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Sādhanā
A Kuchipudi Evening
Performer
The Kuchipudi recital for the evening is orchestrated keeping the actual essence of Kuchipudi intact. The zest of abhinaya through the four-fold classification of angika, vachika, satvika and aharya are incorporated in the repertoire with an interesting outlook given to storytelling. The choreography pieces that are being presented are composed and set by Guru Smt Sreelakshmy Govardhanan.
The piece begins with an invocation by Dr Balamuralikrishna’s evergreen krithi Shri Sakala Ganadhipa, and is followed by the Mandhodhari shabdham, a famous and revered composition in the Kuchipudi sampradaya which entails the elements of Nritta, Nrutya and Natya giving scope for the performer to breathe the character and improvise subsequently. Sakhi Hey, Jaydeva’s ashtapadi, talks about the divine union of the mortal with the immortal, Radha and Krishna. With deep philosophical meaning, this poem traverses around the scheme of longing and love-making. To conclude, Tarangam, which is touted to be one of the most unique features of Kuchipudi repertoire, has a special element in which the dancer performs complicated rhythmic patterns on the rim of a brass plate. The recital is set in the format of a Margam compiling the essential elements and verve of the traditional Kuchipudi Sampradaya.
Performer
Meenakshi Aishwarya
Aishwarya is a disciple of Smt. Sreelakshmy Govardhanan. She follows a very traditional format of presentation in Kuchipudi. She also got a great opportunity to learn under her Guru’s Guru Sri Pasumarthy Rattaiah Sharma. Being born and raised in Delhi, she started learning Kuchipudi from a young age from Shri Prabir Dutta and later pursued advanced training under Padmabhushan Smt Swapnasundari (New Delhi) and Smt Vyjayanthi Kashi (Bangalore).
Coming from a very rooted Tamil family, her late Grandfather, Shri S.V Ramani also trained her in Carnatic vocals and presently she is continuing vocal training with Smt. Soumya Gurucharan. After completing graduation in Applied Psychology from Gargi College, Delhi university, she specialized in Dance Movement Therapy from Creative Movement Therapy Association Of India (affiliated with UNESCO) and worked in APL Global School (Chennai) as a Therapeutic movement facilitator and a dance teacher for two years.
She has also performed in various prestigious platforms such as Delhi International Art Festival (DIAF), Hampi Mahotsava, Kalinga natyostava, Madras Music Academy during Marghazhi Utsavam, Bangalore International Arts Festival (BIAF) and Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthana (TTD) to name a few.
