A passion for dance

CHENNAI: Dance like the wind – they say. And that exactly was what Rama Shankar, a person with special needs, did. Her passion for dance and music and her strong will-power to learn and practice made her Arangetam on Thursday evening at the Vani Mahal, exemplary. Trained under her guru, Radhika Kalyani Rajasenan and her school Sanchala, Rama, has been learning dance for six years now and it took her six months of intensive training. But Rama was initiated into cla ssical dance by her guru, Sikkil Vasanthakumari before formally training under Radhika Kalyani. She has also been a student of Rasa.Rama started off with a pushpanjali in Gambhira Nattai raagam set to Adi thaalam which was followed by an obeisance to Lord Ganesha – Sree Vigna Rajam in Gambhira Nattai raagam set to Kandachapu. Jathiswaram followed next in Yadukula Kambodi raagam set to Adi thaalam. As her guru Radhika also pointed out, although Rama’s mudras were stiff when she began learning the dance form, by and by, her movements started becoming flexible. And most importantly, Rama has a ear for rhythm, which enhances her dance movements with reference to the timing.  The coherence of her dance moves with the mridangam beats, with SSR Krishnan on the instrument, was appreciable. Rama presented a graceful varnam based on a composition by Dhandayudhapani Pillai on Lord Murugan set to Bhairavi raagam and set to Adi thaalam. She presented a padam based on a Papanasam Sivam on Devi in Keeravani raagam and set to Adi thalam followed by a padam on Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram in Kedaragowla raagam set to Adi thaalam. Rama wound up with a brisk thillana in Kamas raagam and  handled the black out moments during the course of her performance effectively by getting back in rhythm, as pointed out by Gopika Verma, renowned danseuse, who was the chief guest for the occasion with Ambika Kameshar of Rasa. Rama was accompanied by guru Radhika Kalyani Rajasenan on the nattuvangam, K Rajasekaran on the vocals, Muruganandam on the violin and Shankaranarayanan on the flute and SS R Krishnan on the mridangam.