Life in a Full Circle—the title and theme of the Kuchipudi dance concert conceived and presented by Ratna Venkat on Saturday, April 9 at Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland Girls’ Grammar School.

New Zealand audiences have witnessed Ratna’s versatile dance performances on numerous occasions at several corporate and community events, and so expectations ran high for her first solo performance since her Arangetram held at the same venue on March 10, 2007.

Unique and versatile

The concert was unique and versatile in several aspects and did not disappoint.

On the contrary, it left the audience mesmerised and inspired.

The first point of difference was that the concert did not have a master of ceremony as Ratna compered her own show, describing eloquently each item before and after its presentation. She also recognised the sponsors and the supporting vocalists and instrumentalists from time to time.
The confluence of classical and fusion orchestra was another first in this concert, which by the use of quotes, expressions and spiritual connectedness always revolved under the central theme of life expressed as a full circle.

Handcrafted jewellery

An important feature of this unique show was the introduction and display of ethnic jewellery from the villages where Kuchipudi originated in India. Ratna adorned several pieces of this jewellery that were fashioned from light-weight wood and specially handcrafted for her. During her costume change intervals, the audience were shown short videos of the artisans involved in the creation of these pieces, traditional origin of the dance centering around female impersonation, and the lifestyle of the people living in the villages where this dance form evolved.

Mastery over the art

Beginning the classical segment of the concert with a short invocation to Lord Ganesha and Mother Goddess, Ratna showed her mastery of the Kuchipudi art form in the popular Bhama Kalapam and standard Manduka Shabdam items.

Both were characterised by crisp dialogue delivery in Telugu language, which incidentally is not Ratna’s mother tongue.

In the first item, the personification of Satyabhama, a strong, independent queen with a dominating nature contrasted well with the portrayal of Gajendra, the elephant who was meek and helpless caught by the crocodile’s jaws in Manduka Shabdam.

Delicate balance

The highlight of the first half of the programme was the Tarangam, and herein Ratna danced on the edges of a brass plate while balancing a pot of water on her head. This lasted for more than 30 minutes and held the audience at the edge of their seats.

The other items of the classical element were Dasavatharam incorporating the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu and a padam depicting the longing of a lovesick woman.

The concept that Kuchipudi can truly adapt to emerging and contemporary situations without losing its distinct identity was well explored in the ensuing dances after the intermission.

The fusion segment included dancing for a song dedicated to Lord Jesus passionately sung by Jeffery Nathan, a Shirdi Sai Baba bhajan sung by Vidya Teke, an Amrapali number melodiously rendered by Vishnu Priya Mallela and a multi-media rhythmic presentation involving cymbals and foot percussion.

The Simhanandini

Ratna aptly demonstrated that everything goes back to its origin when she resorted to two classical items in the concluding stages of her concert.

Simhanandini, in which the dancer draws a figure in colour powder with her toes involved Ratna tracing a lion as part of her dance routine. The dance invoking the blessings of Goddess Durga and the accompanying lion drawing resulted in a standing ovation as the audience witnessed such a dance form for the first time in New Zealand. The concert ended with a question mark as to ‘what next?’ with an exclusive dance for a song by Sri Annamacharya, which rocked the hearts of the audience.

With exquisite gestures and footwork, display of deep emotions and evidence of extensive research behind the selection of items and their presentation and execution, Ratna transported the viewers to a higher realm with her dance concert and left them wondering what more they can expect in her next concert.

Dr Padma Govardhan, her daughter Vishnu Priya on vocals and son Balu on mridangam and ghatam, Syamala Hariharan on violin and Narsing Rao (from Hyderabad, India) as the nattuvanar complemented the classical portion of the concert.

Amit Sengupta on harmonium, Basant Madhur on tabla, Shivan Padayachi on bass guitar, Joseph Alexander on electronic drums and octopad and Hemant Thaker on keyboard added to the fusion magic and charm of the dance concert.