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CHICAGO
Shantala Shivalingappa gave the first performance of her Kuchipudi program “Akasha” (Space) here, in association with “Eye on India” at The Dance Theater of Columbia College March 5. She was accompanied by J. Ramesh (vocal), B.P. nattuvangam Haribabu (cymbals and pakhawaj), N. Ramakrishnan (mridangam) and K.S. Jayaraman on the flute. The lighting design was by Nicolas Boudier.
She presented five very different items in all to showcase various facets of her mastery of Kuchipudi technique. The invocatory “Om Namo Ji Adya” adapted from the 13th C. Sant Dhyaneshwar was unusual in that Marathi, unlike the more southern languages, is not typically part of the repertoire. Moreover, it was sung, prerecorded, by the danseuse herself as she interpreted the meanings of the individual phonemes: A-U-M.
“Krishnam Kalaya” in Sanskrit by Narayana Tirtha (16th C.) allowed Shantala to alternate rapidly between depicting the irredeemably naughty child-Krishna, wallowing in and eating mud, and mother Yashoda, who reacts with consternation, sternness, anger, before succumbing to wonder and love at the sight of the universe encompassed within his tiny mouth.
“Jaya Jata Durge” also in Sanskrit by Tirtha depicted the fierceness of the many-armed tiger-mounted Mother Goddess as she annihilates evil-doers through an array of weapons. By contrast, her protective nature, transcendent beauty and sweet graciousness were simultaneously highlighted. The item culminated in the sequence, unique to Kuchipudi, of dancing rhythmically on a brass tray, moved by the feet on its edges without touching the ground.
“Kirtanam” in Telugu by Annamacharya (14th C.) recounts the love quarrel between the narrator, Goddess Alamelu Manga, and her fickle husband Lord Venkateshwara. After indignantly spurning his reconciliatory advances, pointing out all the telltale signs of infidelity and showering him with scorn, she finally succumbs to his charms insisting on his renewed faithfulness. Shantala highlighted her skill in conveying nuanced emotions (abhinaya) though subtle facial expressions supported by fleeting gestures and posture.
“Bhairava,” terrifying aspect of Shiva, here in his form of “Lord of Dance” (Nata-Raja), provided a striking contrast of pure rhythm and exuberant movement to express the incessant creation and destruction of the cosmos through pulsating mystical sound (nada), so well struck out by his hourglass-shaped double-headed drum (damaru). Hair wound up in a bun, Bhairava was seen crouched backstage only in silhouette flipping the damaru at multiple angles and in various ways in perfect synchronicity to its sounds struck front-stage and to the intoned seed-mantras of the various elements. He eventually moved center-stage to enliven these vibrations with the cosmic movement of pure dance. Asked how all these elements have come together, Shantala clarified that they have been improvising, with each performance building upon and drawing inspiration from the previous ones.
During Q&A, Shantala explained Kuchipudi, its intricate fusion of classical and folk elements, as less stylized than Bharata Natyam, how its characteristically fast and swift footwork contrasts with the swaying grace and undulating curves of the upper body, how dance and music worked together symbiotically within a theatrical form, with the choice of ragas and rhythmic patterns (tala) setting the stage. “Rather than my carrying the tradition,” it is the latter, with its succession of teachers, etc., that is carrying me forward. We are just vehicles of a higher force,” she told the audience.
