Her Story at Billy Johnson Auditorium, Newark Museum, March

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 24 Mar 2009, 09:23

Her Story - A bharatanatyam duet (Ms. Srinidhi Raghavan and Ms. Sahasra Sambbamoorthi)

Concept and Choreography:
Ms. Raghavan and Ms. Sambamoorthi
Artistic Direction and Nattuvangam: Smt. Usha Raghavan
Music Score: Ms. Sudarshana Arunkumar
Vocals: N. Sasidharan
Mridangam: V. Vedakrishnan
Violin: R. Kalaiarasan
Flute: C. K. Patanjali
Sitar: Sivaramakrishna Rao
Lyrics: 5th, 8th, 9th and 12th century poems from tamizh literature

The Show:

Act I: Welcome
The performance began with a musical obeisance to ganESa - Papanasam Sivan's 'gajavadanA karuNA sadanA' in SrIranjani was rendered very well.

pushpAnjalI
This was followed by a pushpAnjali in hamsadhvani performed by both dancers.

SlOkam
The 51st SlOka from Adi Sankara's saundaryalahari - SivE SringArArdrA - set to rAgamAlikA was interestingly presented with the dancers alternately assuming the roles of Siva and Sakti to bring out the ashTa rasa.

Act II: The Legendary Characters - Women in Love

Scene 1: kaikEyi
Presented by Ms. Srinidhi Raghavan - showed kaikEyi's decision to take on the world knowing fully well that she risked being scorned and shunned by everyone - as an example of a mother's love

Scene 2: ANDAL
Presented by Ms. Sahasra Sambamoorthi - showed ANDAL's steadfast devotion to Lord Ragnathan, despite being teased for expecting to marry a 'god' - an example of steadfast, romantic love that is finally requited.

Scene 3: dEvakI
Presented by Ms. Raghavan - of dEvaki's sorrow at being a 'mother who wasn't', trying to enjoy krishNa's chldhood vicariously through the stories she hears.

Scene 4: kaNNagi
Presented by Ms. Sambamoorthi - an example of chaste, wifely love that turns into a destructive force that cleanses the town of madurai for its rulers folly.

Act III: A more contemporary look at women in love

Scene 1: padam - nETrandi nErattilE - huseini - Subbarama Ayyar
Presented by Ms. Raghavan - as an example of a woman, who despite her beau's perfidy, loves him.

Scene 2: jAvaLI - smarasundarAnguni sari evvarE - parAs - Dharmapuri Subbaraya Sastri
Presented by Ms. Sambamoorthi - as an example of a woman who defends her husband from her friends.

Act IV: Conclusion

tillAnA - rEvati - Madurai N. Krishnan

mangaLam - saurASTram

The presentation:

What went well:
1) The presentation was SLICK - there was no dull or sagging moment. The soundtrack was recorded, including the introductory explanations to all the pieces. The explanations were lucid, lively, and very appropriate for the audience. I liked it that they did not have a break, and the whole show moved along like a well oiled machine.
2) The music was great - very well recorded. The choice of the rAgas for the main center-piece Act II was just right.
3) The idea was novel, and it was very cleverly presented as a center-piece like a varNam - it started with both dancers together on stage with a trikAla jati sequence, followed by the 4 stories. Each story had a small jati built-in. The dancers were very involved in their portrayals. I was moved by the stories of ANDAL, dEvaki, and kaNNagi as portrayed in particular.
4) The jatis were nicely choreographed - in particular, I liked the duet choreography - especially in the pushpAnjali, where the dancers began at different points in the tALa cycle.
5) Ms. Raghavan's abhinaya to the padam nEtrandi nErattilE was disconcertingly well done (disconcerting because of her age, and to see such a nuanced portrayal by girls who have grown up outside of India is rather unusual IMO). She brought out the sarcasm of the situation very well. I am sure that with age and more experience, she will be able to present this padam in a more subdued but lethal way - with 'smiles that can kill'.

