Vaani Lakshmi Varma’s impressive debut performance in Chennai

Ganapathy, the remover of all hurdles, is worshipped at the start of an event. Vaani Lakshmi Varma too began her performance at the Kalakshetra auditorium with a shloka in praise of Ganapathy, before moving on to Alarippu in Tisra Eka talam. The basic elements of the dance form — perfect araimandi posture and symmetry in hand movements and footwork, which are intrinsic to Alarippu, were followed diligently by Vaani. A jatiswaram in raga Vasantha and Rupaka talam composed by the Thanjavur Quartet was taken up next.

The centrepiece of the performance was the Thodi raga varnam, ‘Rupamu Joochi’, composed by Ramaswamy Dikshitar. It talks of a devotee’s plea to Tyagarajaswamy of Tiruvarur to not get angry with her for disturbing his meditative state, but to understand her helplessness as she is captivated by his beautiful form.

Vaani described Tyagarajaswamy’s attributes and appearance through suitable sancharis. The theermanams were short and crisp and Vaani’s footwork was impressive. She was able to communicate the idea well, but practice will make her abhinaya more nuanced. By infusing a little more grace into her movements, particularly the attami, she can enhance the appeal of her dance.

Vaani exuded more confidence in the second half of the performance, which was evident in her abhinaya explorations. Verses from Murugan Pillai Thamizh were chosen to portray the beauty of Muruga as a child as visualised by the Trinity, Indra and other celestial beings. Her stances, mudras and expressions made the piece a joy to watch.

Vaani Lakshmi Varma.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Interesting sanchari

‘Muruganin maru peyar azhagu’, a composition by Swami Surajanandha, in raga Behag followed. The description of Muruga as a siddhar in Palani was an interesting sanchari. Vaani’s concern for the environment, especially water pollution, came through in the next piece. This ragamalika composition was a compilation of verses by the sixth century Sufi poet Raskhan on the beauty of river Yamuna and those by the 21st century Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinakar on the present state of the river. The dancer effectively conveyed the essence of the lyrics.

The performance ended with a Mohana raga thillana, choreographed by Adyar K. Lakshman. Vaani’s guru Charanya Mahadevan and mentor Karunasagari Venkatachalam conducted the recital. Vishnupriya Rangarajan provided vocal support while Vedakrishnan accompanied on the mridangam. Shashidhar’s expressive notes on the flute and the flow of melody on Ananthanarayanan’s veena strings enhanced the impact of the musical ensemble. Prabha Natarajan compered the show.

The Chennai-based reviewer writes on classical dance and music.