Shruti Parthasarathy: Dances her way into our hearts

August 19th at the Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore there was a Bharathanatyam dance recital by young Ms. Shruti Parthasarathy. I was invited by her parents to watch the performance and I walked in without much expectation as I was not a huge Bharathanatyam connoisseur. But ten minutes into the performance I began to enjoy the music, ambiance and the young dancer flitting about the stage with passion and vigour. The stage decor was tasteful and elegant, music was melodious and aligned to the dance and the nattuvangam sharp and precise. Despite a power failure, the dancer continued unfazed with grit and determination. It is indeed heartwarming to see young dancers displaying a calm and collected behavior when challenged.

Shruti an import from Wisconsin, USA is a disciple of Guru Smt. Medha Hari and in the dance recital made a strong impact, establishing the aesthetics of the art, performing a Thodaya mangalam followed by a varnam on Lord Muruga. Shruti’s araimandi stance was outstanding and the adavus, nritta were performed with vigor and precision. Being a 15-year old from the US learning through Skype classes, Shruti showed a lot of promise.

The songs that she performed on that day were Thodaya Mangalam, a varnam in Shanmukhapriya. Clarity and geometry marked this slim dancer’s movements. Shruti effortlessly covered the stage to depict Lord Muruga, while her footwork was very powerful. Later she went onto perform Kanchadalayadakshi in the Ragam Kamalamanohari and another Padam Hariharanai a Ragamalika. She concluded with a Thillana in the Ragam Sindhubhairavi.

Smt. Medha Hari Nattuvangam and Smt. Nandini Anand’s singing added depth to the portrayal. K P Nandini’s (violin) melodious accompaniment and Sri Ramshankar Babu playing of the rhythmic passages on the mridangam enhanced the performance. All the songs were choreographed by Shruti’s grand Guru Smt. Anitha Guha.

A nimble footwork, expressive face, slender figure and above all a passion for this dance form shining through her eyes sets Shruti apart. With consistent practice and persistence this talent will surely go places.

Cheers

Bhuvana Rajaram

bhuvanarajaram9@gmail.com