Things that could do with improvement:
1) The aRaimaNDi was rather conspicuously absent! The jati's would've been better with a deep aRaimaNDi.
2) Lax fingers in the mudras, and incomplete mudras - Ms. Sambamoorthi was guilty of this quite a few times

3) May need a resource person/director to observe, critique and correct so that the punch it packs can be increased
4) The interpretation of 'tAd itara janE kutsana parA' in the SlOkam in Act I was wrong - it was portrayed as disgust at Siva's animal-skin garments, while in actuality it is 'disgust/vibhatsa (kutsana parA) at other (itara) men (janE) who look lasciviously at her'

Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening. Two-and-a-half hours passed very quickly, and all too soon, it was time to go home. The ambience of the auditorium was small and intimate, and made the perfect setting for the performance. I would strongly recommend this show to others if they come to your city/town, and if you have a child who is a student of dance, please take them along - the descriptions and the pair's approach to abhinaya will be very educational for others.

Ms. Sambamoorti I understand is the president of the not-for-profit organization called navAtman (www.navatman.org), and co-owner of the magazine parampara (http://www.paramparamagazine.com/), and this is the first production of these budding professional dancers. I wish them all the very best.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 24 Mar 2009, 11:51

Thanks for the nice detailed review.

rshankar wrote: The soundtrack was recorded, including the introductory explanations to all the pieces.

I am not a big fan of this and feel this is a cop out for a live show, not to mention messing with the livelihood of musicians.

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 24 Mar 2009, 14:25

Ravi,

It is always a delight to read your reviews

Do keep them coming.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 24 Mar 2009, 15:03

Lovely and meticulous review, Ravi. Looking forward to more NJ area reviews, especially with several artistes touring the US now!!!

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 24 Mar 2009, 16:25

prashant wrote:Lovely and meticulous review, Ravi. Looking forward to more NJ area reviews, especially with several artistes touring the US now!!!

its time we heard reviews from across the oceans. Everyone is touring....

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 24 Mar 2009, 19:56

Yes, Ravi! Hope you can make it to concerts of our own forumites--vidyaarthi and Jayshree Jeyaraj if you happen to be free...

Your dance review (you know your stuff!) is as interesting as ever. Sometimes, thematic performances rush into characters just with the theme in mind try to fit characters into them. Correct me if I am wrong. KaikEyi is a great woman no doubt, but to portray a mother's love through her does not seem inspiring to me because a mother like her who loved her stepsons equally--turns to being selfish and cruel--all right, because of kUni!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 24 Mar 2009, 23:37

I second everyone's request...Ravi head off to the cutcheries right now!

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 25 Mar 2009, 01:14

Another lovely review, Ravi. But they are so few and far between! Please do write more reviews.
Also, what exactly is kaikEyi's story again? I've forgotten it completely.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 25 Mar 2009, 01:41

arasi wrote: KaikEyi is a great woman no doubt, but to portray a mother's love through her does not seem inspiring to me because a mother like her who loved her stepsons equally--turns to being selfish and cruel--all right, because of kUni!

May be they were trying more to move the audience (by demonstrating the extent to which people go in the name of love) rather than inspire them.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 25 Mar 2009, 02:19

