Vamsi Madhavi impresses with her perfect adavus, beautiful abhinaya

A solo Bharatanatyam recital by Vamsi Madhavi, staged as part of the Nartanam Conclave 2018 at the Dr MCRHRD Institute auditorium, was two hours of pure bliss, thanks to the exemplary abhinaya and nritya. The audiences were left spellbound by Madhavi’s Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam. Apart from her adherence to technique, it was the expressions of the dancer, a disciple of Anupama Kylash,that were a delight to watch.
The evening began on a note of piety, with Ganesha stuti, where the dancer described the various facets of Lord Ganesha. She followed it up with an alarippu in khanda ekam that initiated the Bharatanatyam recital. Madhavi proved that she’s a class apart with her performance to the jathi swaram in raaga malika, composed by the Tanjore quartet of Chinnaiah, Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu.
The swarajathi Ye maayaladi raa, in Hussaini raagam, composed by Melattur Venkatarama Shastri, known for its aesthetic yet complex combination of jatis and adavus, was undoubtedly the highlight of the event. In what was a poignant performance, the danseuse conveyed the plight of a devotee who is upset by the indifferent response of Lord Varadarajaswami.
The Kshetrayya-composed padam, Etuvantivade vaadu, set to Nilambari ragam and triputa talam added the emotional appeal of the piece, replete with expressive mudras. Madhavi’s portrayal aptly described the various leelas of Lord Krishna — his love for music, liking for women, way with words and his magnificence as Jagannath: the lord of the world. The next item, Apudu manasu niluchunate, a javali by Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer, was an aesthetic depiction of the shringara rasa. Madhavi was a picture of grace, playing a woman who falls for the advances of Lord Varada Venkateshwara. She played both the lover and the beloved, portraying their emotions perfectly. Her performance to Thirugokarnam Vaidhyanatha Iyer’s tillana, in praise of Goddess Kamakashi marked a rhythmic closure to the recital. The vocalist Sweta Prasad, Renuka Prasad on the mridgangam, Uma Venkateshwarlu on the flute and Anupama Kylash on the nattuvangam lent adequate support to the dancer.