Artistes and mannerisms on stage

[ratanabhinav]

Some of the singers have very weird mannerisms , provoking a hilarious fit of laughter , often distracting us from the music .

It could manifest in the voice itself , like in the case of San Sub's ' dugu dugu , thu thu thu ' .

Or the weirdest mannerisms in the history of CM ever , by Kunnakudi BMK . Oh my gosh ! Swirling his hands 180 degrees , sweeping and almost hitting the accompanists . He should watch out . Or speaking to the violinist personally in the middle of his alapana to inform that he/she reproduced the phrase really well . Not ' besh ' or 'bale ' . It's like a personal conversation .

Or acrobatics and dance by OS Arun . Does that even qualify as pure CM ?

Or weird facial contractions by Abishek. That's atleast tolerable.

The mannerism I hate the most and is completely unethical I feel is :
When artistes act the way Narasimha was tearing apart Hiranyakashipu with bare hands... ......I feel it is not suited for music .

But it's nice to know that majority of artistes don't display such mannerisms.

[sureshvv]

There was a video clip of Dr. BMK's take on weird mannerisms of rasikas in the audience. Quite an eye-opener !

[ratanabhinav]

There was a video clip of Dr. BMK's take on weird mannerisms of rasikas in the audience. Quite astute!

That depends on knowledge level of the rasika and his fascination with the artistes' music !
Some people even start keeping talam during alapana ! And doze off during kritis !
Like the way TMK has said in his Mylapore Mamas and CM article - part 2 in yesterday's The Hindu , the best mannerism from an aesthetic rasika would be ' tch tch tch tch ' clicking his tongue !

[Sundara Rajan]

Yes. Some antics of the artists on stage are uniquely grotesque, but we tolerate them because in most cases their music is quite good. A example was Sri M.D. Ramanathan. His music was divine ! Sanjay's acrobatics in early days were intolerable. In fact I suggested in his sangeetham.com web site that he should see videos of his own performance and make necessary amends. I am glad to mention that he has quit many of his stage antics. So was TM Krishna. Equally objectionable are the antics of many in the audience. Live and let live.

[ratanabhinav]

Have you noticed , it is only the male artists who employ these . Never has any female vocalist indulged in any of these , atleast not very alarmingly weird mannerisms .

[ram1999]

Have you noticed , it is only the male artists who employ these . Never has any female vocalist indulged in any of these , atleast not very alarmingly weird mannerisms .

you have forgotten the snake and monkey song specialist Aruna Sairam, whose mannerisms and actions are way over her music

[ram1999]

kunnakudi balamurlikrishna has taken the stage mannerisms to the next level, beating TMK, both over rated artists !!

[thanjavooran]

Have you noticed , it is only the male artists who employ these . Never has any female vocalist indulged in any of these , atleast not very alarmingly weird mannerisms .

you have forgotten the snake and monkey song specialist Aruna Sairam, whose mannerisms and actions are way over her music

To have more fun keep in silent mode and enjoy video only. Just a joke not to hurt.
Thanjavooran
18 01 2018

[ram1999]

Have you noticed , it is only the male artists who employ these . Never has any female vocalist indulged in any of these , atleast not very alarmingly weird mannerisms .

you have forgotten the snake and monkey song specialist Aruna Sairam, whose mannerisms and actions are way over her music

To have more fun keep in silent mode and enjoy video only. Just a joke not to hurt.
Thanjavooran
18 01 2018

unfortunately i find that too rather difficult

[fuddyduddy]

kunnakudi balamurlikrishna has taken the stage mannerisms to the next level, beating TMK, both over rated artists !!

Really!! the nerve this artiste has to move around and totally let it out while singing!! Many of the male artistes do that but THIS one specifically has no right to do that on stage.. And to talk to his violinist to appreciate them, totally ridiculous! Would'nt just a smile suffice? Oh other musicians say 'Shabaash' and as a young artiste shouldnt he be doing only that??

And why hasnt anyone mentioned his tight shirts! Uncouth and bad stage ethics! A carnatic musician with a tight shirt as if he is an actor! Am surprised no one has taken offense to that. And sometimes a button is off as well. Obnoxious I say! Can someone point him to a kurta designer who does pink floral patterns and rich gold thread embroidery pl?? Imagine how much it will improve the quality of his performance!

