July 27, 2013: In conjunction with Suvarna’s 20th anniversary celebration, a team of bharatanatyam dancers presented a jubilant display of fluid movements, accompanied by soulful music and splendid lights.

Panchaayatana (the worship of five deities) was another brainchild of Suvarna’s artistic director Ajith Bhaskaran Dass, known for world-class choreography and attention to detail. It illustrated the personalities of Ganesha the elephant-headed god, Ambika the female representation of power, Vishnu the preserver of the cosmos, Shiva the destroyer, and Surya the Sun God.

The evening began with Ganesha, a melodious piece ending with Ajith’s solo, his arms sweeping in an elephant-like grace. He delivered a relaxed depiction of the unwieldy half-elephant, half-human God, with a benign smile.

This was followed by an all-female performance depicting the regal Goddess Ambika. The dancers’ feminine poise and charming smiles reflect the Goddess’ motherly bearing.

Lord Vishnu, a stunning mix of complicated formations and melodrama tells the story of the blue God who preserves dharma, or justice, in the cosmos. Snippets from puranic literature ended with the recital of the Gita to the warrior Arjuna.

Lord Shiva was performed with masculine vigour. The dance formations were adept, featuring the Lord’s flowing hair and his energetic dance. The finale, an offering to Surya, used up the entire stage. The dancers formed a chariot with the deity emanating many arms, symbolising the sun’s rays.

Ajith, working in tandem with his energetic young ensemble, succeeded in gradually moving the audience to silence as they became wrapped up in the sound of ankle bells jingling to the nattuvangam’s (cymbals) beats, played by Guruvayur Usha Dorai.

Equally mesmerising was the use of colourful spotlights to highlight the general mood of each dance. For example, the Shiva dance, enhanced by a reddish hue, showcasing the especially startling glares of the young dancer,Parthiban Sethu, who expressed the passion and wrath the deity is famous for in Hindu mythology.

The final piece on Surya was most effulgent due to bright orange lights reflecting off the performers’ vivid orange and black costumes to mimic the blazing sun.

Vijayan Veeryan, one of the male dancers, said the final preparations for the show was rigorously managed by Ajith a few days beforehand, and the physical exertion was exhausting.

The rehearsals were conducted over three months. This might explain why the latter’s initial solo performance portraying Lord Ganesha was a little more mellow than the usual technical exuberance he flaunts. However, the pace of the show picked up gradually, and the speed of the synchronised footwork was almost dizzying to follow towards the concluding act.

The orchestra was a stunning complement to the night’s event as Bhavani Logeswaran’s powerful voice evoked the respective moods of the five deities presented. The mridangam (drums) was played by Theban Arumugam, accompanied by Achyuthan Sashidharan Nair on the violin and Raghavendra Rajasekaran on the flute.

The chemistry between the dancers and the orchestra was evident and was complemented even further by majestic postures and pleasant facial expressions.

The team’s dedication to the art of dance was lauded by Ajith’s former guru, Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, in his opening address. Ramli compared the effort his ex-student had poured into developing his institution for two decades to that of a parent raising a child to adulthood.

Source: New Strait Times, DT. July 27, 2013.