Mirrored perfection

Two talented sisters showcase their collective and individual talent at an impeccable arangetram

Awarm summer evening, gracious hosts, smiles all around on and off stage, a theatre packed to capacity and captivating talent marked the Bharathanatyam arangetram of Nidhi and Nikita

Panicker on September

29 at Hunter Theatre in Newcastle. History was created as the curtains were drawn and proud guru Vrinda Ravi introduced the art form of Bharathanatyam, and presented her students Nidhi and Nikita in the first Bharathanatyam arangetram ever held at Newcastle.

As the girls breezed onto the stage for the Pushpanjali and Ganesha sthuthi, sitting in the audience, I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Was it a mirror image? Or two people dancing? Such perfection marked the synchronised dancing of the two sisters. The Jathiswaram in ragamalikai was a visual treat with complex rhythmic patterns woven into the misra chapu thalam, a cycle of 7 beats.

The centrepiece, the varnam was in praise of Lord Nataraja, the Lord of Dance, in Nattakurunji

The variations in nadai (rhythmic counts) in the jathis and thattimettus, pauses and silence punctuating movement, reflected the aesthetic in choreography by Vrinda Ravi.

Nidhi and Nikita expressed with intensity the longing of a nayika (heroine) pining for the grace of her Lord. The quick succession of descriptive phrases, portraying the adornments of Lord Shiva, his matted locks, the tiger skin and elephant hide wrapped around his second half after an interval started with Dashavataram, the ten incarnations of Vishnu through the composition, Parkadal alai mele, an evergreen favourite with dance audiences. Nidhi and Nikita alternated with ease between the various characters in the ten incarnations, presenting the victory of good over evil. Imaginative choreography and crisp execution marked this number with enchanting cameo freezes of the ten incarnations.

Throughout the performance the two sisters, though seeming has it all come to now, a mere memory? That was a hard act to follow for Nidhi in her solo Jagan Mohanane Krishna, but she rose to the occasion with her brilliant portrayal of Krishna killing the serpent Kalinga. Nidhi alternated between the roles of a charming, ebullient Krishna and the spitting, vicious Kalinga building the story to a victorious climax. A thillana in kathanakuthuhalam was a fitting finale for the performance. Kathanakuthuhalam means a feeling of ecstasy, and this was felt not just by the performers and their guru, but also the musicians and the audience, as all were transported beyond the realms of the ordinary. A standing ovation blessed Nidhi and Nikita as they took their first step (the arangetram), a milestone in the long journey of learning and experiencing the art form of Bharathanatyam. In speaking to a few members in the audience, one thing that was remarked on was the live accompanying orchestra – a brilliant team comprising of Prema Anandakrishnan on vocal, Balaji Jagannadhan on violin, Janakan Suthanthiraraj on mridangam and Vrinda Ravi on nattuvangam. Their fluent and