On November 22nd Smt Jyothi Raghavan presented Abhinaya- A  representation of various emotions as part of the monthly dance series for our dance school Spandha . In her presentation Jyothi  Aunty took us through a range of emotional numbers depicting different moods and situations.    

We  very much enjoyed her  performance. She did  some very interesting and different numbers. During her entire performance she maintained a perfect posture. She had perfect aramandi, muramandi and mudras. Her arms were straight and and her elbows were always in perfect position. Jyothi aunty was very graceful and didn’t waver. Her depiction of various sequences justified the lyrics and the emotions behind it.

During the first piece, Dasavataram, we could definitely see all ten avatars of Vishnu. With her hands, she showed Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamaha, Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki. We really enjoyed this piece where there was interweaving of Nritta and Abhinaya.  Aunty explained later that this was the item her mother used to perform.  

Second item was a  Kshetraya Padam, Samayamide. Here we could see the heroine going through conflicting emotions. She was happy that she was able to spend time with the lord  to whom she connected emotionally but feels sad when she had to leave the lord and go to her husband.  It was very sad to know that she was married when she was little and had no idea about what marriage was. She was young and playful but she was bound by marital duties.   We could really see how the heroine’s emotions change from happiness to sadness. I liked this item because it was slow, and allowed you to absorb the emotions and thoughts that she was showing.

I felt that the third piece was definitely more upbeat. In the beginning, Jyothi aunty explained the story.  Apparently, there is a woman whose husband has gone away. She is asking her lover to come because the moon is out, the time is now right and also she has very old In laws who could not hear. She left the rest for us to figure out. I felt she was happy as she was able to persuade her lover to accompany her.

The fourth piece was my favorite as it was a humorous incident. It is about a greedy woman talking to her lover. We understood more of the story during the dance. In the beginning, the woman was getting ready, putting on jewelry and makeup. But when she heard a knock she immediately castaway her jewels and reprimands her lover for not keeping up his promise that he had made to get her all the jewels. She finally sends him away and then gets ready to receive another visitor. Throughout the dance, she was only demanding things. I really liked this one because it was funny and you could laugh at it.

The fifth piece depicted the story of Andal, born  as Godha. The story begins when the father is placing the garland on the statue of the god. While doing so, he discovers a hair in the garland. This, of course, is devastating to him. He realizes that Godha must have worn the garland in her hair. He calls her over and tells her that she cannot wear the garland before it goes on the god. She happily complies. He then proceeds to place a new garland on the god. A few seconds later, he hears the voice of god. He is demanding the garland Godha wore. In fact, that is the only garland he wants. The father of course, complies. The god then request’s  Godha’s hand in marriage. He happily agrees and from then on, Godha was called Andal. During the dance, we could feel the father’s pride and anguish.

The conclusion was a bhajan by  Saint Tulsidas that showed several scenes from the Ramayana. She had to switch characters a lot.  She shows the intense devotion of Hanuman. She depicted  Vamana, Brahma, Ganga and Shiva. We also enjoyed this piece because it was very familiar since everyone knew the stories,  and was much easier to understand.

Overall Jyothi Aunty’s program was a treat to all of us. Hope to see more of her performances.

Please find the link to the performance highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dut8tXkJfCk

|