prana Pratishtan’
1 year, 2 months ago

Dance fest to celebrate ‘Prana Pratishtan’

The Hindu  

Kala Sujaya, the dance academy in association with Hubballi Dharwad Bunts Sangha, will present a dance festival in Hubballi on January 22 to celebrate the ‘Prana Pratishtan’ of Lord Ram at Ayodhya. The dance festival will have Yakshagana “Maya Mantahare” by Shridhar Chapparmane and Begar Shivakumar, the renowned artist from costal Karnataka, and ‘Shabari’ a dance drama Sujay shanbhag. Mr. …

Chennai Dance for Dance Festival 2023 features Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam and Odissi
1 year, 2 months ago

Chennai Dance for Dance Festival 2023 features Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam and Odissi

The Hindu  

Dance for Dance’ festival featured Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam and Odissi on the final day. Neena Prasad’s Mohiniyattam presentation titled ‘Swathi Muthyam’ consisted of the choicest compositions of Swati Tirunal. Neena next presented Swati Tirunal’s sthava varnam ‘Rama ava akhila ripu virama’, a rare piece in Mohiniyattam. The second sanchari for the line ‘Kama manjima haari charurupa’, Neena portrayed Kama reveling in …

‘Vittala Vaibhava’ dance fest in Hubballi on Sunday
1 year, 4 months ago

‘Vittala Vaibhava’ dance fest in Hubballi on Sunday

The Hindu  

Around 400 students of Bharatnatyam will be presenting 40 different compositions of Purandara Dasa during the ‘Vittala Vaibhava’ dance festival to be held in Hubballi on Sunday. Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Friday, the president of Mayur Nrutya Academy Vidushi Hema Waghmode said that saint poet Purandara Dasa had described Lord Vittal in several of his compositions and they had …

T.V.S. Mahadevan: In tune with his legacy
1 year, 11 months ago

T.V.S. Mahadevan: In tune with his legacy

The Hindu  

Mahadevan exuded energy as his repertoire included two ghana ragas. Mahadevan, who performed recently for Suswaraa Trust’s music festival, began with Tulasivanam’s ‘Pranatosmi devam vinayakam’ in Nattai with a few strands of swaras. The next raga taken up by the vocalist was Kalyani and the kriti was Subbaraya Sastri’s ‘Ninnu vina gati gana jagana’. The signing off session also featured …

An impressive thematic presentation by Rasika Arts Foundation
2 years, 4 months ago

An impressive thematic presentation by Rasika Arts Foundation

The Hindu  

In connection with the 40th anniversary of Noopura Academy of Indian dances, Mangaluru, Sulochana V Bhat had organised a Bharathanatyam performance by students of the Bengaluru-based Rasika Arts Foundation. The nimble footwork, fleeting facial expressions, graceful body language and the beautiful co-ordination among the performers spoke highly of the training they had received from gurus Kiran Subramanyam and Sandhya Kiran. …

Vaani Lakshmi Varma’s impressive debut performance in Chennai
2 years, 8 months ago

Vaani Lakshmi Varma’s impressive debut performance in Chennai

The Hindu  

Ganapathy, the remover of all hurdles, is worshipped at the start of an event. Vaani Lakshmi Varma too began her performance at the Kalakshetra auditorium with a shloka in praise of Ganapathy, before moving on to Alarippu in Tisra Eka talam. The basic elements of the dance form — perfect araimandi posture and symmetry in hand movements and footwork, which …

Vasudha Ravi’s unusual choices made her concert impressive
3 years, 3 months ago

Vasudha Ravi’s unusual choices made her concert impressive

The Hindu  

A pleasing tonal quality, a neat presentation capturing the mood of the lyrics, and imaginative phrases in niraval and kalpanaswara segments made Vasudha Ravi’s concert enjoyable. She presented a rarely heard Papanasam Sivan composition ‘Gomathi thaaye’ in Yadukula Kamboji, on the goddess of Sankaranarayana temple, with elegant and crisp madhyamakala swaras in the charanam lines ‘shruti purana’. This style with …

A well-planned concert by Nisha Rajagopalan
3 years, 3 months ago

A well-planned concert by Nisha Rajagopalan

The Hindu  

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is back with a solid line-up of live concerts. On the third day of Bhavan’s cultural festival, Nisha Rajagopalan and team presented a reposeful yet strikingly impressive performance. While Nisha painted the dynamic image of Shanmukhapriya in the alapana, she presented Tyagarja's ‘Marivere’ with a detailed niraval at ‘Sannuthanga sri venkatesa’ and teamed it with a flourish …

