Where does the beauty of dance lie?
When it comes to Bharatanatyam, particularly the Pandanallur style, surely it’s in the lines, the perfect geometry and the crisp, precise body movements.
Whatever else may have been lacking, the geometry in Swarada’s dance was certainly perfect.
Her performance was excellent. It’s rare for me to use a word like that for art, but there’s nothing else I can find to describe it.
I had problems with it.
In some places, I found it rather too sharp.
In quite a few places, I found that she spent more time looking at the backdrop than the audience.
Somewhere, I felt that the flowing laasya I expect in dance was missing.
Despite that, though, it was an aesthetic treat.
When anything classical is a little too heavy or a little too long, I find myself overwhelmed and more than a little tired.
Yesterday, I did not feel that fatigue at all.
And that, I feel, is the hallmark of a well-planned performance – delightful, classical, traditional, but not exhausting.
Swarada Datar – I hope to see many, many more performances in the years to come.
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