Fluid blend of music and movement

In this age of packaged culture, in which Bharatanatyam schools in Sri Lanka as well as lndia, churn out dancers much like machines churning out sausages for mass consumption, gripping performances are rare.

But this collective ennui was recently shattered by a young dancer, Jithendrika Jayakalani de Alwis, whose Arangetram at the stately Elphinstone theatre in Colombo in July had the audience in a trance and the connoisseur sitting up and taking notice.

The fluid and graceful movement of her hands, neck and torso, the exquisite portrayal of the myriad Mudras (gestures) and the naturally flowering of Bhavas (moods), were in sharp contrast to the plastic gestures and jerky movements of most others.

That the 22 year old Jithendrika had deeply imbibed the essence of the art form was evident in the authenticity and natural grace of her body language, and her relaxed and confident interpretation of the choreographer's flights of fancy.

Her innate sense of music and rhythm, inherited from her singer mother, Chandrika Siriwardene, contributed to the fine blend of song and dance. Guru Kalasuri Vasugi Jagatheesvaran, had choreographed the numbers in such a way that the audience could establish rapport with the dancer. As in a classical Hindustani music recital, the tempo was built up gradually, allowing the audience to drink in the essence of the dance and prepare itself to receive the more complicated pieces. The dancer herself was at perfect ease, mystically communicating with the audience, through the glare of the arc lights.

Few would believe that it was Jithendrika's first solo public performance. Asked what made the difference, Guru Vasugi unhesitatingly said it was her inherited sense of music. "You can't be a good dancer without a keen sense of music and music runs in her family," the Guru said. She understood what she was trying to convey through mime. "I insist that my students understand the lyrics of the songs which may be in Tamil, Telugu or Sanskrit," said the Guru who is also fluent in Sinhalese and English.

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