Immaculate raga exposition by Amrutha Venkatesh
3 years, 4 months ago

Immaculate raga exposition by Amrutha Venkatesh

The Hindu  

A rare enthusiasm and freshness marked the online vocal concert of Amrutha Venkatesh for the 63rd Annual Art Festival of the South Indian Cultural Association, Hyderabad. Melodic swaraprastara Amrutha followed this up with Swati Tirunal’s popular Mayamalavagowla composition, ‘Deva deva kalayami’ in Rupakam, with a lengthy, melodic swaraprastara at the pallavi. Then came the breezy Kadanakuthuhalam composition by Mysore Vasudevachar, …

Vidya Kalyanaraman’s concert was themed on Devi kritis
3 years, 5 months ago

Vidya Kalyanaraman’s concert was themed on Devi kritis

The Hindu  

After almost 16 months, it felt nice to sit in an auditorium and listen to a kutcheri. Vidya Kalyanaraman’s concert at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Navaratri music festival brought alive the delightful experience that a live performance can be. Even though Kalyani raga and Pallavi Gopala Iyer’s ‘Needu charana pankajamule’ were technically the centrepiece, a refreshingly rendered Kedaragowla alapana followed by …

Vasudha Ravi enlivened the audience with her rendition at a recital in Kerala
5 years, 1 month ago

Vasudha Ravi enlivened the audience with her rendition at a recital in Kerala

The Hindu  

Endowed with a mellifluous voice, Vasudha Ravi captured the attention of the audience with her impressive vocal recital at Palghat Fine Arts Society at Tharekkad, Palakkad. Vasudha’s judicious selections and rendition enhanced the impact of the concert, which commenced on a bright note with a brisk ‘Chalamela Jesavayya’ in Nattakurinji, a varnam of Srirangam Rangaswamy Pillai. Swathi Thirunal’s popular kriti …

Adherence to tradition marked Tyagaraja Aradhana in Coimbatore
5 years, 1 month ago

Adherence to tradition marked Tyagaraja Aradhana in Coimbatore

The Hindu  

Music buffs were in for a rich aural treat at the 66th year celebration of Tyagabrahma Gananjali that took place at Kikani Vidya Mandir, Coimbatore. The raga alapana of Sankarabharanam for the kriti, ‘Etudanilachite’ was marked by picturesque prayogas and karvais softened by melodic graces. The opening ‘Maakelera’ with swaras setting the tone of the session was followed by a …

Reputed musicians performed at National Music Festival in Palakkad
5 years, 4 months ago

Reputed musicians performed at National Music Festival in Palakkad

The Hindu  

Leading artistes enthralled music aficionados at the 11th National Music Festival in Palakkad. ‘Vanajakshi’, a varnam in Kalyani, and Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s ‘Sri Maha Ganapathi ravathumam’ in Gowla, which were the opening pieces, were suffixed with fine swaras. The niraval and the imaginative manodharma swaras in the Tyagaraja kriti ‘Dasarathe’ were the best part of the recital. Niraval and well-conceived swaras …

Of artistry and virtuosity
5 years, 4 months ago

Of artistry and virtuosity

The Hindu  

​​​Dharani Kalotsav, an annual dance and music festival in Kochi, had a fine line-up of veterans and up-and-coming Bharatanatyam dancers. Sayani Chakraborthy with her firm footwork and dynamic dance language brought a lot of energy into her performance on the second day with the classic Bhairavi padavarnam in Roopaka tala ‘Mohamana en meedil’. Though his raga alapanas took the fast …

Manoranjitham’s Gokulashtami-Navaratri concerts add to the festive cheer
5 years, 5 months ago

Manoranjitham’s Gokulashtami-Navaratri concerts add to the festive cheer

The Hindu  

The vocal recital of A.S. Murali featured by Sree Ayyappan Puja Sangham on the opening day had all the ingredients that make a concert lively and brisk. His alapanas of Kharaharapriya for the kriti, ‘Appan avadharitha kathamrutham’ and Thodi for ‘Sree Krishnam bhaja maanasa’ were mature renditions strengthened by traditional pidis. Aiswarya’s raga alapanas of Purvikalyani for the kriti, ‘Anandanatamaaduvar …

