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Purnima Ashok Kumar, eight-year-long disciple of Kalaimamani Ananda Shankar Jayant at Shankarananda Kalakshetra, Secunderabad, gave her first solo Bharatanatyam performance in Chennai recently.
The fifteen-year-old, class-XI student has performed previously at the institution's various dance ballet productions at Pune, Konark, Leh, Delhi, Bhadrachalam and other places. She had her rangapravesam in October 2002 at Hyderabad's Ravindra Bharati in the immediate presence of Dr Haripriya Rangarajan, the then first lady of Andhra Pradesh, who warmly applauded the girl's spirited performance.
 Purnima's 75- minute meritorious show, under the auspices of Kartik Fine Arts, Chennai, featured five numbers - Pushpanjali: Ganesa Vandana - Paramananda Narthana Ganapatim Upaasmahe (Nattai - Aadi), Shanmugapriya Varnam (Lalgudi composition on Lord Srinivasa as Protector Supreme), Padam in Kaapi ,and a Siva Ranjani Tillana in kandaekam
taalam.
The forty-minute Varnam deserves particular commendation as the basic components of this taxing item Nritta, Nritya and Natya were all precisely executed. The exacting footwork, intricately in-built in this colourful main piece, set to trikala abhinaya, and story narration through pertinent sanchari-bhavas won warm praise from leading dance exponents Chitra Visveswaran,. the Dhananjayans and many others present. Particular appreciation is due to the artiste's manodharma-based artistic improvisations. Similarly, the jathis were other high points. These jathis and the related mnemonic syllables for this Varnam were composed by Adayar K
Gopinath.
In the Padam, baby Krishna' s naughty tantrums were winsomely presented. The Tillana, another brilliant item in Bharatanatyam recital, comprising varied jathi patterns and graceful friezes, also highlighted the dancer's firm grasp of the nuances of mood, music, rhythm of both abstract and expressive dance movements and mime pattern intricacies.
Ananda Shankar Jayant's nattuvangam, Venu Madhavan's vocal support, Shaktivel's mridangam and Veeramani's violin were encouraging and creditworthy factors.
Tamil Nadu Governor P S Ramamohan Rao, his wife Uma Rao and Indian Oil's marketing director N.G.Kannan were the principal guests on the occasion that signified Kartik Fine Arts' 29th Annual festival of dance and music in association with Indian Oil Corporation. Gayathri Girish and Kavitha Ramu were awarded the titles of Isai PeroIi and Nadanamamani respectively on theoccasion.
R Srinivasan
18 A , IV Main Road,
R A Puram,
Chennai 600 028
e-mail. r_seema30@hotmail.com
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