It is an artist’s ability to communicate and not the duration of her performance that determines the rasanubhava that a true rasika experiences. This was evident in the dance recital of Alarmel Valli who performed soon after receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. With just three items focussed on the poetic, emotional and rhythmic aspects, the dancer was able to leave a lasting impression on the viewers.
The element of surprise here was that the dancer performed to taped music. So, the Valli’s signature elements like the Tanjore quartet varnam, Sangam poetry, Kulukku Nadai were conspicuously missing. What we got, nevertheless, was an enriching experience.
The opening number, ‘Scent of the Earth’ was a poetic piece, where the dancer captured the varied hues of Nature traversing different landscapes. The dancer had chosen verses from Abigyana Shakuntalam, Ritusamharam, Silappadikaram, poet Bhartrihari’s works and Atharva Veda. Rajkumar Bharati composed the music with ragas such as Bagesri, Hamsadhwani and Hamirkalyani bringing out the essence embedded in the poems. Valli, with a lifetime of devotion to the art of Bharatanatyam, gave visual dimension to it with her rich poetic expression. The cascading waterfall, the caressing breeze, the rumble of the thunder, the flash of lightning, the first drops of rain, the dancing peacock, the graceful deer, and the fluttering bees flowed seamlessly and was captivating visually. The use of swaras in varied scales and rhythm to convey the fall of the first drops of rain, slowly building up to a crescendo of thunderous downpour and the dancers response to that with responsive gestures were examples of what the Valli believes in- to see the music and hear the dance.
Bhakti came into focus in the Annamacharya composition ‘Edupayumu Ninnu Cherutaku,’ which spoke of a devotee is baffled, agonised and tearful, longing to reach the Almighty, the pervading cosmic being Lord Venkateshwara. Valli immersed herself completely in the character of a devotee and the viewer too was transported, to partake of an experience of total surrender. Every act depicting the various rituals was an experiential expression and not an orchestrated depiction. The ringing of the bell with delicacy and devotion was truly an aesthetic delight.
Shaking off the emotive plane,Valli brought us back to the physical state with ‘Nritya Lahari,’ composed in raga Abhogi by Prema Ramamoorthy.
The vibrant rhythmic composition found its match in natya, where the dancer’s strong foundation in nritta came to the fore.