Feats of artistry at Monsoon Fest in Thrissur
5 years, 8 months ago

Feats of artistry at Monsoon Fest in Thrissur

The Hindu  

Eclectic performances of a cross-section of Indian classical dances were staged at Monsoon Fest 2019 held in Thrissur. She opened with Kavalam Narayana Panicker’s composition on Ganapathy, ‘Aja mukha pankaja’. ‘Kaiso niko laga, banra mora aankhan mein’, a Khayal in rag Malkauns and teen Taal, described the charms of the groom. ‘Ja Jo Badarwa’ in Miyan Malhar and teen Taal, …

'Nrityopahara' in Thiruvananthapuram: Of aesthetics and precision
6 years ago

'Nrityopahara' in Thiruvananthapuram: Of aesthetics and precision

The Hindu  

An ensemble of youthful dancers performing in sync with precision and involvement was the highlight of ‘Nrityopahara’ presented by Ananda Shankar Jayant and her disciples of Sankarananda Kalakshetra. The team began with ‘Surya Namaskar’, a short piece that was choreographed by using verses from the Suryashtaka, which pays homage to the Sun god. The main piece was ‘Devi Upasakam’ showing …

Artistic celebration
6 years ago

Artistic celebration

The Hindu  

The eight-day festival in connection with the Sivarathri celebrations at Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur, featured established names as well as young talents. Composed in ragas Saveri, Reetigowla and Revathy, the dancer gave a picturesque narration of Siva, which was anchored on Sankaracharya’s Panchakshari stothram, ‘Nagendra haaraaya, trilokachanaya’. ‘Chandrasekharam’, a composition of the Bellary Brothers in praise of Siva, entailed varied …

Confluence of music and rhythm
6 years, 9 months ago

Confluence of music and rhythm

The Hindu  

Celebrated musicians and dancers enthralled the audience at a music and dance festival held as part of the temple festival at Sree Koodalmanikyam Temple, Irinjalakuda. A chaste and appealing exposition of the Dikshitar kriti Sree Parthasarathyna in Sudhadhanyasi and a serene Sahana followed by Jayajaya Raghu Rama, a Swathi Thirunal composition, showcased classicism. Octogenarian Bharathanatyam artiste C.V. Chandrasekhar’s recital began …

Distinctly traditional
7 years, 8 months ago

Distinctly traditional

The Hindu  

If Divya Devaguptapu’s recent Bharatanatyam recital is anything to go by, traditional repertoire is here to stay. The alarippu for instance, titled ‘Sannidhi’, led the margam from the outer precincts of the temple to the inner sanctorum — a sojourn of the devotee through dance. Since the content was about the nayika falling in love with the handsome Lord Ananta …

Aesthetics and technique in tandem
8 years, 8 months ago

Aesthetics and technique in tandem

The Hindu  

Wrapped in a cool breeze under cloudy skies, Rajiv Smruthi Bhavan on beach road Visakhapatnam reverberated to melodic notes as Sapta Veena tarangini wafted soothing music around. With Pappu Padma Ravisanka in lead in tandem with renowned Bhamidipati Kanaka Durga Prasad, a team of up and coming players of veena enthusiastically displayed their artistic talent. After an appealing presentation of …

Music and dance feast
8 years, 11 months ago

Music and dance feast

The Hindu  

Sridevi, the younger sister of musicologist and vocalist N.C. Murthy, gave a concert of Annamacharya kirtanas. In connection with Annamayya Vardhanti celebrated at Moulali, last week, the Parivaaramu invited Sridevi to present a concert of Annamacharya kirtanas. There were around a score of numbers they chose to present on the occasion, starting with Deva Namodeva in Hamsadhwani tuned by Balakrishna …

Harshita’s fine ‘abhinaya’
9 years ago

Harshita’s fine ‘abhinaya’

The Hindu  

Harshita, a disciple of Ananda Shankar Jayanth, presented a Bharatanatyam recital at Shilpakala Vedika in Madhapur. Harshita started with the traditional Pushpanjali, followed by ‘Ganesha Vandanam’, a Oothukadu Vankata Kavi composition where he describes Vinayaka as ‘Nartana Ganapathi’. As the pallavi line goes Anandanartana Ganapathi Bhavaye, the devotee’s imagination of Nartana Ganapathi was brought out by Harshita in her presentation. …

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