Kavyaa Kannan’s Bharatanatyam recital was laced with precision and grace

Under the auspices of Kavyaalaya, Kavyaa Kannan presented her Bharatanatyam recital at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore. The dancer’s performance was a testimony to the meticulous training under Parvathy Ravi Ghantasala, Bhuvaneswari Koushik and her mother, Veena Kannan. 

Kavyaa commenced the recital with an invocation to Ganesha in raga Hamsadhwani, set to Adi tala. This was followed by the popular navaragamalika varnam ‘Saamiyai azhaithodi vaa sakhiye’, composed by K.N. Dhandayudapani Pillai. Here, the nayika asks her sakhi to bring her ‘sami’ Shiva, whose matted locks are adorned with the moon and the Ganges. She expresses her ‘virahathapam’ to her sakhi, sharing her angst of being separated from her lord and longs for his return. 

Throughout the varnam, Kavyaa handled the hasta mudras, abhinaya and footwork with ease and confidence. What followed was M. Balamuralikrishna’s Javali in Jenjutti raga, misra chapu tala. The nayika, here, expresses her intense love for the nayaka, telling him not to leave her. Kavyaa depicted an angry khanditha nayika in the Ashtapadi ‘Yahi madhava yahi keshava’, wherein she directly confronts her beloved Krishna, for his  betrayal.

Through out the varnam, Kavyaa handled the hasta mudras, abhinaya and footwork with ease.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Kavyaa concluded her performance with the thillana, composed by Balamuralikrishna in raga Behag.

The orchestra included Bhuvaneshwari Koushik (nattuvangam), Koushik Champakesan (vocal), N. K. Kesavan (mridangam), Anantha Raman (violin) and Devaraj (flute).