Adithya PV’s goes on a personal quest in his Bharatanatyam recital

Adithya PV is a well-honed Bharatanatayam dancer, who has studied under Latha Edavalath and Sandhya and Kiran. He also takes guidance from veteran dancer Sudharani Raghupathy. He is artistic director of Upadhye School of Dance. Adithya has clear lines, great agility and a precise style to his adavus. There is also a notable subtlety in his abhinaya.

In the opening salutation during his performance at The Music Academy dance festival, Adithya cautions Ganesha to not eat too much. In ‘Siddhi vinayakam’ (Mohana Kalyani, Adi, Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar) and other offerings, he related to the gods on a personal note, as he beseeched Ganesha to take care of him.

Adithya had the support of a strong orchestra, with Srikanth Gopalakrishnan’s melodious vocals, Anjani Srinivasan’s participative veena and Parshwanath Upadhye’s nattuvangam along with Mahesh Swami’s flute and Harsha Samaga’s mridangam.

Adithya continued with ‘Saamini ramanave sakhiyaro’ in an enjoyable Khamas, Adi by the Thanjavur Quartet’s Ponniah Pillai. It is a poem of bhakti-sringara, admiration, viraha and longing towards Brihadeeswara, in which the nayika tells her sakhi about her feelings. There was no exaggeration, just good abhinaya.

Adithya is the artistic director of Upadhye School of Dance | Photo Credit: K. Pichumani

Adithya was in control in the nritta portions as well — perfect timing, good araimandi and kudichi mettu adavus, but was let down by the azhutham. It got better in the second half, the stamping and the well-anchored steps. Finally the sakhi sets out, with the nayika observing her every step.

In Gopalakrishna Bharathi’s ‘Nandanar Charitham’, the underprivileged devotee is not able to see Shiva in Thirupungur. He cries when he sees Nandhi blocking his path of vision, ‘Vazhi maraithirukkude’. Moved, the lord asks Nandhi to move in ‘Satre vilagi’ (Purvikalyani, Rupakam). The conversation between Shiva and the sulking bull was captured effectively; the rest could have had more depth.

Adithya finished with a Pahadi thillana (Misra Chapu, Lalgudi Jayaraman) in which the attentive rhythm-keepers kept up with the change in pace, showcasing the dancer’s timing and agility. The footwork was good, the music superlative. Everything came together well as Adithya’s last jump into a muzhu mandi gave him a picture-perfect finish.