Sarbabahratiya Sangeet--Sanskriti presented a montage of Indian dances at Gorky Sadan on April 23 to commemorate its 30th anniversary. Eminent dancers and choreographers took part but unfortunately no group other than Kalamandalam (Calcutta) and Gouriyo Nritya Bharati could fulfil the expectation of the audience.

Sangeetam in Bharatnatyam style was performed by Malabika Sen, a disciple of Guru Thankamani Kutty. It underlined the influence of different sounds produced by animals on the rhythm of dance. Geometrical patterns played a major role in her compositions and her postures seemed like images of the engraved sculptures of Tanjavur.

Kathakali, the dance-theatre form of Kerala, was staged by Luna Bose (Uma) and Debopriya Mukherjee (Draupadi). Their movements and subtle gestures were successful not only in underscoring the rhythms of the song but also in portraying the two characters of Mahabharata. The spectators were then taken to the lasya (dalliance) dance form of Kerala, Mohiniyattam. Chandreyee Basu Thakur presented Tillana in Mohiniyattam set in raga Aravi and tala adi, beautifully intercepting the beat.

Dr Indrani Roy’s troupe presented two items with Rabindrasangeet.The choreography lacked imagination and the dancers merely went through the motions. But hard-edged aggression, flashing feet and appropriate body language were woven into Gauriyo Nritya Bharati’s Dashavatar.