An unusual display of Shakthi

CHENNAI: Anusham Dance Group led by Narendra Kumar, disciple of Dhananjayans’, is currently creating ripples with its unconventional presentation that redefines the horizons of ‘traditional Indian dance’.Anusham Group presented a group dance presentation titled ‘Shakthi’, that brought out the essence of all the three forms of the mother-Goddess -- Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Durga.The presentation was truly divine when they opened the programme with Gayathri Manthram, propitiating Gayathri Matha. The depiction of the five faces of the Devi in the forms of Brahmani (Srusthi Shakthi), Vaishnavi (Sthithi Shakthi), Rudrani (Samhara Shakthi), Maya (Maya Shakthi) and Guru (Anugraha Shakthi) transformed the Balamandir German Hall, where they performed for Indian Fine Arts Society, into a devotiional place.They enthralled the audience when they moved into Saraswathi, the embodiment of the four Vedas.When the team descended to depict Shakthi, the giver of bliss, the luminosity of their dazzling performance, nurtured by creativity, came across clearly.During the portrayal of the powerful, ferocious face of Durga, who destroys Andhakarana within us, each and every piece of the dance lyrics was perfectly coordinated with a message.Following a verse from ‘Soundarya Lahari’, it culminated with ‘Uyirum Neeyae’, a tribute to the mortal mother, who teaches us, loves us and protects us in the matrix pronged effort by Anusham. It encompassed ‘Bhava’, ‘Raga’, ‘Thala’, with a heightened sense of appreciation, which revealed the aesthetics of presentation.At the end of the day, there wasn’t a doubt that Anusham’s presentation, which is a confluence of many talented professionals from different genre of practice and thought, is all about on-stage energy, coupled with crispness and articulated geometry, which makes them one of the finest classical dance troupes in the city.