The 'Horizon' series by Indian Council for Cultural Relations saw an energetic bharatanatyam performance by A Lakshman at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan recently.
Lakshman began the show with a pushpanjali in raga hamsadhwani. More than grace, his dance saw swiftness and energy, which can be attributed to the fact that it was a solo performance by a male. What did, however, work well for the man was his expressive eye movements which stuck to the traditional dance form.
"I think it's bold that a male performer can try to embody the nayika and I appreciate that. But I was disappointed because I expected a better portrayal of the shringara. This art form is about the beauty and devotion of the dancer. If you're trying to portray a woman, you have to pull through and give it your all," says Ajay Cadambi, a member of the audience, who felt that the right amount of masculinity was missing in the dance.
The centrepiece of the show was the varnam in the roopak tala, where the devotee addresses Lord Brihadeshwara and shows her chastity and devotion to the god.
Lakshman played the role of a female devotee very well and for 45 minutes, danced tirelessly from one side of the stage to the other, showing great stage presence.
Abhiroop Anja, a bharatanatyam student, felt that the expression with the body movement was right but the leg movement was too rigid. "He is very well trained and has reached a level of dance which many cannot boast of. But he was too restricted," says the young member of the audience.
"I saw a lot of connoisseurs of dance and there was a lot of appreciation for him among peers. I'm just a layman but I hold him in high regard after seeing this performance. The flautist was also exceptional," says Priya Naidu, who attended the show.
The final item, the thillana set to adi tala, depicted the story of little Krishna and was beautifully done by the performer.
Lakshman began the show with a pushpanjali in raga hamsadhwani. More than grace, his dance saw swiftness and energy, which can be attributed to the fact that it was a solo performance by a male. What did, however, work well for the man was his expressive eye movements which stuck to the traditional dance form.
"I think it's bold that a male performer can try to embody the nayika and I appreciate that. But I was disappointed because I expected a better portrayal of the shringara. This art form is about the beauty and devotion of the dancer. If you're trying to portray a woman, you have to pull through and give it your all," says Ajay Cadambi, a member of the audience, who felt that the right amount of masculinity was missing in the dance.
The centrepiece of the show was the varnam in the roopak tala, where the devotee addresses Lord Brihadeshwara and shows her chastity and devotion to the god.
Lakshman played the role of a female devotee very well and for 45 minutes, danced tirelessly from one side of the stage to the other, showing great stage presence.
Abhiroop Anja, a bharatanatyam student, felt that the expression with the body movement was right but the leg movement was too rigid. "He is very well trained and has reached a level of dance which many cannot boast of. But he was too restricted," says the young member of the audience.
"I saw a lot of connoisseurs of dance and there was a lot of appreciation for him among peers. I'm just a layman but I hold him in high regard after seeing this performance. The flautist was also exceptional," says Priya Naidu, who attended the show.
The final item, the thillana set to adi tala, depicted the story of little Krishna and was beautifully done by the performer.