Darpani is an established dance institution, where various dance styles are taught under the able guidance of Arnab Bandopadhyay. Its annual programme was held at Rabindra Sadan on June 3.

Nivedanam — the first half of the evening — had students of Darpani performing classical as well as creative dance. It began with guru vandana in Bharatnatyam, followed by saraswati vandana, slokam, todayam and meenakshi stotram. The young dancers looked confident in these pieces. Proper basic positions, neat mudra and clear footwork, the essential features of a well-groomed classical dancer, were evident. The bhajan, choreographed in the Bharatnatyam style, was enjoyable.

The Odissi repertoire commenced with mangalacharan, an invocatory number, followed by pallavi, a pure dance number based on Raga Basant. In spite of proper chauk, tribhangi and bhramari, the presentation required more precision and clarity, the hallmark of pure dance presentation. It concluded with moksha, a climactic number of Odissi recital, which was an average presentation. Being a teacher, Arnab played a commendable role. He had successfully inculcated in his students all the basic elements of classical dance, which is indeed appreciable. However, the performances fell short in terms of expression and emotion. It was a treat, though, to see the youngsters enjoying dancing so much to Bulbul pakhi moyna tiye, O jhar jhar jharna and Jhanana jhanana baje, to name a few. Utilising the vast space on stage, the dancers created a joyous mood and delightful ambience. Considering the tender age of the participants, the choreography was kept simple. The first half ended with a prize distribution ceremony to acknowledge students who have excelled throughout the year.

Composed in 1888, Rabindranath Tagore’s lyrical drama, Mayar Khela explored the journey of three lovers, Amar, Pramada and Shanta, and how fate intervened at every step in their lives. Maaya, Darpani’s second presentation, was based on this classic, which Tagore revised after fifty years into a dance-drama. Alakananda Roy, a veteran of Tagorean dance-dramas, has been playing Pramada since the time when stalwarts like Shakti Nag, Shanti Basu, Asit Chatterjee were there, and it was just her experience that came in handy. Biswajit Sarkar was stiff and a had vacant expression. But Soumili Biswas as Shanta looked elegant and poised. Her graceful movements were praiseworthy. The group dances were well-rehearsed. Alok Roychowdhury as Amar sang well, while Rachayita Roy and Swagata Das Basak were adequate. From the name, Maaya, an innovative interpretation was expected from the choreographer.