Suddenly, the stage started filling and how! Fifty dancers between 5 and 15… all brimming with enthusiasm and confidence! ‘Thalattu’ was the enacting of stories from the Ramayana sung as a lullaby to a child. An innovative idea except for the times when the thread of the tale got a bit thin. The most interesting of the narratives was that of the Sita Swayamvaram- the manner in which each suitor had a go at Shiva’s bow was entertaining, as the young girls were remarkably uninhibited. Their teacher Shobana may also be commended for the good posture and rhythmic sense of her students. Even the youngest were able to clap to beat in the final scene after the Sita Kalyanam. The many instruments: mridangam, tabla, morsing, veena, flute, in addition to Uma Mahesh’s voice all added to the overall effect of richness and possibly overcrowding.

‘Sadbhavana and Aakar’ was a visual treat of traditional kathak and contemporary dance presented by Maya Rao and Madhu Natraj Heri of Natya Stem Dance Company, Bangalore. Traditional kathak in ‘Ganesha Vandana’ in raag Bairagi, was followed by a modern piece exploring space inspired by the jazz idiom. Synthesis was an extraordinary mix of kathak and flamenco, a grand finale, set to teen taal where the graceful and restrained dancers performed kathak to contemporary music and vice-versa with excellent choreography by Madhu Nataraj Heri. The music by Amit Heri in raag Sankara, was also a fusion. The costumes were innovative, simple and aesthetic. Creativity at every level...

The dancers who presented ‘Thadaasthu’ have a very able guru and nattuvanar in Anita Guha. An old story from our epics with a pertinent lesson that reads, 'a word once given cannot be taken back...'. Shiva agrees to get Sanishwara’s blessings for a new dancing hall built by Parvathi. If His mission is unsuccessful, Shiva is to give a sign by playing the uddukkai, and Parvathi would then burn the hall down. Shiva obtains Sanishwara’s blessings, and consents to dance for His host. He remembers His word to Parvathi, but cannot perform the tandava without the uddukkai. Hearing the sound of the udukkai, Parvathi thinks otherwise and burns the hall down, thereby reaffirming the motto that no one is above the law. Costumes were a bit overdone but otherwise the item was well presented, with an impressive Aishwarya Narayanaswami as Shiva.

‘Chandrodayam’, a piece describing the unparalleled beauty of the moon as eulogized by Indian literature, and how such beauty can intoxicate. With excerpts from Nalachampu, and music by Prof.C.V.Chandrasekhar, Manjari Chandrasekhar and her group in starched white saris offered crisp nritta in addition to the bhava. The words in Sanskrit were difficult to follow though the gist was clear enough. The finale was a tillana in Valaji ragam, Adi talam, a composition of Tanjavur A.Chandrasekharan, the mridangist and performed by students of Sri Jaya Aruna Bharatalaya. The pretty dancers were supported by Subhasini Chandrasekhar who impressed with the cymbals. Thus ended 2 days of dance and dancers who put in their best, some who won spontaneous applause and others who had to make do with less. One can see that besides the ability of the dancers, presentation of the item and it's timing are crucial factors for the success of a production. It is after all the age of quick fixes, and the world is populated by impatient people like you and me...