Bilahari,

Here you go: kaikEyi (a princess from kEkaya) is rAma's step-mother and daSaratha's favorite queen - not merely a fabled beauty, but a very courageous woman who went to war with daSaratha (like satyabhAma and krishNa). In one of the wars that the king, who was so adept at charioting, that he could drive his chariot in 10 directions (and hence his name), was wounded, and kaikEyi took over the reins of the chariot and steered him to safety across the battlefield. She then nursed him back to health and the grateful king granted her 2 boons. She told him that she did not want for anything at that time, but would rather take a rain-check, to which he agreed. Despite the fact that kaikEyi was his favorite queen, when it came time to distribute the pAyasam (the phala/fruit of the putrakAmEshTi yAga), daSaratha gives half of it to his chief queen (paTTamahishi), kauSalyA, and of the remaining half, he gives half (a fourth of the original) to his youngest queen, sumitra, and splits the remainder equally (one eigth of the original) between kaikEyi and sumitra - followed by the consequent births of the divine foursome. kaikEyi comes to love rAma as much as she loves bharata, and agrees with the laws of primogeniture that decree that rAma should become king. In fact, when manthara, her hunch-backed maid (kUni) comes to inform her of the impending coronation of rAma, she is overjoyed - she counters manthara's doubts by describing the kingly virtues of rAma that make him the only choice (eloquently described by aruNAcala kavi as 'nammai yellAm kAttavan DI, nAlu pEril mUttavan dI, paTTam kaTTa Ettavan DI, avan DI yen kaNmanI - rAmanukku mannan muDi dharittAlE nanmai unDu oru kAlE'). It is only when manthara continues the arguement in a different track by painting a picture of the future with rAma as king and kauSalyA as queen-mother that kaikEyi's mind is poisoned, and she sets out on the now infamous course of action that leads to her redeeming the two boons that she was owed, and her eventual downfall.

I think the point the duo was trying to convey through these stories is that through the ages women have done many things for love, and out of love, and their message to the women of today is to embrace these acts, try to understand them, may be even experience them, but to not judge them. Obviously, it is easier to do so with some stories more than with others. I actually liked their choices - As each part was introduced, the voice-over concluded with 'I am kaikEyi/ANDAL/dEvaki/kaNNagi, and this is my story'

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 25 Mar 2009, 06:02

Thank you very much, Ravi. It IS an interesting example to demonstrate a mother's love, but I can see why it might be appropriate precisely for the reason you mention, Ravi, in demonstrating the influence of love on women's actions.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 25 Mar 2009, 06:37

sureshvv wrote:
rshankar wrote: The soundtrack was recorded, including the introductory explanations to all the pieces.
I am not a big fan of this and feel this is a cop out for a live show, not to mention messing with the livelihood of musicians.

While not ideal, I think for a group dance program it is alright since the group needs many rehearsals together with music. With a live orchestra, the musicians will have to be present for all the rehearsals and this is not always practical, especially for overseas performances. Recording the commentary also means a rather seamless production that can be timed to the exact minute. If the commentary and music are put in the right sequence on the CD, the technician just needs to play the CD and not worry about starting the right track etc.

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 25 Mar 2009, 06:42

Thanks for the excellent review.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 25 Mar 2009, 06:48

Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 25 Mar 2009, 07:21

mohan wrote:
sureshvv wrote:
rshankar wrote: The soundtrack was recorded, including the introductory explanations to all the pieces.
I am not a big fan of this and feel this is a cop out for a live show, not to mention messing with the livelihood of musicians.
While not ideal, I think for a group dance program it is alright since the group needs many rehearsals together with music. With a live orchestra, the musicians will have to be present for all the rehearsals and this is not always practical, especially for overseas performances.

Not to mention expensive(!!), especially for a couple of recent college grads with limited funds. I should mention the pair did have a live orchestra, composed of local/student artists, for the same production in Manhattan last year, but I am sure the orchestra on the recording this time around did a far more professional job.

Great review, Ravi. I am sorry I missed it this time around, and I do agree that every young shishya here needs to see this production. I don't see many dancers their age doing thematic productions (with their own concept and choreography) even in Chennai. Usually it is initiated by the guru, but from what I can tell, this was born out of their own passions for dance.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 25 Mar 2009, 08:41

Cool!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 26 Mar 2009, 07:44

sureshvv wrote:I am not a big fan of this and feel this is a cop out for a live show, not to mention messing with the livelihood of musicians.

I apologize for not having been clear - this was not a commercially available recording that was messed with. It was a specially commissioned recording, and IIUC, these things are not exactly cheap. The musicians have to the paid, and the recording studio and recording engineers have to hired and paid as well, in addition. But once this is done, I believe you can have unaltered quality for performances in addition to the advantages that Mohan has mentioned.