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The Language of Dance As told by a little 'Rose' A Review of Priya Banerjee's Bharatnatyam Arangetram on February 16, at West Valley College Arts Theater, Saratoga. She moved with careful precision through each dance, this dancing splendor, a doll of mere 9 years. Her form occupied the entire stage of West Valley Arts Theater with an overflow of confidence and captivating charm. Priya Banerjee's dance Arangetram spurred many of the onlookers into a flurry of excitement and inquisitiveness. How did she in the mere 5 years of learning of this gigantic dance form get to the level of a star performer? 
Priya began her training under the dedicated tutelage of Vishal Ramani at the Fremont Hindu Temple over five years ago. There was such a vibrant atmosphere of arts and culture in the home and the parents Rina and Aniruddha nurtured with care the talents of both their children, Arjun and Priya. This kind of background was very vividly revealed in the stage presence and spectacular presentation of both children on stage. Arjun's pronunciation was impeccable while little Priya donned a serious danseuse's countenance and executed with incredible precision, complex routines on stage.
Priya began her recital with a Mallari followed by Shri Narayana Theerthha's composition, Jaya Jaya Swamin Jaya Jaya. She then went onto Swarajathi in Kamas Ragam and it was evident by then that no distance was too enormous for her little form and no number of people in the audience was too intimidating. She was in total balance, moving with precise timing and grace. Man is born with a desire for movement. To little Priya, at an age of mischievous and carefree abandon, such movements came with surprising ease. She had an age-defying poise and confidence on stage. When she came out after each number, she needed no pampering of glucose or dab of compact. She kept going from one item to another with a mastery of skill and craftsmanship. It seemed like being on stage was second nature to this little child. She expressed her feelings and emotions through the body languages and facial expressions. She now leapt in joy, and then sat in gloom, she sometimes swayed in harmony and sometimes even collapsed in dejection. Whatever her sentiments may be, the body expressed the emotions with an amazing clarity, while her face went into myriads of different shades of human feelings. The Varnam description was so amazingly clear as it rang out in Priya's voice over the microphone. She came on the dancing peacock like little Muruga and then wandered around the stage calling like the singing nightingales. She narrated the stories of Valli Thirumanam and Lord of Swamymalai with a depth of understanding. When she drew the 'OM' with her little hands in the air, one couldn't but wonder whether this child was little Muruga Himself and whether Shiva, the father stood over her while she whispered the essence of 'OM' into His ears. Her long jathis were intricate and the routines were so complex that even a professional dancer, with experience, would have been challenged by the energy and attention to detail that they required. In the second half, Priya described the crescent-moon bearer Shiva in a DASAR composition and then went onto an Oothukkadu Venkata Subba Iyer's composition 'Swagatam Krishna'. The Thillana had the verve and speed that brought out the supreme command of pure dance movements and the tough misra chapu tala patterns while the final benediction to Shri Krishna Chaitanya brought tears to the eyes of all the assembled Bengalis and other devotees. Vishal's choreography for each piece was done with such meticulous care and attention to detail. It was amazing to see how the teacher and the taught blended and interacted with perfect understanding of each other. A Gurudakshina to the teacher can be Pathram, Pushpam, Phalam or Thoyam (Leaf, Flower, Fruit or Water). On this stage, we saw the little 'rose' and the 'gardener' described in Arjun's poetry blend to create magic on the stage and the breeze of thunderous applause made them sway and shiver in total ecstasy. The rose offered itself with its entire delicate and colorful splendor to the gardener that evening. The musical ensemble was so refreshing and so perfectly in unison. Shanthi Shreeram and Geetha Iyer seemed like made for each other. Their singing was so much in harmony that soon these two are going to become the much sought after duo of the bay area. Their sweet voices and command of all the nuances of carnatic music made it such a treat while the accompanying musicians, namely Subha, Ranjani and Raja were amazing each in her/his instrument. The Mrudangam by Ramnath Ramdas was so wonderfully blended with the Jathis and Nadais of this little dancer. This is a wonderful troupe and thanks to Vishal, newer and newer groups are coming forth, ready to recognize that classical dance artists need a lot of support and several rehearsals in order to feel totally at ease on stage. Thanks to each of them this recital was a tremendous success for Shri Krupa. Priya has a grand future ahead of her. She will improve on her stability and strength with age and maturity and one can hope to see this star rising in the horizon and become more and more resplendent with each passing day. The pristine magic of Dhrupad vocals by the Gundecha Brothers San Francisco, February 23, 2002: A standing ovation of two full minutes as they wrapped up their final piece. A sold out concert. It was as though the Gundecha Brothers and Dhrupad had always been a part of the San Francisco- Bay Area. The trio of brothers had simply swept the audience off their feet at the First Unitarian Church, San Francisco, on February 23, 2002! While Indian Classical music has been recognized and appreciated the world over, the Dhrupad style, considered the most ancient form of North Indian Classical music, has been an endangered art form. It has tenaciously held on its original form for over ten centuries, while other forms of the music have mutated over time. The Gundecha Brothers have been the torchbearers of this revival of the sacred music, which has its roots in the Sama Veda. 
Appropriately enough, the music got rolling with the alaap in the evening melody of raaga Bhopali. Singing into their strength, the vocalists Umakant and Ramakant unraveled their rhythm and control, while exploring the extremes of their gifted vocal range. The unhurried rendition over the next three-quarters of an hour easily spun a meditative texture to the music. The music picked up the tempo with the raagas Shahana and Charu Keshi in praise of the divine, including the rendering of the poetry of the mystic Kabir. Akhilesh Gundecha added yet another hypnotic dimension to this artistry with his deft mastery of the pakhawaj, an ancient percussion instrument. The music was palpable -- both electrifying and subtle at the same time. The culmination of the concert was with the praise of Shiva in raaga Adana. The International Association for Human Values and the Art of Living Foundation were the sponsors of this event. These are both educational and social non-profit organizations founded by the renowned visionary and humanitarian Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. This is the third successive year where stalwarts of Indian Classical Music have come to raise awareness -- and funds -- for the noble cause of the 5H Program. Legendary artistes Pandit Jasraj, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ali Akbar Khan and Zakir Hussain are amongst those who have dedicated their time on earlier occasions. The 5H Program is a unique social upliftment project that is sweeping across India. The unique program focuses on both material needs health, hygiene, homes as well as social needs -- human values, and harmony in diversity, and education. All proceeds from this benefit concert are going towards literacy programs in Northeast India, including the building of 30 schools in the region. The brothers strongly believe that they have a responsibility to the community to support social movements like 5H. "The dedication of the 5H Program touched us so much that it brought out this profound music from us", noted the brothers. In another effort, the Gundecha Brothers are building a Dhrupad gurukul (school) in Bhopal, India, to nurture and perpetuate Dhrupad music. "This is the largest audience that we have performed for in the United States", remarked Umakant after their incredible performance. Their next stop is near Houston, Texas, where they will perform the next event in the 5H Concert Series of Ancient Music of Peace on March 3, 2002. The Bay Area has not seen these musicians hold their royal court for the last time, for sure. |
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