Renowned Kuchipudi dancer Vyjayanthi Kashi and ensemble mesmerised the art lovers of Palakkad with an hour-long performance at Rappadi auditorium on the 10th day of the ongoing Swaralaya-Soorya dance and music festival on Saturday.
Ms. Kashi and the group presented Krishnacharitam by laying stress on Natya. Known for her Natya skills, Ms. Kashi proved why she is among the top Kuchipudi artistes in the country.
Interacting with the media earlier, Ms. Kashi said that Natya had immense scope for imagination, especially in Kuchipudi, a Yakshagana based dance form. “We haven’t seen the characters that we portray, be it Putana, Krishna, Sita, or Rama. Imagination and creativity are the key to keep on going deeper and deeper into the history of each of these characters,” she said, adding that artistes are not just dancers; but they have to be actors too. “They should have the quality of imagination of a painter, a sculptor.”
Ms. Kashi praised the artistes in Kerala for their openness. “There is equal scope for all style of dance in Kerala. It’s not just Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. They accept all other dance genres, particularly Kuchipudi,” she said.
The penultimate day’s programme began with a raag-based film song presentation titled Raag Tarang. Singers such as Sreekanth, K.L. Sreeram, Preetha, Vijesh Gopal, Reji Sadanandan, Abhirami, Anil Kumar, Sreeranjini, Krishnan, Jayanti and Anuja rendered some raag-based evergreen songs from Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil films.
They sang songs in Mayamalavagowla, Kalyani, Sivaranjini, Hamsadhvani, Hindolam, Keeravani, and Dharmavathi ragaas.
Earlier, P.P. Sumod, MLA, gave away the Swaralaya Vijaya Jayaraj Award to playback singer Sreekanth. Swaralaya secretary T.R. Ajayan read out a citation. Swaralaya president N.N. Krishnadas presided over the function.
Mr. Ajayan said that Mr. Sreekanth had made his mark in Malayalam film music with his unique songs and style. Former district panchayat president Subaida Ishak presented Mr. Sreekanth with the citation.
