She danced to conquer hearts

Leela Samson performing along with Spanda group. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Event: Leela Samson’s dance piece was a perfect combination of raga and tala.

It was an evening of remarkable charms of Bharatnatyam at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam. Dance lovers were treated to a piece by renowned dancer Leela Samson.’ The virtuosity capped Visakha Music Academy’s seven-day 44th annual festival of music and dance.

It is one thing to have an illustrious guru and it is totally different to evolve into one and carry its worthy legacy. Leela Samson perfectly fits into it. A proud product of the maestro Rukminidevi Arundale’s Kalakshetra, she was impeccably imaginative in her approach and expression. It, in a way, is a manifestation of inside experience and expression. It was impeccably within the confines of classicality and novel in presentation. The novelty stood pronounced well in ‘Spanda matrike’, exploration raga Kalyani in the kinetic idiom of dance and Charishnu. These numbers, in a way, carried the feel of her ingenuity in every frame. The patterns of movement in perfect sync with lyric remained exhilarating all through. It opened with her disciples presenting a verse taken from Kalidas’s Malavikagnimitram in praise of Lord Siva. It was in quite a meditative mood which found extended to the rest of the session. Spanda matrike explored a series of rhythmic cycles and finely hooked up the patterns of movements. The choreographic floor designs were executed to a set of talas. The adavus set in an aesthetic way of formations and vivacious movements were simply splendid.

In ‘Charishnu’ was remarkable for its quick tempo set of adavus. The amazing team spirit of the dancers and their concentration on delectably diverse formations in sharp light and shade effects twinkled in electronic precision of movements. It in short encapsulated the spirit of the journey of life from despair to hope with love and compassion. From the traditional repertoire a javali and padam wove a magic of their own in a pretty presentation. Leela Samson presented the romantic import of javali ‘Era rara’ in subtle suggestiveness through apt sancharis and expressional élan. ‘Etuvanti vade vaadu’ a padam of Kshetrayya in a subtle and soft gestural interpretation found an excellent treatment brought out its nuances enhancing its emotional appeal.

The Unseen Sequence - Official Trailer

In Malavika Sarukkai - an artist rooted in tradition but with a uniquely contemporary sensibility - one of India's most profound classical arts, Bharatanatyam, is being re-interpreted, renewed, invigorated. The film is not simply about Malavika Sarukkai; it deliberates the valuable connections and departures that the artist makes from a hallowed and, often, unforgiving tradition. The film will be screened as part of The Hindu Friday Review