And amidst all this, lets forget the unique manodharmam that his music brings. Totally irrelevant anyways!

[Nick H]

And amidst all this, lets forget the unique manodharmam that his music brings. Totally irrelevant anyways!

He sings?

Oh yes... I suppose so. It is a little hard to notice that bit of his performance.

[ratanabhinav]

kunnakudi balamurlikrishna has taken the stage mannerisms to the next level, beating TMK, both over rated artists !!

Really!! the nerve this artiste has to move around and totally let it out while singing!! Many of the male artistes do that but THIS one specifically has no right to do that on stage.. And to talk to his violinist to appreciate them, totally ridiculous! Would'nt just a smile suffice? Oh other musicians say 'Shabaash' and as a young artiste shouldnt he be doing only that??

And why hasnt anyone mentioned his tight shirts! Uncouth and bad stage ethics! A carnatic musician with a tight shirt as if he is an actor! Am surprised no one has taken offense to that. And sometimes a button is off as well. Obnoxious I say! Can someone point him to a kurta designer who does pink floral patterns and rich gold thread embroidery pl?? Imagine how much it will improve the quality of his performance!

And amidst all this, lets forget the unique manodharmam that his music brings. Totally irrelevant anyways!

The discussion here is on " Artistes and their mannerism on stage ' and not 'Artistes and their music on stage '

[ratanabhinav]

kunnakudi balamurlikrishna has taken the stage mannerisms to the next level, beating TMK, both over rated artists !!

Really!! the nerve this artiste has to move around and totally let it out while singing!! Many of the male artistes do that but THIS one specifically has no right to do that on stage.. And to talk to his violinist to appreciate them, totally ridiculous! Would'nt just a smile suffice? Oh other musicians say 'Shabaash' and as a young artiste shouldnt he be doing only that??

And why hasnt anyone mentioned his tight shirts! Uncouth and bad stage ethics! A carnatic musician with a tight shirt as if he is an actor! Am surprised no one has taken offense to that. And sometimes a button is off as well. Obnoxious I say! Can someone point him to a kurta designer who does pink floral patterns and rich gold thread embroidery pl?? Imagine how much it will improve the quality of his performance!

And amidst all this, lets forget the unique manodharmam that his music brings. Totally irrelevant anyways!

Swirling and sweeping his hands ...fine that is maybe....but ..speaking to the violinist personally during his/her solo to say that he/she played a phrase well , , is indeed ridiculous , unimaginably ridiculous .

[ratanabhinav]

Have you noticed , it is only the male artists who employ these . Never has any female vocalist indulged in any of these , atleast not very alarmingly weird mannerisms .

you have forgotten the snake and monkey song specialist Aruna Sairam, whose mannerisms and actions are way over her music

An exception to the observed trend .

[Nick H]

The discussion here is on " Artistes and their mannerism on stage ' and not 'Artistes and their music on stage '

Let's look at this from a completely different angle.

There are artists who are extremely beautiful. Their mannerisms, if they such they have, might be very charming.

Certainly, for me, this applies to some of my favourites. However, it is their music that closes my eyes and inner bliss takes over.

Why would I bother to spend my time in the concerts of those whose mannerisms are so irritating and absurd that I have to close my eyes before I can even notice their music? I don't, and I won't. I don't at all mind serious theatre (even comedy) but I have never cared, even as a child, for circus or pantomime.

That is the black and white of the situation (the "binary" to those of you whose irritating mannerism is meaningless management jargon). In between, there are shades of grey, a sliding scale where the greater the music, the more potentially-irritating behaviour can be put up with or may not even be noticed.

[arasi]

Nick,
Look at it this way: if you get music, dance and drama wrapped into one, you don't get merely a twofer but a triple treat for the price of one ticket

[harimau]

Nick,
Look at it this way: if you get music, dance and drama wrapped into one, you don't get merely a twofer but a triple treat for the price of one ticket

Normally, one gets what one pays for.

Since usually entry is free, you get three times what you paid for!

[Nick H]

I'll pay for someone to take some of those things away!

[ram1999]

Nick,
Look at it this way: if you get music, dance and drama wrapped into one, you don't get merely a twofer but a triple treat for the price of one ticket

Atypical bargain mentality

[HarishankarK]

Or weird facial contractions by Abishek. That's atleast tolerable.

No way - his looks are at times maniacal